There’s nothing more satisfying than Grilled Asparagus in the summer. Tender, with the right amount of crunch. A light smoky char and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Delicious!
Keeping the heat out of the kitchen by grilling your meat? Don’t forget the veggies! You can put asparagus on the grill too for a delicious and easy side.
Choosing Asparagus For The Grill
Generally, I like the thinner, tender spears of asparagus. However, when I’m grilling them, I choose thicker spears. The smaller spears tend to dry out on the grill before all sides have developed that delicious char. Choose spears that are about the diameter of your pointer finger.
Preparing Asparagus For Grilling
Preparing asparagus for grilling is so simple. Rinse, dry, trim, coat in oil, and season.
Once you’ve rinsed the spears, gently dry them. This will help to ensure that they char rather than steam.
Trimming the spears is a very important step. I’ve found that holding the spear in the middle with one hand and the thick end in the other and then bending, results in the woodiest end breaking off at just the right spot. If you prefer to cut them, I suggest cutting about 1 to 1 1/2 -inches from the bottom. No amount of cooking will make this portion of the asparagus good to eat, in my opinion.
Coating the spears in olive oil helps the salt and pepper adhere to the asparagus as well as reducing the risk of them sticking to the grill.
How Long Do I Grill The Asparagus?
If you’re grilling asparagus as a side dish for grilled proteins, start them after you’ve removed the meats from the grill to rest.
If you are grilling them with other veggies, start them after the longest cooking veggies have been pulled from the grill.
Having a very hot grill is important.
Place the spears perpendicular to the cooking grates. This will ensure that they don’t fall through the grates as they cook.
I like to rotate the spears a quarter rotation once charring start to develop. This happens pretty fast. Like between 1 – 2 minutes. I use long grilling tongs, grabbing the spears from the bottom while making sure that they stay perpendicular to the grates.
The total time is really dependent upon the thickness of the spears. Typically they take between 4 – 6 minutes.
What To Serve With Grilled Asparagus
I love to served grilled asparagus with Grilled Chicken Thighs or alongside a perfectly Grilled Salmon fillet.
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Grilled Asparagus
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Tender, with the right amount of crunch. A light smoky char and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. There’s nothing more satisfying than Grilled Asparagus in the summer.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. asparagus, washed and dried
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the grill for direct cooking. For charcoal grilling, fill a chimney starter with charcoal and light. Once the coals are ready, pour them evenly over the charcoal grate. Set the cooking grate over the coals. For a gas grill, set the burners to high heat. Preheat for 10 minutes and then clean and oil the cooking grate.
- Break or cut the woody section off of the spears, about 1 – 1 1/2-inches.
- Place the prepared spears in a rectangular dish and coat evenly with the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the spears perpendicular to the grates on the grill.
- Grill for 4 – 6 minutes, rotating a quarter rotation as charring starts to develop, about 1 – 2 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately.
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