BBQ apple crumble on the Big Green Egg
- Prep20 min
- Cook30 min
- Serves8
- DifficultyEasy
- TemperatureAbout 220°C (428°F) indirect, deflector in.
I put this BBQ apple crumble on the Egg as I sat down for the main course. Once the pork loin and sausages had come off, I opened up the vents while we served, to get the Egg up to about 220°C (428°F), still set up indirect. It came out golden after about half an hour. Underneath it’s cooking apples sweated down with lemon and brown sugar, plus frozen summer berries, and the topping has broken honeycomb and toasted almonds in it.
Ingredients
- 6–8 cooking apples, chopped, skins on
- Juice of half a lemon
- Brown sugar, for the apples
- About 250 g frozen summer berries
- About 150 g plain flour
- About 100 g butter
- About 75 g brown sugar, for the topping
- A couple of tablespoons of broken honeycomb
- About 50 g flaked almonds
- Crème fraîche, to serve
Equipment
- A barbecue that holds about 220°C (428°F) indirect with the lid down. I use my Big Green Egg Large with the ConvEGGtor (ceramic deflector) in.
- An ovenproof dish. Mine is white enamel.
Method
- Sweat the apples
- Put the fruit in the dish
- Make the topping
- Set the barbecue up indirect at about 220°C (428°F)
- Bake for about half an hour
- Rest it for five minutes
Key takeaways
- Sweat the apples down first. I cook them on the hob with lemon juice and brown sugar before they go in the dish.
- Use more apples than you think. I used five and the fruit was only about 2 cm deep, so the topping took over. Six to eight is right, depending on size.
- Plain flour, not coconut flour. I used coconut flour in the topping this time and I wouldn’t again.
- Keep it at 220°C (428°F). I let it run a bit hotter and it came out slightly dry.
The cook, in full
I made this after a bone-in pork loin and a load of sausages, on 7 June. The Egg was still set up indirect from the pork, with the ConvEGGtor (ceramic deflector) in and foil over it, and I left it like that. Nothing went over the crumble itself.
First the fruit. I chopped the cooking apples with the skins on and sweated them down on the hob for about ten minutes, with the juice of half a lemon and some brown sugar. Then they went into a white enamel dish with about half a bag (250 g) of frozen summer berries.
The topping is roughly 150 g of flour with 100 g of butter rubbed in, then 75 g of brown sugar, a couple of tablespoons of broken honeycomb and 50 g of flaked almonds stirred through. I used coconut flour this time and it was the wrong choice. Next time it’s plain flour. No spice.
It went on the grid at about 220°C (428°F) with the lid shut, and came out after about half an hour, when the top was golden. I ran it a bit hotter than 220°C, and it came out slightly dry.
I rested it for five minutes and served it with crème fraîche.
What to serve with apple crumble
Crème fraîche. There were five of us at the table, two adults and three kids, and the rest got eaten cold through the week.
What I learned
Getting the right ratio of fruit, liquid and crumble topping is the key, and I didn’t have enough fruit. Five apples gave me a fruit layer about 2 cm deep and the topping took over. Next time it’s six to eight, depending on size.
Variations
Any barbecue that holds about 220°C (428°F) indirect with the lid down will bake this apple crumble recipe. I’ve only done it on the Egg.
Related
- Big Green Egg Large review — the unit this was cooked on.
- Barbecued peaches on a kamado — another dessert on the Egg.
- S’mores on a kamado — with homemade blackberry marshmallow.
- Cherry clafoutis on a kamado — another baked fruit dessert.
- Basque cheesecake on a kamado — baked on the Egg too.
FAQ
Do you need to cook apples before putting them in a crumble?
I always sweat them down first. I cook the chopped apples on the hob with lemon juice and brown sugar for about ten minutes before they go in the dish.
What is the secret to a good apple crumble?
It’s about ratios and liquid. Getting the right ratio of fruit, liquid and crumble topping is the key. Mine didn’t have enough fruit, so next time it’s six to eight apples.
What’s a good BBQ dessert?
As well as this crumble, I’ve done barbecued peaches, s’mores, a cherry clafoutis and a Basque cheesecake on my Big Green Egg.
What temperature do you bake apple crumble at on a BBQ?
About 220°C (428°F), set up indirect with the lid shut. Mine took about half an hour. It ran a bit hotter than that and came out slightly dry.
Disclosure and provenance
I cooked this on my own Big Green Egg Large and paid for everything in it. Smoke and Lump earns nothing from this recipe.
Sourced from the 7 June 2026 cook log — an apple and summer berry crumble baked on the Big Green Egg Large after a bone-in pork loin and sausages.