How To Grill Watermelon For An Impressive Cookout Side

We are well into grilling season, which means that if you can toss something onto the grill, you probably should. Conventional ingredients like hot dogs, burgers, cuts of meat, and veggies are one thing, but we also like adding char to things you wouldn't ordinarily think of, such as fruit. 

You can consider some trustworthy standbys like grilled pineapple, grilled avocados for smoky guacamole, and grilled peaches, but there's another fruit that takes well to direct flame: watermelon. We all think of watermelon as a light ice-cold finisher to any backyard barbecue, but one thing you might not have considered is that it too can benefit from some time on the grill. 

That's because watermelon's natural sugars can caramelize a bit when cooked over live fire, adding complexity to each bite. Plus, there's that extra smokiness you get from grilling it, especially over charcoal. It's a mercifully easy process; all you need to do is season it, add some extra sugar to give the caramelization process a head start, and throw it on the grill for just a few minutes.

Thankfully, grilling watermelon is a lot easier than grilling meat. You don't have to worry about checking its temperature for doneness, and you're primarily looking for grill marks and a bit of char on the outside — you're not really trying to cook the inside of the fruit. The shape of each piece is important; wedges are the easiest to handle on the grill since you can pick them up from the rind side without them cracking from their own weight (a whole cross-section would be too heavy, while chunks would slip through the grates). 

Start by preheating your grill to high — you'll be cooking your watermelon over direct heat. Then take a three to four-pound ripe seedless watermelon and trim the end of both ends so that it can stand upright on one of them. Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise, then each half in half again (also lengthwise), so you have wedge-shaped watermelon quarters. Then slice each quarter into slices about an inch thick.

Though there's natural sugar in watermelon, there's not quite enough for it to caramelize on its own. That's why you'll want to sprinkle granulated sugar on both sides of every wedge (about three tablespoons total for a three-pound watermelon or a quarter cup for a four-pound one), along with a light sprinkle of salt. Then simply toss the watermelon on your grill, flipping after you see grill marks develop on each side. This should take between three to four minutes, and now your basic grilled watermelon is ready to go.

You can serve the watermelon as-is, but I prefer it seasoned in some fashion. I like the salty and sweet route, which means a dash of Tajín seasoning is simple and excellent. There's also the classic accompaniment of crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Once it cools off, you can cut the watermelon off the rind and into cubes to toss on some greens for a salad with vinaigrette. Or you could also combine the grilled watermelon with some other grilled fruit like peaches or plums and top with a spoonful of full-fat Greek yogurt and a drizzle of homemade hot honey. 

You could also veer wildly off course into some fun territory, like making our recipe for grilled watermelon burgers with goat cheese and charred orange-fennel gremolata. Serving a grilled watermelon burger at the cookout would make you the talk of the town, so if you decide not to tell your friends where you got the recipe, don't worry; we'll keep it our little secret.