TOP TEN GARDEN VEGETABLES
FOR THE GRILL

The ideal garden vegetables for grilling have to be able to stand the high heat, taste delicious when their natural sugars caramelize, and be easy for the griller to handle.

ASPARAGUS. Thicker asparagus does better on the grill. For easier handling, thread wooden skewers, soaked in water for half an hour, through the top and bottom of a line of asparagus spears. This way, you turn them all at once on the grill.

BROCCOLI. Maybe you haven’t considered broccoli, but it’s delicious on the grill. The secret is to cut the fatter head into long, flatter pieces—or try purple sprouting broccoli, a variety with smaller individual florets.

CABBAGE. Large cabbage kinds (green, red, Napa or Savoy) simply need to be cut into quarters or eighths, smaller cabbages (radicchio, Brussels sprouts) in half. Brush the cut sides with olive oil, then grill until you get good grill marks. Easy.

CORN. Grilled in the husk or with the corn kernels touching the grill grates, corn on the cob tastes great on the grill, especially slathered with a flavored butter.

EGGPLANT. Large, cylindrical eggplants are best sliced lengthwise to grill or, if they’re large enough, you can also slice them into large coins. Smaller baby eggplant or long Japanese eggplant varieties can be grilled whole or sliced in half lengthwise.

ONIONS. All members of the onion family do well on the grill. For fat yellow, white, or Bermuda onions, peel and then slice them thickly. If you like, thread them lollipop-style through soaked wooden skewers or simply grill thick slices directly on the grill grates. Scallions or bulb onions can be grilled whole, turning often. Leeks are best sliced in half lengthwise (to more easily rinse out all the grit from the leek) then grilled.

PEPPERS. From bell to chile peppers, these colorful vegetables can be grilled in many different ways. Grill bell or chile peppers whole, then stem, seed, and chop. Slice them and grill them on a perforated grill rack or stir-grill in a grill wok. Or, smoke them on the indirect side of the grill with the lid closed, adding some wood chips, pellets, or chunks to the fire on the direct side.

ROOT VEGETABLES. Vegetables that grow below ground—beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, and turnips—need to be par-cooked first in boiling water or in the microwave so that they just finish on the grill.

SUMMER SQUASH. Yellow summer squash and zucchini are best sliced lengthwise, as the long slices are easier to manage on the grill. For stir-grilling, however, they’re best sliced into coins or chopped.

TOMATOES. Big beefsteak tomatoes are best grilled whole or as thick slices. Cherry and currant tomatoes take well to skewers or stir-grilling. Meaty Romas are delicious smoked or wood-grilled. Tomatoes on stems can simply be grilled on one side.