Smoked Pumpkin Pie on a Gas Grill 

Smoked Pumpkin Pie is always a must in Fall and Winter! When you add smoking chips to the gas grill when grilling a pumpkin the flavor takes on a light smoky nutty flavor that deepens overall taste. Grilling Grandma has tips for making the tastiest grill-baked Maple Smoked Pumpkin Pie ever!

Thank you Western BBQ Products for sponsoring this delicious, easy, flavorful and fun smoked pumpkin pie recipe!  #WesternBBQambassador2022

WHY SMOKE A PUMPKIN PIE ON A GAS GRILL

Smoked Pumpkin Pie is an easy holiday or any day dessert that can be made a day ahead. But you may ask, “Why smoke a pumpkin pie when I have an oven?” In short, pumpkin pie filling is like a sponge soaking in the drifting smoke. Western BBQ maple smoke adds depth and character to the pie. Plus, it is darn right impressive to smoke a pie in a gas!

TIPS FOR MAKING PUMPKIN PIE

Have you ever had bland boring pumpkin pie that is watery and unimpressive? I have! So it is my mission to change that! To start, I head to my gas grill with a bag of Western Smoking Chips because almost any dish can be transformed when drifting smoke infuses it. Yes, that means many desserts too! Check out my Cherry Smoked Brownies! 

By adding smoking chips when baking a pumpkin pie on a gas grill there will be a notable sweet nutty flavor. But I wanted to go a step further and not only test what smoking chip to use but to play with different spices and milk products. After all I love playing with flavor combinations! Experimenting with ingredient combinations is so fun and rewarding. I definitely found out that my Grandma Pearl’s recipe was not the only way to bake a pumpkin pie!

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SMOKED PUMPKIN PIE  

Western BBQ Smoking Chips: 2 cups or more of (wood) smoking chips or the amount your smoker box or foil packet holds. See my tips on the scent of smoking chips below. 

Pie Crust: An 11-inch flat pie dough circle is needed for a 9-inch pie pan. In general, add 2-inches to the diameter of your pie pan to be able to have enough for a rim. 

That being said, I roll out 12-inches because I need extra for error! I achieved a 12-inch pie dough circle by using two 9-inch dough circles. One dough round was laid flat, and I cut the second pie dough circle in 2-inch rounded strips for the edges. The edges were pieced to the bottom dough by pinching cracks then smoothing out with a rolling pin. Use a little flour to help eliminate dough sticking to the rolling pin! The 12-inch dough circle turned out great, and the pie had no leaks on the bottom. Whew! 

Yes, you can use a different size pie pan other than a 9-inch pie pan. See my pie pan tips, below. And of course, use your favorite homemade pie dough recipe if that’s your love language. Sheepishly I say, it isn’t mine. 

ADDING MOISTURE TO PUMPKIN PIE

Pumpkin Puree: If you feel adventurous smoke fresh pie pumpkins then puree! Check out How To Smoke Pumpkin on a Gas Grill. If that doesn’t interest you, use a can of 100% pumpkin. Note: a can of 100% pumpkin (puree) is different from “pumpkin pie mix” or filling which has sugar and spices.

Eggs:  Egg yolk adds fat and richness to a pumpkin pie. The egg white helps to aerate the filling. Julia Child is known for whipping egg whites with salt and sugar before adding to a pumpkin pie filling. It would be fun to try but it means one extra bowl for me to clean. 

Sweetened Condensed Milk: During my exploration of pumpkin pie ingredient combinations I tried 3 types of milk. For instance, I chose sweetened condensed milk for ease, however I enjoyed pumpkin pie with 1 cup whipping cream and even pumpkin pie with 1 cup evaporated milk. On that note, the proportion of sugar changes depending on which source of milk is used. I’ve not tried making pumpkin pie with a plant based milk substitute. 

Sour Cream: The sour cream balances the sweetness of the condensed milk and helps to develop a creamy filling. Sure you can use 1/2 cup of full fat yogurt! 

ADDING SWEETNESS TO PUMPKIN PIE

Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar brings depth of sweet flavor. If you don’t have some handy use 1/2 cup light brown sugar or 1/3 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses. 

ADDING FLAVOR TO PUMPKIN PIE

Spice Blend: 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie or apple pie spice blend will substitute for my combination of spices. In the meantime, mix up your own pumpkin pie spice blend depending on your palate! I suggest 3-4 teaspoons of  a spice blend from the following: lots of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, clove, and allspice. Or be adventurous and add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, black pepper, red chili flakes, ancho chili powder, star anise, or Chinese 5-spice. 

Consequently, Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend is made from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Apple Pie Spice Blend includes cinnamon, nutmeg,and allspice.

