We’ve recently bought a new barbecue in preparation for a family celebration that’s on the horizon. And as part of those preparations, we decided to give the BBQ a couple of test drives to avoid the over-the-shoulder advice on the day from well-meaning (read: interfering) family members. By ‘we’, I really mean he. In our house, the BBQ is most definitely the man’s domain. But left to the man, we’d end up only eating carbonised carne. The salads and sides fall on my plate each time; I am insistent there is something green or leafy at every meal.
So this time, as it’s late spring and the asparagus is in full swing and as I’d picked up a couple of bundles of it from our local market, I thought why not cook it on the barbecue, too.
As with many fruits and vegetables, we’re lucky and possibly spoilt to be able to get our hands on asparagus throughout the year in the supermarkets, as it’s imported from Mexico or Peru. But from late-April to mid-June, traditionally from St George’s Day to midsummer’s day, the short British Asparagus season is here.
Usually, I cook asparagus on a griddle pan, then serve it with some crusty thickly-sliced toast, a poached egg and possibly a rasher or two of crispy bacon. Cooking it over the barbecue is not too different. It’s very simple to prepare and cook. The smoky flavour and slightly charred edges bring out the natural nuttiness and sweetness. It makes for a delicious side dish or just dig in while you wait for the rest of the food to cook.
It really is very simple. I’m not sure it even warrants a “recipe”. Here’s how we did it.
Barbecued Asparagus
The late spring love for British asparagus continues. Here, I try out some outside cooking on the barbecue with some simple griddled asparagus.
Prepare your barbecue so it's ready to get cooking. You could also use a griddle pan on the hob. This obviously won't have the same smoky flavour, but is a good substitute.
Carefully wash and drain the asparagus spears in clean cold water.
Remove the woody part of the stems. You can do this by gently bending them whilst holding the base and they should snap off where the woodier part ends. This way you'll be left with the tender tips and only the tender section of the stems.
Spread the asparagus out on a large plate or serving dish then drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. I've used cold-pressed rapeseed oil as it's what I had in the cupboard and it also tastes a bit asparagus-y, but olive oil would also be good.
Next, carefully lay out the asparagus spears onto the hot barbecue grill in the opposite direction of the racking. This way you won't lose too many through the gaps.
Cook until tender and slightly charred at the edges. You'll need to turn them occasionally and check them as some will cook quicker depending on the size and thickness of the stems.
Once cooked, transfer them back on to your platter to serve alongside your other barbecue foods or to eat first as a little starter with some crusty bread.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare your barbecue so it's ready to get cooking. You could also use a griddle pan on the hob. This obviously won't have the same smoky flavour, but is a good substitute.
Carefully wash and drain the asparagus spears in clean cold water.
Remove the woody part of the stems. You can do this by gently bending them whilst holding the base and they should snap off where the woodier part ends. This way you'll be left with the tender tips and only the tender section of the stems.
Spread the asparagus out on a large plate or serving dish then drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. I've used cold-pressed rapeseed oil as it's what I had in the cupboard and it also tastes a bit asparagus-y, but olive oil would also be good.
Next, carefully lay out the asparagus spears onto the hot barbecue grill in the opposite direction of the racking. This way you won't lose too many through the gaps.
Cook until tender and slightly charred at the edges. You'll need to turn them occasionally and check them as some will cook quicker depending on the size and thickness of the stems.
Once cooked, transfer them back on to your platter to serve alongside your other barbecue foods or to eat first as a little starter with some crusty bread.