Vegetables are one the most satisfying things to grill and consume fresh of the charcoal BBQ. With vegetables you don’t really expect to get the charring treatment that meats get, which makes them quite easy to cook.
Cooking on an open flame or over direct charcoal heat provides quick, tasty and quite simple to accomplish results.
Today’s topic will focus mainly on seasoning and the different techniques of grilling vegetables more-so than the actual grilling times and temps because with veggies it’s all about taste and feel.
There are several classic choices which you can see on any veggie skewer, those are the hardier vegetables like zucchini, eggplants, peppers, mushrooms and the like. Halved onions also work fantastically when put on a lower heat which allows them to caramelize before being charred from the heat.
The most common grilled mushrooms are portobello mushrooms which can get quite large fruiting bodies. To prepare them for grilling you must remove their stem bellow the gills and be sure to wash them thoroughly – they are grown in dirt and can have some flakes here and there.
Season mushrooms on both sides, though go easy on the oil on the gill side (the inside) because this is where mushrooms hold most of their moisture – they are sponges after all.
Oil the tops and season both sides with salt and pepper for the least amount of effort and tastiest result. Zucchini you can season with an all-spice mixture or a far spicier variation of a dry spice rub, as long as you can handle the heat.
Zucchini are closely related to cucumbers, which are mostly comprised of moisture. While zucchini is higher in cellulose than cucumbers, they are still mostly comprised of water, which will evaporate due to the present heat.
Bell peppers and onions don’t require much seasoning, though they can be quite bland if left unsalted and without pepper. Use high smoke point olive oil to get that sweet taste along with the peppers, you’ll taste the zinc and the iron in the peppers once they are charred over the heat.
Aside from direct grilling of large sized cuts of vegetables, there are other options suitable for more finely minced or diced veggie mixes. One of the most common methods is the use of a special grilling basked which is generally considered to be a great choice for meats such as salmon.
It acts as a catch basket for looser vegetables preventing them from falling in-between the grill grates. These baskets do allow for the use of wet seasoning and marines as well as butter or other types of oils with a high smoke temperature.
There is also the foil method which is fantastic for defrosting and grilling frozen vegetable mixes over an open flame or direct charcoal heat.
This method is a lot more lenient when it comes to the use of butter, basically providing you with the option to “pan fry” your veggies while also get that natural smoky taste to them.
There are several types of flavors which go great with grilled vegetables. For once mixed spices like oregano, dried chicken or beef broth, even celery salt will add fantastic taste dimensions to your mix.
Onions generally don’t require additional seasoning as they are fantastic as is, only really needing some olive oil or sunflower oil and salt to really bring out those other natural sugar tastes.
Onions should be flipped over once you see the sides charring a little, aside from that look for that translucent look which means that the glucose in the stem has started to cook.
One fantastic option for grilling vegetables directly on the grill, is the Argentinian style gaucho grill from GrillerDude.com – the Smart Flip Grill.
It allows you to manipulate the flames and the heat to your desired state so you can get that extra nice and crispy taste for all of your veggies.