Grilling Vegetables on The Barbecue Grill

The word barbecue invokes images of grilled burgers and hot dogs, ribs and chicken, but grilled vegetables are delightful too! When you cook vegetables on the grill, the flavor is wonderful. Stay out of the kitchen and make your entire meal on the grill.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. The beauty of grilling vegetables is keeping it simple. You don’t need lots of ingredients or heavy sauces. Keep it light and let the flavor of the vegetable take center stage, and the smoky flavor backstage. Tip: A little soaked hickory or mesquite added to the coals imparts a wonderful flavor to grilled vegetables.

To grill vegetables, you will want to keep these basic supplies on hand:

• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh cracked pepper
• Fresh herbs or good quality dried herbs (such as basil, marjoram and thyme)
• Marinade (such as Italian salad dressing)

You can cook your vegetables in any of the following ways:

• Threading them on skewers (kabobs – any mixture of firm vegetables)
• Placing them directly on the top grill grate (eggplant, squash)
• Using a grill basket (beans, onions, mushrooms)
• Steaming them in a foil pouch, slightly opened (cut corn, mixed vegetables)
• Roasting them in a small square or round foil pan (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
• Cooking them in the coals and wrapped in foil (corn on the cob, whole potatoes)

What vegetables are suitable for grilling? The possibilities and combinations are virtually unlimited! You will want to use firm vegetables for kabobs (such as green pepper, cherry tomatoes, onion, potato) and for cooking on the grate (such as eggplant and squash). Vegetables that are small, break apart, or need some liquid to tenderize them are best cooked in a pouch with just a little opening or holes punched so the smokey flavor gets in. Roasting is wonderful for vegetables that have been cut into uniform pieces and mixed together and you want them to cook in just a little liquid, but not steam.

Any of these vegetables are delicious on the grill:

Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, cabbage, etc. 

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The most simple preparation for grilled vegetables is to wash them and prepare them for grilling (slice in half, cube, etc), brush on or mix in a little olive oil, add a touch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and, if desired, fresh herbs. A good quality Italian dressing makes a tasty marinade. You can use it to baste vegetables as they grill (wonderful with zucchini). Of course, you can get more creative. Here is a link to a recipe for grilled ratatouille that will whet your appetite for more vegetables on the grill!

Enjoy barbecue that goes beyond just meat. Once you start grilling vegetables, you won’t want to stop!

These articles can also enhance your grilling experience:

Inexpensive Tools for the Beginning Barbecue Chef

Turn Your Kettle Grill Into a Smoker