Many times we forget to grill our vegetables. You can grill vegetables on any type of cooker and produce a surprisingly tasty alternative which can be served with your entrees. Most vegetables are grilled over a medium hot fire (350 to 375ºF). Vegetables are obviously the healthy choice when cooking.
Gather up a few BBQ tools that will make life easier when grilling vegetables. The first one you need is a basting brush to help keep the outside of the vegetable moist and the inside crunchy. Using some type of olive oil or oil based product to baste with will help to retain the colors of the vegetables also. Another item you might find handy is a grill basket. You can get them at any store that carries BBQ products for about $10.00 or so. The basket will make it much easier for turning or cooking small vegetables.
Vegetables can be marinated but you need to watch out for how long.
Try not to marinate vegetables over 15 minutes in a fluid mixture or you will start breaking down the texture of the vegetable itself. You will also find that just sprinkling some spices on the vegetables just before cooking will enhance the taste greatly.
There are not many vegetables you can't grill but you do need to be concerned about the amount of time certain types of vegetables stay on the grill. For instance tomatoes are great but need only a couple of minutes per side and preferably not over a hot grill. Here are some more tips for vegetables.
Corn- Soak in cold water for 15 minutes with husks on. Place on hot grill turning constantly for 20 minutes or until husks begin to brown.
Peppers- Peppers can be cooked over a medium fire until tender. Coat the skin with olive oil before grilling.
Eggplant- Eggplant, which is actually a fruit, cooks well on the grill. Cut off both ends and quarter, then coat with olive oil and fresh oregano.
Onions- My favorite. Use sweet onions for the grill. Vidalia or Texas sweets are great for grilling. Use a little olive oil. Best if you use a grill basket.
Comments