How to Grill Peppers
on Aug 10, 2022, Updated Oct 02, 2022
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Grilling peppers gives them a silky texture, and a smoky sweet flavor. Use them in all kinds of ways, or serve them up as a colorful side!
Grilled Peppers
Grilled bell peppers are one of the secret ingredients to a fine grilling summer. They are gorgeous, no matter what color you choose, and an assortment of peppers is even more dazzling. Grilling makes peppers softer, sweeter, silkier, and a great partner to just about anything else you will throw on the grill that day, not to mention a very handy ingredient to have on hand always.
You can also grill other peppers besides bell peppers this way. Jalapenos or other hot peppers, as well as cubanelle peppers, and hatch peppers will all cook up beautifully on the grill.
Another option is leaving the peppers whole, turning them so they blister on all sides. Put them in a bowl, cover them with a clean dish towel, and let them cool. Slide the skin off, then break them open and remove the seeds and core. Slice or dice as desired.
How to Grill Peppers
Heat the grill to medium high.
Halve, core and seed the peppers. You can cut them into quarters if you want smaller pieces, but if you plan to slice them thinner you’ll need to use a grill basket so they don’t fall through the grates.
Brush the peppers on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt.
Place the peppers on the grill cut side down (you can place them directly on the grill or on a vegetable grilling rack if you have one).
Grill the peppers, covered, for about 4 minutes until they get nice grill marks on the bottom and begin to soften, then flip them and grill for another 3 minutes or so.
You should feel free to move them about the grill to cooler spots if they look like they are browning too quickly, before they become tender. You can grill them for longer, if you want softer peppers, just make sure to flip them as needed and not let the heat get too high — you want the skin to blister and turn brown in spots.
I usually leave the skin on when grilling peppers. If you want to peel the peppers, you’ll need to let the outside blister up a bit more. If you plan to leave the skin on you can just grill them until they are as soft and browned as you like them.
Remove from the grill and serve warm or at room temperature.
Grilled Peppers: Grilling peppers gives them a silky texture, and a smoky sweet flavor. Use them in all kinds of ways, or serve them up as a colorful side!
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Ways to Use Grilled Peppers
These peppers can be used in any recipe or way that you might use roasted peppers. You can obviously serve them up plain, alongside a piece of grilled chicken or fish or meat, or as part of a larger grilled vegetable assortment.
You can also:
- Drizzle grilled peppers with good balsamic vinegar or Chermoula Sauce
- Use grilled peppers on bruschetta and crostini
- Add them to salads, pastas, casseroles, grain salads, and other bowls
- Layer them in sandwiches or on top of burgers
- Include them in an antipasti platter
- Puree them into dips (try Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Hummus and Cannellini Bean Dip with Lemon and Parmesan)
Other Grilled Vegetables:
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How to Grill Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers , any color
- 2 tablespoons olive oil approximately, for brushing
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium high.
- Halve, core and seed the peppers. You can cut them into quarters if you want smaller pieces, but if you plan to slice them thinner you’ll need to use a grill basket so they don’t fall through the grates. Brush the peppers on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt.
- Place the peppers on the grill cut side down (you can place them directly on the grill or on a vegetable grilling rack if you have one). Grill the peppers, covered, for about 4 minutes until they get nice grill marks on the bottom and begin to soften, then flip them and grill for another 3 or 4 minutes or so. You should feel free to move them about the grill to cooler spots if they look like they are browning too quickly, before they become tender. You can grill them for longer, if you want softer peppers, just make sure to flip them as needed and not let the heat get too high — you want the skin to blister and turn brown in spots. If you plan to leave the skin on you can just grill them until they are as soft and browned as you like them. If you want to peel the peppers, you’ll need to let the outside blister up a bit more.
- Remove from the grill and serve warm or at room temperature.
