How to Fire Roast Vegetables on the Grill

Obtaining that smokey, grilled flavor in veggies is a hallmark for recipes like homemade salsa or chile rellenos.  Plus, it’s an easy way to create a simple side dish perfect for any grilled meat!  Learn how to fire roast vegetables on the grill in 6 easy steps.

Why Fire Roasted Veggies…

The first thing to define is what my definition of fire roasting is.  Well, I’m a simple person, so pretty much fire roasting is exactly how it sounds:  on a grate/grill over the Bbq or open fire OR over the flames of a gas oven indoors (yes, you can do that!).

Benefits?  First is the smoky flavor that a little char imparts to the vegetables.  Second, is the ability for the veggies to steam in their skins as you roast them, then “sweat” the skin off afterwards.  Third, it really doesn’t take a lot of time and opens up many new recipe options.  So, how do you do it…

How to Fire Roast Vegetables on the Grill

Step 1:  Heat up the Bbq grill to medium high-high.

Step 2:  Select the veggies you would like to fire-roast, wash and dry them, then put a very light coat of oil on over the top.  We use sunflower, safflower or olive oil as they have a medium smoke point.  Or even easier, use a liquid oil spray.

Step 3:  Place veggies on the grill.  Let them sit until you begin to see “char” marks.

Step 4:  Turn or rotate vegetables to their different sides until all sides are charred.  The whole piece does not need to be completely black, don’t overcook it.  What you are looking for in peppers is black char marks or a blistered skin.  In tomatoes, it’s a slight char with blistered, split, orange tinged skin.  Onions, look for a nice char as basically you are just caramelizing it for sweetness and flavor.

The roasting process takes between 7-10 minutes usually depending on how hot your grill is.  Once satisfied with char, remove veggies from grill.  (It may be shorter on your indoor gas stove flame as fire is fairly concentrated.  Another tip for indoors, do vegetables 1-2 at a time.)

Sweating the small stuff

Step 5: Once off the grill, place veggies in a ziplock bag and seal it up.  Allow them to remain in there until they begin to cool down, usually around 10 minutes.  Use this step if you want to be able to remove the skins.

To make a grilled salad, don’t grill as long so the flesh maintains some crunch and skip the sweating.  Simply chill a bit to stop the cooking and chop to desired consistency (I like it with big chunks).  Add some salt and pepper with a little olive oil and garlic, maybe even a little cilantro; then serve it up with a nice juicy steak.

Step 6: Remove from bag and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.  Then peel off skin.  For smaller peppers like jalapeños, it may help to run them under a little bit of water.  But for large peppers and tomatoes, the skin usually comes right off.

And that’s all there is to it on how to fire roast vegetables on the grill!  They are ready to use in your favorite recipes.  Of note, watch for additional grilling articles like this one for corn on Fresh Baked Alaska as this is just the tip of the grilled veggie ice berg.  Happy roasting!