By Culinary.net | Contributor
Grilling isn’t just for meats like burgers, brats, steak, chicken, and pork chops; a well-rounded meal also requires flavorful sides and vegetables.
Before you fire up the grill for your next backyard bash, make sure to include delicious options like peppers, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, and more for a burst of fresh flavors. Follow these straightforward steps to perfectly grill your crispy vegetables:
Step 1: Ignite the Grill.
The first step is to prepare a hot grill. For optimal cooking, aim for medium-high to high heat for quick and direct grilling. If you light the grill before prepping your vegetables, it will provide ample time to heat up while you handle the other preparations.
Step 2: Prepare Your Vegetables.
Depending on what you’re grilling, you may need to do some prep work, such as trimming stems, removing blemishes, or taking out pits and seeds. Aside from cleaning your ingredients, chopping, dicing, or slicing might be needed based on your recipe.
Step 3: Drizzle with Olive Oil.
Adding a light coating of olive oil over your vegetables and tossing them ensures several benefits. It aids in crisping the outer layer instead of drying it out and helps seasonings, like salt and pepper, adhere to the veggies rather than falling off on the grill or in the pan.
Step 4: Use Foil Packets or Skewers.
If you prefer not to have char marks, place chopped or diced vegetables into a foil packet before grilling to steam them for a softer texture. Alternatively, using wooden skewers soaked in water (to prevent burning) will help keep smaller vegetable pieces from falling through the grill grates while still achieving a crispy surface.
Step 5: Monitor Cooking Times.
Different vegetables and preparations will require various cooking times, but generally, 5-10 minutes over direct heat is sufficient. The smaller you cut the vegetables, the less time they’ll take to cook.
Find more grilling tips at Culinary.net.
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