Throughout the year, seasonal vegetables can be used for grilling. In spring, asparagus becomes increasingly popular on the grill, while during the summer months, for example, peppers in all sorts of variations can be prepared on the grill. In autumn, it’s all about pumpkin. Although many only know this vegetable for cooking on the stove, it excels in providing very aromatic delights from the grill. The possibilities are enormous, as there are many recipes available for grilling pumpkin. Even we can’t resist this aromatic autumn vegetable when grilling. You’ll be surprised how flavorful pumpkin tastes after marinating for two hours. But even wrapped in aluminum foil and filled with the right spices and ingredients, it’s a real treat when grilling. Pumpkin from the grill doesn’t have to be just a side dish to other grilled foods. Thanks to bacon, feta, and many other ingredients, it is capable of satisfying even the biggest hunger. With our tips and information, we’re happy to introduce you to the world of this vegetable. It’s an excellent choice for grilling and doesn’t even cost much. Grilling economically is also guaranteed with it.
Where to Buy Pumpkin for Grilling?
Finding pumpkin to buy shouldn’t be a problem. In every supermarket, the pumpkin season starts very early, and there are various varieties to choose from. The prices are reasonable, and the quality is not bad either. You can find many varieties fresh at farmers’ markets and in market halls. Here, you’ll find them freshest. Prices vary greatly because every seller has their own idea of what a freshly harvested pumpkin should cost. Also, becoming increasingly popular are the small stands directly at the fields. They are easily recognizable from the road, and many signs point to them. Often, you can find asparagus and strawberries at these stands in spring. In autumn, you’ll find a very good selection of pumpkins.
Which Pumpkins Can Be Grilled?
The selection of pumpkin varieties is truly enormous, making the choice for grilling pumpkin not easy for first-timers. Hundreds of varieties can be found worldwide, including decorative pumpkins, each of which is already a beautiful autumn decoration in and around the house. We would like to introduce you to three of the most popular and commonly used pumpkin varieties. Simply try out which variety you like best. Our varieties are not rarities and are therefore available everywhere.
The Butternut
The Butternut is very well known and popular. Its flesh becomes soft when cooked, hence its name. It is excellent for grilling and can be prepared in various ways. When cooked, the outer shell does not soften but remains firm. For this reason, it is very popular for stuffing, which is also an optical highlight when grilling. They come in orange, yellow, and green tones. A real plus point for this pumpkin is that it can be stored for a long time without losing its quality. If stored in a dry and cool place, it remains edible for many months. The longer it can ripen like this, the more intense its flavor. You can also use it for salads and other raw foods when grilling. Its buttery roasted aromas make this variety a real delicacy on the grill. Wrapped in bacon and marinated beforehand, it can be prepared very delicately on the grill.
The Hokkaido
The Hokkaido pumpkin is probably the most well-known and popular pumpkin, not only for grilling. It is often used for soup in the kitchen. Such a delicious pumpkin cream soup can easily be prepared in a kettle on the swivel grill. If you’re gaining your first experiences with grilling pumpkin, this variety is highly recommended because it can be grilled in many different ways. The flesh of this variety is fibrous. Its taste is somewhat reminiscent of nuts. You can even eat its skin. It can be prepared very well on the grill – even whole. Simply cut a very large slit on one side. Now remove the fibrous parts and the seeds. Now you can fill it according to your taste. We like to use a filling of minced meat, bacon, and herbs. It is recommended to grill it indirectly, otherwise, it will burn on the outside before the filling is even cooked. Once it’s done, simply cut it into rough slices and serve.
The Pattypan
The Pattypan has a very striking shape, resembling a UFO, which is why it is often used for decorative purposes in autumn. The color shades are varied, ranging from white and yellow to green tones. They are often used as cups for pumpkin dishes. However, they taste delicious when prepared in many other ways, such as as a side dish for grilling and as chutney. Its skin is edible. We recommend brushing this relatively flavor-neutral pumpkin with a marinade made of garlic cloves, salt, pepper, olive oil, and soy sauce. Then slice it into wedges with the skin on and place it on the grill grate.
