Perfectly grilled asparagus makes one of the best vegetable sides anytime. With packed nutrients and an incredible variety of flavors, you can easily pair them with anything. But how do you grill asparagus in foil without degrading its taste and quality?
To grill asparagus, follow these step-by-step instructions;
- Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them with cold water and patting them dry using a clean kitchen towel.
- Season the asparagus with avocado oil, salt, and black pepper. You can also bring in your favorite seasoning.
- Grill the asparagus before squeezing some lemon juice on it to enjoy
If you decide to marinate the asparagus before grilling, mix two tablespoons of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a bowl. Add the asparagus into the mixture and refrigerate for one hour before draining the asparagus for the grill. Read on to familiarize yourself with everything you need about grilled asparagus.
How To Make Grilled Asparagus In Foil
Grilling asparagus in foil is one of the best methods for making tasty grilled asparagus. The technique results in delicious, tender, and slightly charred asparagus. Here are the steps to follow when making perfectly grilled asparagus.
1. Remove The Tough Ends Of The Asparagus Stalks
The grilling of delicious asparagus begins with preparing and ensuring they are perfect for the grill. Cutting the tough end of the asparagus is one way of saving energy and minimizing the chances of getting confused when determining the doneness. Again, you should ensure that you are grilling your asparagus in foil to prevent them from sticking to the grill.
2. Add Avocado Oil And Seasoning
After cutting off the tough stalks, it is time to ensure that your asparagus will attain the desired flavor. Start by adding oil and then the seasoning of your liking. The oil helps in helping the seasoning to stick on the asparagus and prevents it from sticking to the grill. The seasoning, on the other hand, is responsible for enhancing the flavor of the vegetables.
3. Wrap Your Asparagus In A Foil
Wrap the asparagus in aluminum foil packets to keep them warm and prevent them from drying during the entire grilling process. Further, spray the asparagus with oil before wrapping them in a foil to ensure they would not stick together.
4. Prepare The Grill
Once you prepare your asparagus for the grill, it is time to fire up your grill. Preheat your grill to a medium-high temperature of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit and close the lid. The temperature range is significant because it helps ensure that your asparagus does not burn when cooking.
5. Place The Asparagus On The Grill
Place the asparagus on the grill and grill them for a few minutes. When grilling your asparagus, ensure enough space between each spear to allow free air circulation around them, preventing them from sticking on the grill. Grill your wrapped asparagus for 5-10 minutes before turning and cooking the other side for the same amount of time. Turning your asparagus frequently is key to ensuring that they cook evenly.
6. Remove And Serve
Once you are confident that the asparagus has cooked well, remove them from the grill and serve it with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, melted butter, pepper, and salt to taste.
Essential Tips For Grilled Asparagus
While making grilled asparagus is straightforward, some people might find it challenging to make delicious asparagus successfully. However, if you consider the following tips, you will have a perfectly grilled asparagus.
1. Removing The Bottoms Of The Stalks
Asparagus tends to have tough stalks and fibrous ends. It is vital to remove these stalks using a sharp knife. Failing to remove the stalks may give you a false sense of doneness because they hardly become soft. Therefore, you may end up overcooking the rest of the asparagus.
2. Grease The Grates Of The Grill
Another essential insight that you should not ignore if you do not want to have a hard time grilling your asparagus is to grease the grates. The greasing is vital as it helps to minimize the chances of the asparagus sticking on the grates. Although greasing is essential in preventing the asparagus from sticking on the grates, you should avoid using oils with a low smoke point as they are prone to flaring.
3. Control The Heat
You do not want to burn your asparagus for grilling at excessively high temperatures when you can easily control the temperature. The best practice is to ensure that you have a warmer and cool side. Gas grills are advantageous in a sense they allow you to control temperature. If you realize that the asparagus is getting excessively charred, you transfer them to the cooler side for assessment.
4. Repurpose Leftovers
If you have leftovers of grilled asparagus, you can repurpose them in many ways. For instance, you can use them on sandwiches, egg bakes, frittatas, salads, and many more. The leftovers are delicious, whether cold or at room temperature.
How Do You Grill Asparagus Without It Falling?
Grilling asparagus is simple, and you do not have to worry about them falling once you put them on the grill. After brushing your grill and ensuring that it is clean and the temperature is between 350- 425 degrees Fahrenheit, place the asparagus across the grates to ensure they do not fall off the grills. Further, wrapping the asparagus in aluminum foil and grilling with the lid close helps ensure they do not dry.
Do You Peel Asparagus Before Grilling?
Peeling your asparagus before grilling is one of the mistakes you must avoid if you look forward to delicious grilled asparagus. Peeling asparagus is not necessary as it is labor intensive. Moreover, when you peel your asparagus, you are left with tiny pieces of asparagus that can easily fall off when grilling.
Additional mistakes you should avoid when grilling your asparagus include using too small or too big stalks that might mislead you when determining the doneness of your asparagus. Also, not shocking and failing to branch your asparagus can reduce the grilling success. For a delicious meal, ensure that you avoid all the common mistakes people make when grilling asparagus.
What Temperature To Grill Asparagus In Foil?
The best temperature to grill asparagus in foil is 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range is convenient for grilling asparagus in a foil because the foil prevents the asparagus from drying. If for whatever reason, you do not have an aluminum foil, then it is prudent to lower the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Do I Know When The Asparagus Is Fully Cooked?
Knowing when the asparagus is cooked is vital in ensuring that you do not overcook them. Asparagus is cooked if it turns out crunchy or tender-crispy and not limp.
Additionally, cooked asparagus turns from vibrant green to a dull olive green. If they are not well-cooked, you will realize that a fork will have difficulty penetrating the spear. Overcooked asparagus falls apart if you poke it with a fork.
How To Tell When Asparagus Is Bad
While asparagus is best when fresh, you may have some leftovers that you can refrigerate for future use. Knowing when asparagus is bad is vital in ensuring you do not waste your time cooking or warming spoiled asparagus.
When it is fresh, asparagus feels firm, and you wouldn’t feel it is rubbery. However, the quickest way to check whether your asparagus is bad is to sniff it. If you get a foul smell from it, that is a sign that it is bad, and you should not use it.
The Bottom Line
While asparagus is best grilled, you can easily use other preparation methods, such as steaming, boiling, or roasting. It all depends on your taste and preference. Asparagus is a nutritious vegetable that can help with weight loss and several other health benefits. For the best results, grill your asparagus.
Scot has loved smoking food in his free time for the last few years. Each major holiday or off-weekend, Scot spends days testing and prepping new recipes for perfection.