How to Grill your Greens
Without them falling through the grates
Throughout my career, I’ve dined at hundreds of restaurants, locally and globally, and it has given me is a broad perspective on restaurant trends, ingredients, culinary techniques, and what makes a restaurant delicious and special. It’s one thing to solely be a diner to enjoy for the sake of enjoyment. It’s a completely different experience to dine with the intention of training a palate, mentally dissecting the method and the ingredients. This process helps me identify techniques that can easily be recreated in the home kitchen.
One of the focuses of this Substack is to help you bring restaurant cooking to your home by showing you some easy-to-execute techniques that will bring flavor and hopefully help you expand your cooking knowledge. What I found is many of these techniques seem more intimidating than they actually are. With some general guidance and basic ingredients, I want to encourage you to explore and grow your own cooking skills so you can eat the best possible meals at home without always seeking restaurants to satisfy the flavors you love. It’s easier than you think.
For the first installment of this concept, I want to share something that I’ve been doing recently since the warm weather started. All you need is a grill, ten minutes and three ingredients: oil, salt, and hearty greens.
How to Grill Your Greens
Grilling, in my opinion, is one of the easiest and most flavorful ways to cook and in the summer I am constantly grilling food to not only expedite my dining but also instill fantastic smoky essences into whatever I am preparing. This original form of cooking dates back to early man. Primal humans have been using flames to eat since the beginning of cooking. Flash forward a bazillion years, now it’s trending restaurant concept proving once again that trends do always recycle themselves.
Originators, like Francis Mallman, was one of the first to bring modern day awareness to this style of cooking by creating large format outdoor grilling structures and dining experiences while restaurants like Campfire in my hometown area of Carlsbad, California show diners how it can be done in a restaurant capacity. In NYC, there are several woodfire concepts and you’ll be lucky if you can secure a reservation at establishments like Brooklyn’s Theodora.
I love these restaurants but now that it’s summer, I’d rather skip the clamor for a reservation and the bill and bring this concept home. I’m not saying don’t ever go to these restaurants, that would be sad for your palate. I am saying you have the ability to cook in this style in your own backyard. I invite you to explore and expand your home cooking and step away from the stove and fire up the grill.
One of the simplest ways to start is by grilling your favorite sturdy greens, like kale, collards or turnip greens. In the last year, I have dined at many restaurants where the side vegetable was simply grilled over the flame and each time I was thrilled with that preparation.
At home, we cook turnip greens at least once a week. (Hot tip for my Brooklynites - turnip greens are $1.99 for a good-sized bunch at the Foodtown off Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights!). We love the deeper nuanced flavor of the green and I put them in soups, stir-fries and simply wilt them in a skillet for a rice bowl. But once the smoke and fire touch the greens, it transforms them from vegetal forward into a hearty and dare I say “meaty” execution.
How to cook your greens over a live fire grill
One of the first things to consider is that greens will wilt. When cooking over a grill grate, they could wilt and fall through. To avoid this, I like to place a wire rack for a sheet tray over the existing grill. There are plenty of fancy gadgets that mimic this idea but I find the wire rack works perfectly, has many other uses, and is also cost effective.
Next is to prepare the greens. De-stem, if necessary, and then tear into large pieces no smaller than 2 inches. Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with just enough oil to lightly coat the greens, then add seasonings or just salt to your liking. No need for measurements. A very light coat and gentle sprinkle will set you up for success.
Be ready with tongs for tossing the greens while they cook. If you are cooking for vegetarians or vegans and also cooking meat proteins, be sure to cook the greens before you cook the proteins. When the charcoal or wood briquettes are ready, around 425 degrees, add the greens on top of the grate. You should hear a strong sizzle and typically the oil will drip and the flames will come up and gently kiss the greens. Using the tongs, toss the greens ocaasionally until they are wilted and have char marks but are not burned.
The maillard reaction adds even more savory nuance to the flavor profile. This process of grilling the greens and tossing takes no more then 5-7 minutes depending on how hot your coals are. The timing isn’t the important part of the equation but the visual outcome of wilted, deep green with char in places is what you need to be looking for.
What charcoal should I use?
The hard wood lump charcoal fire has a naturally tasting smoke-forward flavor profile. If you can’t find this style, no worries, any charcoal will do the trick. Once you start playing around with charcoals, you’ll learn what you like best.
How to grill hearty greens - Step by step
Prepare the grill - light the charcoal, scrub the grates
Top the grill with a wire rack or veggie grill pan
Prepare the greens and place them in a large bowl
Toss the greens with salt, seasoning and a light coat of oil
When the grill is ready, add the greens in batches on top of the wire rack
Using tongs, toss the greens, adding more greens as they wilt and cook them until deep green, wilted and charred in some places 5-7 minutes
Remove the greens back to the bowl or a serving platter, season to taste and EAT
If I have leftovers, I like to use them in a stir-fry, sandwich, egg scramble or breakfast burrito. Don’t just grill your greens, you can grill all sorts of vegetables garlic scapes, zucchini halves, eggplant and more.
Try this tasty recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine where you grill kale and make a salad with breadcrumbs. I remember when they tested it in the kitchen and can confirm it is delicious.