The Best Grilled Asparagus

Smoky, Tender, Craveworthy Grilled Asparagus - with video

Asparagus is the best vegetable in the garden. When cooked correctly, it’s sweet, grassy, nutty, and sometimes buttery. Add a touch of smoke, and it’s the perfect summer side dish (or main!).

The problem people have with asparagus is that they don’t prepare it correctly, so they end up with either woody, overcooked asparagus that’s hard to chew or bland, underseasoned, mushy asparagus.

The key is to cut and peel the large asparagus so you get a rich fat bite, blanch them in seasoned boiling water, shock them in ice water, and finish them over a blazing hot grill.

I like to rub the asparagus with a touch of beef tallow to add richness. Finish with sea salt, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes, and you have the most amazing asparagus dish.

FOR THE FULL VIDEO CLICK HERE

Ingredients:

2 bunches of jumbo asparagus

1 pint of heirloom of sweet baby tomatoes

1 cup large/fresh mozzarella balls (small ones are fine as well)

1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon beef tallow (olive oil is a good sub)

1 tablespoon high-quality vinegar (sherry, balsamic, cider, etc)

sea salt and freshly craked pepper

2 gallons of water (bring to a boil)

2 cups of salt (add to the water)

bowl with ice and water to shock

Instructions:

Cut the asparagus bottoms where the color begins to go from bright green to brown (see video). Peel the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus.

Bring your water to a full hard boil and add the peeled and clean asparagus.

Cook for 45 seconds in the water, then pull and shock in the ice water.

Dry the asparagus and rub with the beef tallow and salt.

Add to a blazing hot grill and cook briefly on all sides.

Top the asparagus with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, a dash of vinegar, olive oil, and parmesan. If you are feeling fancy, you can also add some sliced prosciutto.