I happen to love clove in my Fall spice blends because that’s how my Grandma Pearl did it! In addition, one of my favorite store bought spice blends is Speculaas. In brief most Speculaas blends includes cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, white pepper, anise, ginger, and cardamom. Create your own Pumpkin Pie Spice! 

Vanilla Extract: If you are out of vanilla extract simply omit any extract. In this case 1/4 teaspoon almond, maple, orange extract can get the job done too. However don’t add the same quantity of other extracts as you would vanilla extract.

Salt: Himalayan pink salt is a nice substitute for sea salt. Or you can simply leave the salt out. 

EQUIPMENT FOR A SMOKED PUMPKIN PIE

Gas Grill: The advantage to baking on a gas grill is that it is easy to adjust the heat! You will set up your gas grill for indirect heating. That means the heat will be off directly under the pie pan. 

Smoker Box: If a smoker box does not come in your gas grill, it can easily be purchased online or at a hardware store that sells grills. Any smoker box that holds at least 2 cups of smoking chips is good. If a smoker box is not your thing, then make an aluminum foil packet. Western BBQ will show you how! 

Baking Stone: Before I owned a grill-safe baking stone, I used an inverted rimmed baking pan. You can too! 

Grill Safe Pie Pan: Do not use glass or ceramic on a gas grill! A cast iron pie pan is fabulous. Subsequently, you can place two aluminum or metal pans together to make shift a heavier bottom pie pan. Heavy stainless steel pie pans are on the market too! 

Grill Gloves: If you are going to grill and smoke ya gotta have grill gloves…it’s a safety thing….Grilling Grandma says so! 

Baking Rack: I like to transfer and cool a hot pumpkin pie on a baker’s rack. 

HOW TO MAKE SMOKED PUMPKIN PIE 

Fill a smoker box

Add 2 cups of Western BBQ Smoking Chips to smoking vessel. Place the smoker box above the hottest grill grate or as stated in grill’s instruction manual. 

Place a baking stone

Over the indirect heat zone place a stone or invert a rimmed baking pan.

Heat the gas grill

375°F degrees is the temperature for baking pumpkin pie on a gas grill. t

Press the pie crust

Into a greased pie pan press the pie crust and crimp the pie dough edges.

Combine in a food processor

Blend pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla extract, brown sugar, ground spices, and salt for 2 minutes. Pour pumpkin pie filling into the prepared pie shell. Place on baking stone.

Bake the pumpkin pie

Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes. However after 20 minutes, rotate the pan and cover the edges of the crust, if necessary. In this case do not cover the entire pie.

Check the pie temperature

The internal pie filling temperature is an easy way to check if the pie is done baking. Bake the pie until the center is at least 175°F on your meat thermometer! My pie reached about 190°F and was still wonderfully creamy inside. 

Cool the pie

Cool the pie for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to set in. Chill pumpkin pie in the refrigerator before adding the decorative whipped cream. 

SMOKING CHIPS FOR SMOKED PUMPKIN PIE

Apple smoking chips have a subtle sweet mild fruity flavor that is delicious with any squash. 

Cherry smoking chips have character! Its tangy mild fruit flavor infuses pumpkin well. 

Maple smoking chips have a mild sweet flavor too. Consequently, I like using maple smoking chips when I am going to finish a dish with maple syrup and citrus. In addition, maple smoking chips are a great choice when smoking Brussels sprouts or green beans. Lastly, maple smoking chips add the perfect note of sweet smoke to a Pumpkin Bisque or Pumpkin Pie. 

Pecan smoking chips have the strongest scent out of the wood chips above however it is less distinct than the smoke from hickory or mesquite. Likewise, pecan smoking chips will deliver a delicious note of smoke when smoking a Praline Pumpkin Pie!

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QUESTIONS ABOUT SMOKED PUMPKIN PIE

Can I bake two pumpkin pies on the grill? Yes! Just make sure they both fit over the indirect heat. 

Can I use pumpkin pie spice? Pumpkin pie spice is a great choice. Use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice in exchange for my spice blend. 

What other flavor boosts can I add? 1 tablespoon of rum or bourbon is tasty! Grated orange zest or lemon zest is nice too. Furthermore many people enjoy a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper. 

How do I store pumpkin pie? Leftover pumpkin pie can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I love cold pumpkin pie for breakfast. 

Can I make Maple Smoked Pumpkin Pie ahead? Indeed, a maple smoked pumpkin pie can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. However I suggest making the whipped cream the night before serving the pie but topping the pie right before serving it.

How do you grate fresh ginger? Scrape the ginger skin off with a spoon or cut with a knife and discard. Then using a fine grater or a microplane grate the ginger. Lastly, discard the tough fiber strings and use the milky juice and mashed ginger. Using a 1-inch piece of ginger and grating into the ingredient bowl will work well. In other words, I don’t really measure exactly how much greater; 1-inch will do! 

LET’S SMOKE A PUMPKIN PIE