Smoked Watermelon

Chef Jeanne Oleksiak’s inventive take on summer’s staple came by way of binge watching. An evening of unwinding turned into one of inspiration when a contestant on Netflix’s Crazy Delicious—a show on which the premise is to make food equal parts artful and delectable— barbecued a watermelon for the judges. Upon receiving yellow and orange watermelons from a farmer through GrowFood Carolina, she was set on trying the technique in the kitchen she’s called home for more than two years, HERD Provisions in Charleston. “The watermelon picks up the smoke and becomes more umami, so you get the feeling that you’re eating some sort of protein instead of a vegetable or fruit,” says Oleksiak. “Its texture is where it really shines because it doesn’t have those crisp little water pockets that explode in your mouth anymore, it’s just this dense, meaty feel.” Through trial and error, Oleksiak perfected her method and now plates the smoked watermelon in a way that is especially Southern.

Oleksiak experimented with several varieties, including yellow Sugar Dolls, red seedless, and orange varietals from Bush-N-Vine Farm in York, South Carolina. “The red ones do not hold the flavor as well,” she says. “The orange ones are fantastic, and they hold their shape better and their flavor when they pick up that smoke.”

Removing the rind from the watermelon allows the smoky flavor to penetrate the fruit, but Oleksiak doesn’t pass on the oft-discarded scraps. At HERD Provisions, you’ll find the rinds on the pickle plate or garnishing a drink from the bar. (See our recipe for pickled watermelon rind.) She’s also blended them into a gazpacho or minced them into a fruity play on tartare.

In the same way she switches the watermelon variety that she smokes Oleksiak also likes to experiment with the flavors gleaned from different woodchips. Apple woodchips, hickory, and pecan each bring a savory idea to new fruition.