Grill Outside the Box

Go beyond traditional grill grub by searing up flatbread for dipping into chilled tomato soup while also enjoying a savory potato salad.

By Steven Raichlen
Updated on April 27, 2022
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by Adobestock/zi3000
Grilled vegetables with the addition of olive oil, herbs and spices.

The rules for grilling vegetables are pretty much the same as those for grilling meat or seafood: Keep it hot, keep it clean, and keep it lubricated. In other words, you want to start with a hot, clean grate that you oil right before food goes on. Heat your grill grate well, and then scrub it with a stiff wire brush, or scrape it clean with a wooden scraper. Oil the grate with vegetable or olive oil. The following recipes call for smoking, direct grilling, indirect grilling, and ember grilling.

Indirect grilling is the process of grilling next to a fire rather than directly over one, as you would in direct grilling. On a charcoal grill, rake the coals into two mounds at opposite sides of the grill, and do your cooking in the center. On a two-burner gas grill, light one side and indirect grill on the other. On a gas grill with three or more burners, light the outside or front and rear burners, and do your grilling in the center. Always keep the grill lid lowered when indirect grilling.

For ember grilling, let a charcoal or wood fire burn down to glowing coals. Fan them with a folded newspaper to dislodge any loose ash, and then place the vegetables (or bread) directly on the embers.

Smoke-Roasted German-Style Potato Salad

When it comes to potato salad, two basic schools exist: German-style (flavored with vinegar and bacon) and American-style (mayonnaise- and mustard-based). Both get a Raichlen makeover by smoke-roasting the spuds instead of boiling them. Here’s the German version — sweet with sugar, tart with vinegar, and smoky with bacon — and you can find the American style below. For a meatless version, leave out the bacon, or substitute it with smoked shiitake mushrooms.

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