Grilled Caramel Pecan Pie
July 25, 2012
Take one of the South’s richest culinary traditions from the oven to the grill for more flavor, courtesy of pitmaster Chris Lilly. Pecans, caramel and filling are nestled in a half-moon pouch of dough and grilled directly over hot coals to form a crisp shell with a rich gooey center.
Makes: 8 pies
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Dough
2 sticks butter
½ cup cold water
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
Filling Ingredients
8 store bought caramels cut in half
½ cup pecan pieces
¼ cup dark corn syrup
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and refrigerate. Measure the water and refrigerate. In a small mixing bowl add flour and salt and mix well. Add in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Slowly add water, mixing continuously, until a dough ball is formed. Seal the dough ball in GLAD® ClingWrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Sprinkle countertop or cutting board generously with flour. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place onto the floured prep area, roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut the dough into five to six inch diameter circles. Remove extra dough from the prep area to re-roll and make more pie shells. Immediately peal, lift and flip the dough circles making sure they don’t stick. Yield should be eight pie shells.
Preheat the grill using Kingsford® charcoal, until the temperature reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place two caramel halves and one tablespoon of pecans onto the center of each dough circle.
Combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix until the ingredients are combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg once the mixture has cooled. Chill the filling for 15 minutes or until it has thickened slightly. Add four teaspoons of the cold filling mixture over the caramels and pecans onto the center of each dough circle.
Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough in half creating a half moon with pecan filling. Gently press the pie edges together and crimp them with a fork.
Prep the charcoal grill grate by using a grill brush, and brush on a light coat of oil. Transfer the pies to the grill and cook over direct heat, uncovered, for three minutes on each side or until the dough turns a crispy golden brown. Remove from the grill and serve.
Recipe created by world champion pitmaster, Chris Lilly on behalf of Kingsford® charcoal.
