Best Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Author Notes

My husband turned me into a huge Brussels sprouts fan with this fuss-free, endlessly adaptable recipe. He varies it a little each time, but the result is always delicious.

Helpful tools for this recipe:
- GIR Grill Tongs
- Five Two Essential Knives
- Yellowware Mixing Bowl

—kitchenwitchcookie

Test Kitchen Notes

Grilled Brussels sprouts? Yes, please, and thank you. We were drawn to this recipe because it approaches this fall-favorite vegetable in a way we'd never tried before. First, you blanch the sprouts in boiling salted water, and then you coat them in a mixture of olive oil, celery salt, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper before charring them lightly on the grill. Another toss in the seasoned oil, and they're ready to eat.

Grilling the Brussels sprouts gives them a nice smokiness, and it really wakes up the flavors in the onion and garlic powders. Of the optional ingredients, we chose to add only the lemon zest and really liked the extra bit of perfume. Next time, we'd love to add in some crispy pancetta in place of the bacon (or leftover diced ham!).

Kitchenwitchcookie rightly insists that you blanch the sprouts for no more than 5 minutes—if you like your sprouts a bit firm, as we do, you can get away with a minute or two shorter. Take them too far and they'll fall apart on the grill. The easiest way to check their progress is to pull a Brussel sprout and give it a (careful, it's hot!) taste. When you drain them, they should be slightly firmer than you'd like—remember, they're going to keep cooking on the grill.

Now, a note about that blanching water: "Salted" means generously salted. We estimate about 1 tablespoon kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal) per 1 quart water. This will help season the sprouts throughout as they cook.

If you don't have an outdoor grill (or if you're making these in the dead of winter), a grill pan will work just fine. Make sure you heat it up generously before adding the Brussels sprouts—they should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. If they threaten to stick when you're trying to flip them, just give them another minute or so and they'll usually un-stick themselves.

We love serving this alongside any roasted or grilled protein—from chicken to fish—but this "side" could easily serve as a main, too. Top with some halved, soft-boiled eggs and plop a crusty loaf of bread alongside. Or toss the Brussels sprouts with hot pasta and lots of grated cheese. —The Editors