3 Fall Recipes for Your Backyard Fire Pit

The fire pit provides warmth, flickering light in the night and facilitates a special camaraderie as family and friends gather around the centerpiece of backyard social events. Whether you have an in-ground pit, a raised patio pit or any one of the many styles available, there’s a good chance that someone has used it to prepare a s’more or two over the years. This year we’re upping the ante.

Marshmallows aren’t the only thing you can roast over a fall fire. Grab a long stick and skewer a variety of seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes, broccoli or squash for a fireside kebab that has all the fun of a summer kebab party, but with the charm of a warm fire on a brisk autumn evening.

Pumpkin-roasted vegetables combine a melange of fall vegetables in a pot that’s part of the meal. Stuffed full of veggies and cooked on hot coals, freshly roasted pumpkin is the taste of the season cooked in a way your family and friends are sure to remember.

For dessert, try an apple grunt cooked in cast iron nestled in the glowing coals. Similar to a cobbler, a grunt features a sweet fruit filling topped with a biscuit crust. Cooking a grunt in your fire pit is a fun way to use the waning heat of a fall fire and the results are delectable.

Toss vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice and basil to lightly coat.

Skewer selected veggies as a kebab on the end of a 30”-36” sharpened, green hardwood stick or other preferred “marshmallow roasting” stick.

Roast over fire pit fire for about 10 minutes, turning frequently and avoiding contact with flames.

Salt to taste.

Remove top of the pumpkin using angled cuts so “lid” can be replaced.

Scoop out pulp and seeds and scrape inside of pumpkin to leave clean.

Rub inside of pumpkin with olive oil to coat.

Toss vegetables, onions, salt, paprika and sage together and place inside pumpkin.

Replace top of pumpkin and place in a cast iron skillet

Once fire pit fire has subsided and you are wearing heat-resistant gloves, carefully place pumpkin in a skillet on hot coals so it rests level and stable in the coals.

Cook for 50-60 minutes then carefully remove from coals and set on a trivet.

Allow to rest 10 minutes, remove top and scoop out vegetables or slice pumpkin into wedges to serve.

Peel, core and chop apples.

Toss chopped apples with lemon juice.

Toss apples with brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon and salt and place in a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid.

To make topping, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Add buttermilk and butter and stir just until fully combined.

Top apples with generous spoonfuls of dough in a single layer to completely cover.

Place lid on Dutch oven and place in the post-fire hot coals of a fire pit, making sure it is placed securely to avoid tipping.

Bake in hot coals for about 45 minutes and check contents. If crust is firm and cooked through, remove from coals. If not, replace lid and check again in a few minutes. (Note: Wear heat-resistant gloves when handling cookware).

Once browned, remove from coals and serve hot with ice cream or whipped cream.