Good veggies for quick grilling?

[DaveD]

Hi folks, next week we are hosting a gathering of about a dozen friends for a very special occasion. I've been cooking for this for weeks, vac sealing smoked meats of various descriptions. Now that we're a week out, I'm starting to get serious about planning some accompaniments. This is going to be a huge late-lunch feast for the afternoon prior to us all trundling over to the Birchmere to see our major fave artist, James McMurtry, the love of whom is what brought us all together as friends listening to his livestreams during the pandemic and chatting together in the chat-box. We're gonna have us a TIME.

The menu will include pulled pork and pulled chuck for sliders; sliced brisket point; a pan of pulled pork faux carne adovada enchiladas; a rack each of baby backs and SLC spares; some Rancho Gordo red beans & andouille sausage (spicy!); and my lovely bride will be making a heap of green salad featuring her homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, & mild peppers. All the meats will be reheated in their vac-seals in a big tub via sous vide, so they'll all be piping hot and ready to eat at the same time (big win!). I'll put together the pan of enchis the night before, so I'll need only pop them in the oven at the appropriate time.

I'd also like to grill some veggies on my Weber gasser to serve with, and this will be the only actual cooking I'll have to do timed to be ready at serving time. So I'm looking for suggestions for a mix of veggies that a) grill well and b) take a similar amount of time to cook so that they can be ready together. I'm thinking zucchini & yellow squash, but are there other things that would be easy to handle and cook well with those? Or should I call it good with those and not get overly ambitious? Happy to have your suggestions. Thanks!

[ssandy_561]

Asparagus grills really well. If you wrap three to five together in a piece of bacon it makes them even better.

Brussel sprouts grill up nicely but you need a grill pan with holes in it to cook them.

[STEbbq]

Brussel sprouts with Jenni’s rub plus jalapeños is a winner.

[DaveD]

I'm not a fan of brussels, however, but thanks anyway!

[bbqLuv]

Brussel sprouts are not my favorite, but they do grill up okay IMHO.

[STEbbq]

I was going to immediately suggest zucchini and I see you already have it! Good choice especially with a nice little rub!

[Murdy]

And I was going to suggest summer squash, we cut both kind of thick, drizzle with olive oil, season, and grill in individual slabs until they brown up some.

[Rod]

Bell peppers (preferably red) sliced vertically with a little oil and basic light seasoning (SPG). Red onion whole slices with the same treatment. A good char really brings out the sweetness. Cook medium to medium high and flip often until a bit floppy.

Zucchini done the same way is great but can tend to get mushy if left to sit to long and also takes a bit of time to cook. Asparagus is also amazing if you cut off enough of the stem, but can be a bit more unwieldy on the gasser depending on your grates.

[MBMorgan]

Possibly to (re)state the obvious: zucchini, eggplant, onions (whole/sliced and/or scallions), asparagus, various peppers, mushrooms of all kinds, lettuce (for salad) ... basically anything but a root vegetable (unless suitably cut and blanched/parboiled), cauliflower (steaks), etc., ... the choices are endless ...

[58limited]

In a bread pan: one sliced yellow onion, one sliced green bell pepper, one sliced red bell pepper, and one sliced yellow squash. Add one stick salted butter and ground pepper to taste. Cover with foil and cook on the upper rack (if you have one on the gasser) or off to the side while grilling other veggies and/ or sausages with the lid closed. Takes about 30 minutes or so but you will have nice tender buttery veggies to top sandwiches with or serve on the side.

I like to grill zucchini on the hot side while this is cooking: Toss sliced zucchini with S&P and olive oil. Fast hot cook to prevent the zucchini from getting mushy.

If you have time don't forget Meathead 's smoked cherry tomatoes.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/salads-and-side-dishes/smoked-cherry-tomato-raisins/

[DavidNorcross]

Asparagus, corn on the cob, green beans grill very nice as well.

[LA Pork Butt]

It sounds like the food out numbers the guests. We like to nuke sweet potatoes until just soft, cut them, into 1/2’ thick rounds, paint them with oil and season them with fajita, my creole vegetable or taco seasoning. They take a few minutes per side.

[DaveD]

Thanks for the input folks! Much appreciated. Probably going to avoid corn on the cob, because many folks will be eating from compartmented paper plates with the plates on their laps, perched around the main room, and that's unwieldy/messy.

Rod , thanks for that tip on zucc/squash getting mushy, definitely don't want that. I've got GrillGrates and can put either flat or rail side up, or half & half, to handle various geometries. Will need to keep things as simple as possible because this will have to be done right when everything is getting ready to be served, and I'll want as few balls in the air as possible...

Thanks for the food for thought

[Smoked Transistors]

Grilled red, yellow, orange bell peppers, egg plant, yellow squash, grilled beef steak or home grown tomatoes, grilled green tomatoes with whipped goat cheese

[bbqLuv]

looking heading to the grill.

[Michael_in_TX]

Yes, this, so much this.

[DaveD]

That looks great!

[Finster]

I love making a medley of sliced veggies to cook in a grill pan on the grill..

Peppers / onions / broccoli / zucchini / mushrooms / carrots / cauliflower / baby corn in some combination...

As an aside... no better way to build friendships than around music and food...imo.

Sounds like it's going to be a really fun time. Enjoy!!

[Troutman]

I agree with the folks above, the only other one we love doing that was not mentioned is bok choy or baby bok choy done on the grill. I love the stuff. That is if you can source it where you live, may take going to an Asian market.




Any by the way, that's one ambitious cook. Love to see some pix of the results !!

[DaveD]

Troutman that's the beauty, all the meat cooking is already done, and I know it all came out very well! Just have to reheat everything in the sous vide, and I have a big tub for that, everything vac sealed, ready to go. The only challenge will be to get everything on the counter quickly so folks can dig in! (That and grilling these veggies)

[shify]

Shishito peppers for sure. If you don't have a grilling basket, you can skewer then to make them easier to deal with.

Or if you want to go a bit crazy - grilled romaine is fantastic topped with some caesar dressing or even just some olive oil and parmesan cheese. Or being they are eating on a paper plate on their lap, you can grill them up, chopped them and serve as a normal salad. Can also do the same with corn and make a grilled corn salad or grilled esquites

[Michael_in_TX]

My go-to is zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with SPG. So, so good. And grills up in just minutes (stir often)!

[DaveD]

Man, that looks fantastic!

[CandySueQ]

Had a restaurant customer tell me that the smell of cooking onions brings more people in to eat. Something a bit different is to cut a romaine lettuce in half and grill before making a Caesar salad.