Smoked Sausage & Fruit Kebobs

Smoked sausage and fruit kebobs belong at every backyard cookout where someone needs feeding fast. The smoked sausage brings the salt and smoke, the pineapple and peaches bring the sugar that caramelizes over the fire, and the green pepper adds a vegetal bite that keeps the whole skewer from tipping sweet.

The glaze does double duty. Apricot preserves thin out over the heat, Dijon cuts the sweetness with a sharp edge, and together they lacquer the sausage with a sticky shine that chars in the right places.

Half the glaze goes on before the first flip, half after, which builds two layers of flavor instead of one gummy coat. Five minutes a side over medium coals is all you need. Any longer and the fruit turns to mush.

Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes before loading them up, or go straight to metal if you have them.

Pro Tips

• Pat the canned pineapple chunks and peaches dry before skewering. Wet fruit steams instead of charring and will not pick up grill marks.
• Cut sausage on a slight angle into ¾ inch coins. Flat slices grill more evenly than whole rounds.
• Alternate dense ingredients (sausage, pepper) with soft ones (fruit) so the skewer cooks at the same pace.
• Any leftover glaze works as a dipping sauce. Do not reuse the brush-bowl that touched raw sausage.

Variations

• Swap apricot for peach preserves and add a pinch of smoked paprika for a deeper sweet-smoky profile.
• Use kielbasa or andouille for a spicier skewer.
• Throw on red onion wedges and chunks of mango for a tropical twist.