VegetablesCharred Cabbage Wedges Over Charcoal
Cabbage has enough density and sugar to take real fire, and it is probably the best value ingredient you can put on a charcoal grill.
VegetablesEmber Roasted Peppers with Romesco
No grate, no pan. Peppers go straight onto the burning coals, which sounds like vandalism and is actually the oldest cooking technique there is.
VegetablesCharcoal Grilled Corn, Elote Style
Corn over charcoal, then rolled in mayonnaise, cheese, chilli and lime. The char is not decoration, it is a flavour the vegetable cannot produce any other way.
VegetablesEmber Baked Aubergine Baba Ganoush
The smoke is the dish. Baba ganoush made in an oven is a different, lesser thing, because aubergine flesh absorbs smoke better than almost any other ingredient.
CheeseGrilled Halloumi, Properly
Halloumi is squeaky and dull when it is done badly and genuinely excellent when it is done properly. The difference is thickness and heat.
VegetablesCharred Cauliflower Steaks
Cut a cauliflower into thick slabs and it grills like a steak, going nutty and sweet where the florets catch. The most convincing vegetable main there is.
CheeseHalloumi and Vegetable Skewers
Halloumi is the one cheese that holds its shape on a skewer, threaded between peppers and courgette and charred until it squeaks and softens.
VegetablesGrilled Pineapple with Rum and Lime
Fire does something remarkable to pineapple: the sugars caramelise and the fruit turns almost savoury. A pudding that cooks on the dying coals.
VegetablesCharcoal Grilled Flatbread
A live fire is the best oven a flatbread will ever meet. Two minutes over the coals and it puffs, blisters and takes on a smoke you cannot fake indoors.
VegetablesGrilled Portobello Mushrooms
A big flat mushroom is the closest a vegetable comes to a steak: meaty, juicy and deeply savoury when it takes on smoke. Marinate, grill gill side up, and let it fill with its own juices.
VegetablesGrilled Asparagus
Asparagus over coals is one of the quickest, best things you can do with the fire while it is hot. A little oil, a fierce heat, and lemon and parmesan at the end.
CheeseProvoleta, Argentinian Grilled Cheese
A thick disc of provolone grilled in a pan until the outside crusts and the inside goes molten, scattered with oregano and chilli. The way an asado begins in Argentina.
VegetablesCharred Corn Ribs
Quartered corn cobs curl into rib shapes as they grill, char at the edges and eat off the cob like a rib. The most fun you can have with sweetcorn.
At a glance
| Recipe | Method | Grill temp | Cook time | Pull at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charred Cabbage Wedges Over Charcoal | Two-zone cooking | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 40 min | Tender |
| Ember Roasted Peppers with Romesco | Cooking in the embers | 290°C (550°F) and above | 20 min | Collapsed |
| Charcoal Grilled Corn, Elote Style | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | Charred |
| Ember Baked Aubergine Baba Ganoush | Cooking in the embers | 290°C (550°F) and above | 25 min | 95°C (205°F) |
| Grilled Halloumi, Properly | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Charred |
| Charred Cauliflower Steaks | Two-zone cooking | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 30 min | Tender |
| Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Charred |
| Grilled Pineapple with Rum and Lime | Direct heat | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 10 min | Caramelised |
| Charcoal Grilled Flatbread | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 12 min | Puffed and charred |
| Grilled Portobello Mushrooms | Two-zone cooking | 175 to 230°C (350 to 450°F) | 15 min | Tender |
| Grilled Asparagus | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 6 min | Tender-crisp |
| Provoleta, Argentinian Grilled Cheese | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 8 min | Molten |
| Charred Corn Ribs | Direct heat | 230 to 290°C (450 to 550°F) | 10 min | Curled |
Techniques used
Direct heat. Food straight over the coals. Fast, fierce, and finished before the inside overcooks. Cooking in the embers. Food laid directly on the coals. No grate, no barrier, maximum char. Two-zone cooking. Coals banked to one side: a searing zone and a gentle zone in one grill. The single most useful technique in charcoal cooking.
Cookers these suit
Asado grills. Drum smokers. Foukou rotisseries. Kamado grills. Kettle grills. Korean table grills. Portable grills.