Veggies Hit the Grill: An A-to-Z Guide to Best Ever Summer Produce

Grilled corn pudding. Smoked tomato gazpacho. Ember-roasted peppers and eggplants. It’s hard to imagine a vegetable we haven’t put to fire this summer.

So how do you grill a family of foods that ranges from edible thistles (that would be artichokes) to “little pumpkins” (that would be zucchini)? Vegetables vary so much in texture and taste, you’d need a book to know how to grill them all. (Hah! I wrote such a book, appropriately entitled How to Grill Vegetables.)

Well, one easy way to start is to consider which vegetables grow above ground and which grow below ground. The former tend to be soft-fleshed, with a high moisture content. (Think tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, asparagus, and corn.) These vegetables do best when direct grilled quickly over high heat, with a brushing of extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

Then there are the firm, starchy veggies that grow underground, like potatoes, beets, sunchokes, turnips, and carrots. These vegetables do best when indirect grilled at a more moderate temperature for a longer time (30 to 60 minutes) to soften their firm cellulose and cook their starches slowly. The beauty of this method is that it is easy to add wood chips or chunks to the fire to generate wood smoke.

Speaking of smoke, there are some vegetables that generate their own smoke when grilled, especially using the “caveman” method directly on the embers. This group includes eggplants, which acquire a haunting smoke flavor when you char the skins (this is the secret to great baba ganooj), and bell peppers, which become supernaturally sweet and smoky when ember-roasted.

Here’s our A-to-Z guide to grilling summer vegetables. Use it while the high summer produce season lasts!

Asparagus: Snap off the fibrous bottom ends. Pin the stalks side by side into rafts with toothpicks. Brush with sesame oil or olive oil and direct grill over high heat.

Broccolini: Brush with chili oil or olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Direct grill over medium-high heat until tender (I like to char the ends).

Corn: Strip back the husks and tie them together under the ears to make a handle. Brush the corn with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Direct grill over high heat until darkly browned. For a Mexican twist, slather grilled corn with mayonnaise and dust with grated cotija cheese.

Delicata squash: Cut into 1/2-inch rings, discarding the seeds. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Direct grill over medium heat until browned and tender.

Eggplant: Cut large eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick steaks. Brush with olive oil and direct grill over high heat until browned and tender. Roast medium eggplants directly on the embers (caveman style). Puree with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini to make the world’s best baba ganooj.

Fennel: Cut off the leafy tops (save them for tossing on the embers when grilling fish). Cut the bulbs from top to bottom into 1/4-inch slices. Brush with olive oil and direct grill until browned and soft. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar for serving.

Green beans: Stem and string. Toss with olive oil and chopped dill or garlic. Grill in a wire mesh grill basket over high heat, or even better, directly on the embers. Top with slivered toasted almonds.

Hatch chiles: Cut in half lengthwise and stuff with sauteed onions, breadcrumbs, and grated cheese. Indirect grill at medium-high heat until soft and the filling is bubbling. Note: This mild to fiery green chile from New Mexico is in peak season in August. One great source is Melissa’s.

Iceberg lettuce: Cut into quarters. Brush with oil and sear the flat faces over a hot fire. Then let cool and top with your favorite ranch dressing.

Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes): Scrub well and dry. Place in a foil pan with butter, salt, pepper, and unpeeled garlic cloves. Indirect grill at medium-high heat until crisp on the outside and tender inside (45 minutes). Extra points if you add wood chips to the fire to generate smoke.

Kale (especially lacinato kale): Brush each leaf on both sides with sesame oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and direct grill over medium-high heat until browned and crisp on both sides.

Leeks: Split and wash well to remove any grit. Brush with olive oil and direct grill over medium heat. Top with vinaigrette.

Mushrooms: Great for grilling. Stem and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Brush with garlic parsley butter and direct grill over a medium-hot fire, slathering with more garlic parsley butter as they cook.

Napa cabbage: Cut crosswise into 1-inch steaks, which you secure with bamboo skewers. Brush with sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Direct grill over high heat.

Okra: One of my favorite surprise veggies to grill. Skewer into rafts (like asparagus). Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Direct grill until sizzling and browned. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano.

Plantains: Let ripen until black, then peel and cut on the diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Brush with melted butter and caramelize on a hot griddle or direct grill.

Quaresima peppers (aka sweet Italian peppers): Place in a grill basket and blister over a hot fire or directly on the coals. Grill shishito peppers the same way.

Radicchio: Cut into wedges and secure with toothpicks. Brush with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Direct grill over a hot fire.

Sweet potatoes: Indirect grill over medium-high heat until the skins are crisp and the flesh is soft (pierce with a fork). Open and serve with maple syrup and butter.

Tomatoes: Cut in half widthwise. Smoke at low temperature in your smoker or on your grill. While you’re at it, smoke cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, sweet onions, and a garlic clove or two. Blend with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to make the world’s best gazpacho.

Ube (purple yam): Scrub the outside and indirect grill it. Enjoy like a sweet potato.

Vidalia onions: Peel and cut out the stem end in a cone-shaped plug. Stuff with crumbled bacon and barbecue sauce. Smoke-roast (indirect grill) at medium heat until soft and tender, 40 to 60 minutes.

Winter squash: Halve and seed acorn squash, then indirect grill it cut-side down on a preheated salt slab until tender.

Xoconostle: I bet you thought I’d be stumped here! This is the Nahuatl term for a sour prickly pear. Mexicans char it over a hot fire and grind it to make salsas.

Yellow squash: Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Stuff with chorizo or Italian sausage. Indirect grill over medium-high heat.

Zucchini: Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried mint. Direct grill over high heat and drizzle with Greek yogurt or tzatziki.

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