Grilling Greens

Grilling Greens: 5 Things Every Griller Should Know

Want to try something new to grill? Add more color to your barbecue dishes by grilling vegetables or fruits alongside your meat. Not only are they good for the body, but they help balance out a protein-heavy meals as well. One good thing about grilling vegetables is that unlike meats, you can tell that they’re good to go just by looking at them.

Here are 5 important tips that every griller should know to successfully grill vegetables:

1. Always use oil

Oil is a very important ingredient for working with greens on the grill. Oil them up before they hit the grill – this prevents them from drying out while cooking and also helps seasoning and spices to stick more uniformly to your vegetables. Only use a light coating of oil and don’t use too much. Too much oil increases the risk of flare-ups, gets in the way of flavor and adds unnecessary calories. Olive or vegetable oil is best.

2. Size matters

For vegetables to cook more evenly on the grill, it is important to cut or slice them into workable pieces. The right size would be small enough to cook quickly, but not too small to fall in between grates. It is also ideal to use a grill basket or some skewers to cook smaller vegetables like cherry tomatoes. This way, you won’t have a problem with your food falling through the grates plus you’ll save time as you can cook them in batches.

3. Know your vegetables

While fruits and vegetables generally cook more quickly compared to meats, different types of produce also have different cooking times on the grill. Softer vegetables will only take a minute or two, but harder vegetables like potatoes will take longer. One trick you can try is to pre-cook denser vegetables by boiling them so that they would cook faster on the grill.

4. Never use high heat when grilling vegetables

Medium-low heat is most ideal when cooking vegetables on the grill. Since they cook more quickly, they also have a high chance of getting charred more quickly. If you’re grilling greens alongside your meat, place the meat in the hottest part of the grill and spread the vegetables on the sides.

5. Don’t forget the seasoning

Season vegetables to make them more appetizing, but don’t use too much flavor especially when you’re consuming them with meat, as they can easily overwhelm the main dish. Lightly season greens with salt and pepper before they hit the grill or lightly coat them with vinaigrette once they’re cooked.

Follow these simple yet effective tips to make great grilled vegetable side dishes or vegetable skewers for your next barbecue night!