How to Grill Asparagus

Learning how to grill asparagus is a breeze, as long as you remember to have patience and a gentle touch. Not only does grilling help bring out the flavor in these vegetables, but it also helps preserve the nutritional value that boiling them in water would strip away. Like most grilled foods, good grilled asparagus starts with good asparagus.

Buying and Storing
When buying fresh asparagus, you want to look for stalks that are bright green. Make sure the stalks are straight and firm, with closed tips. Place the asparagus in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel wrapped around the bottom of the stalks and in the refrigerator to store. When it's time to cook, remove the asparagus from the refrigerator, and rinse them well.

Preparing
The bottom of an asparagus stalk is woody and bitter. You want to use only the meatier parts. The easiest way to separate the woody and meaty parts of an asparagus stalk is to snap off the bottom. The stalk should snap right where the stiff part ends and soft part begins. If you're nervous about snapping stalks by hand, you can also use a sharp knife to slice them.

Grilling can dry out asparagus quickly, so you need to use a bit of oil before putting the stalks on the grill. You can brush a light coating of oil over each stalk, or you can marinate the stalks. Marinate by pouring sauce into the bag of asparagus, without the damp paper towel. Place asparagus in refrigerator and let marinate for 30 minutes. Remove asparagus from marinade, and let excess drip off. Now it's ready to grill.

Grilling
Place asparagus stalks on the grill in a bunch. You don't want them lying on top of each other, but you do want them lying tight together. Grill the stalks over high heat for two minutes. Carefully turn the stalks over, and grill for an additional two minutes. Cook longer if needed. Remove asparagus from grill and serve.

The easiest way to grill asparagus is with a foil packet or grill basket. Add a little butter, oil or water to the foil packet to keep the asparagus moist, and cook on grill for six to eight minutes. If you're using a grill basket, make sure to preheat it. Then toss the buttered or oiled asparagus in, and grill over high heat for four to five minutes.

Grilling Tips

• Place the asparagus perpendicular to the grills to help prevent stalks from falling through and into the fire.
• Try an oily salad dressing on the asparagus for a quick marinade or flavorful oil for brushing onto the stalks.
• Use tongs to turn asparagus on the grill. Turn the asparagus in bunches as opposed to a few at a time. This will make it less likely you'll lose a stalk into the fire. If you have trouble holding onto the stalks, use two tongs to secure the bunch, and then turn them over.
• Try two wooden skewers to hold the asparagus together for easy grilling. Just slide one, water-soaked skewer into the bottom part of an asparagus stalk. Slide a second, water-soaked skewer into the top part of an asparagus stalk. Keep sliding stalks onto the skewers until you create a row of asparagus.