Our Pumpkin Grill Recipe
We’re presenting one of our favorite recipes for grilling pumpkin. It’s designed for a grill party with 8 people. Of course, you can add your own flavor with additional ingredients to the spices and ingredients here, or leave out any ingredients you don’t like. We grill indirectly and with the lid closed. The temperature should be 200°C and it must be grilled indirectly. Have fun grilling pumpkin!
Butternut Grill Pumpkin Ingredients for 8 People
2 Butternut pumpkins
100g butter flakes
2 diced garlic cloves
2 spring onions
some chili powder
black ground pepper
salt
Aluminum foil
First, halve the two butternut pumpkins and remove the seeds and fibers. This can be easily done with a spoon. Dice the garlic and slice the spring onions finely. Distribute these ingredients in the pumpkin halves and add the remaining ingredients. Then wrap the halves in aluminum foil and place them on the grill grate in the indirect area. After 50 to 60 minutes, the grilled pumpkin is ready.
How to Marinate When Grilling Pumpkin?
Pumpkin slices or wedges can be marinated very well. Like with meat and other grilled foods, a good marinade also ensures flavorful experiences with pumpkin when grilling. Our marinade is particularly suitable for grilling Hokkaido pumpkin with a weight of approximately 1.5 kg.
Pumpkin Marinade Ingredients for Approximately 1.5 kg of Pumpkin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ tablespoon coriander seeds
2 small diced garlic cloves
chili powder to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
olive oil as needed
Mix all the ingredients together and crush them with a mortar. Then add olive oil as needed and mix everything into a creamy grill marinade. Spread the marinade on the pumpkin slices or wedges. The skin remains on the pumpkin, only the fibers and seeds are to be removed. We always use a pastry brush to apply the marinade. Place the marinated slices with the skin on the grill grate. We prefer temperatures around 225°C and a cooking time of approximately half an hour.
How to Store and Preserve Pumpkin?
If you want to store pumpkin, you should also know how to do it. Maybe you grow it yourself in the garden and suddenly have large harvests that you can’t use up all at once for grilling. Only ripe pumpkins are harvested. It’s important that the skin is very hard and not easily scratched. You can also let it ripen completely in a very warm place if necessary. Properly stored, some varieties can last for half a year to a whole year. This allows you to grill pumpkin even when it’s snowing and you’ve decided on a winter grilling adventure.
To successfully store the pumpkin, it must be undamaged. It’s best to leave the stem on with a length of 2-3 cm.
Do not wash the pumpkin skin before storing.
Choose a airy, dry, and cool place for storage. Ideal temperatures are 9°C to 15°C. A cellar usually has such a place.
Once cut, pumpkin belongs in the refrigerator and should be used within two to three days. It is not suitable for storage anymore! We recommend storing it in the refrigerator wrapped in cling film.
Having pumpkin in stock in winter is a real health benefit because it contains important vitamins and healthy nutrients. You can also preserve pumpkins or freeze them, so you can grill pumpkin whenever you feel like it.
Our Tip: Prepare Pumpkin Seeds Yourself
If you remove the inside before grilling, you probably throw everything away. That’s a shame because the pumpkin seeds can be wonderfully further processed and used on a salad or in homemade bread. We wash the seeds, dry them thoroughly with a paper towel, and then spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin seeds in the preheated oven at 200°C. We recommend turning the seeds once halfway through. You can then season them sweet or salty. You can also roast the seeds on the grill in a grill pan with olive oil.
Our Conclusion on Grilling Pumpkin:
In recent years, we have repeatedly tried out new recipes for grilling pumpkin. For us, pumpkin is more than just a decorative object for autumn and Halloween. We are excited about the variety of recipes using different pumpkin varieties. The price is cheap, and vegetarians and vegans are always enthusiastic about the aromatic vegetable at our autumn grill parties. We have a few favorite recipes, but we try out new delicious grill variations every year. We personally buy our pumpkins for grilling at markets because we value very fresh produce. Some portions are also always stored in our freezer. If you don’t outright reject pumpkin, you should definitely use it as a very interesting grill item.