Mr. Barbecue's Smoked Pear Recipe

Pears are Oregon's number one tree crop. They're available fresh between September and January in your produce department. Here's wonderful way to enjoy them hot off the grill.

Preparation
One large pear per adult. (Bosc, Anjou, Comice). Cut off top-about 2 inches worth. Core out center of the pear, leaving about 1 inch thick flesh inside. Pierce the flesh with fork.
Mix together 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, ½ tsp. Ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of raisins and ½ tablespoon of sliced roasted almonds or hazelnuts.
Put this mixture inside pear, leaving about a half-inch from top. Add 2 tablespoons of water or rum to the mixture.

Wrap each pear in foil, leaving about two inches of the outside of the pear exposed.
Cooking: On your grill, place the pears in the center of your cooking grid. You’ll want to maintain a temperature of 275-300 degrees and cook the pears for 45-60 minutes, until they become tender, BUT NO MUSHY to the touch. If you want to smoke them, reduce the heat to 250 degrees and add wood chips to your fire after the first 30 minutes. You want the smoke to be light, not heavy, so only do this once while cooking the pears for about 60-75 minutes.

Once done, remove carefully from the grill, remove foil, place in bowl and add a small scoop pf premium vanilla ice cream on top of the pear. You can also quarter the pears and then add ice cream if you wish.