Today marks the end of my Summer Grilling and Smoke Series. In honour of that, I thought I would share with you my 5 Favourite Barbecued Side Dishes. Although I love potato salad and coleslaw, you aren’t going to see either of those things on this list. The key to this list is that all the items are cooked on the grill right alongside the main course. If you are stuck eating the same old side dishes and want some new ideas, or if you just love to see what I eat for some strange reason, this post has you covered. Keep reading to see My 5 Favourite Barbecued Side Dishes.
1 – Paprika Green Beans
I know that a lot of people are tentative about grilling vegetables like green beans and asparagus. The thought is that they are going to fall through the grill. Yeah, that will happen. Barbecuing green beans, you may lose a few to the gods of fire but, it is worth the loss. The flavour of grilled green beans is outstanding. Barbecued green beans are great, barbecued green beans tossed in smoked paprika vinaigrette before and after cooking are much better.
To make these green beans, you first have to make the smoked paprika vinaigrette. You can find the recipe below, but it is mainly smoked paprika, maple syrup (or honey), mustard, vinegar, and oil. Toss the green beans in the vinaigrette, grill them for ten to twelve minutes, flipping them once, then toss them in the remaining vinaigrette. You can do this with asparagus too, but I prefer it done with the green beans.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cleaned Green Beans
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the paprika, maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar.
- While whisking, slowly add the oil a few drops at a time until it is all incorporated. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss the green beans in the vinaigrette, then take the beans out of the bowl reserving any remaining vinaigrette. Grill the green beans over medium heat for about 10 minutes flipping once.
- Put the cooked green beans back in the bowl with the remaining vinaigrette, toss to coat and serve.
2 – Corn On The Cob
I did a whole post on corn on the cob, which you can find here. Corn on the cob is one of the great all-time barbecued side dishes. One of the many things I love about grilling corn on the cob is that there are a few different ways you can make it. You can cook the corn in the husk, right over the flames for about thirty minutes to get really sweet tasting corn. You can husk the corn, brush it with oil, season it with salt and pepper, and grill it on high for about twelve minutes for a roasted corn flavour. Or, you can cut it into pieces, and put it in a vegetable pouch, which we will look at in a minute. Of course, I haven’t even mentioned all the things you can put on the corn once it’s cooked. Check out this post from The Kitchn about six toppings you can add to your corn.
3 – Grilled Vegetable Salad
Grilled vegetables of any kind are amazing. I could easily have added mixed grilled veggies to this list, but this salad takes those vegetables to a whole other level. It is a mix of grilled vegetables tossed with arugula and balsamic vinaigrette then finished with goat cheese. What could be better than that on a beautiful summer’s day?
To make this salad for four people slice the following vegetables about a quarter-inch thick: one zucchini, one eggplant, one red onion, one red bell pepper. Also, skewer twenty cherry tomatoes. Toss all the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill the veggies on medium-high for about five to six minutes per side or until they are soft. Cut all the vegetables except the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces then put them in a large bowl with the balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below). Stir the vegetables to coat them all in the dressing, then let them sit and cool for ten minutes. Letting the vegetables sit will help them to absorb some of the dressing. Toss in four to five big handfuls of arugula and toss. Top the salad with goat cheese and serve.
I love this salad any time of the year. In the winter, I will add squash or sweet potato to the mix rather than the eggplant and zucchini. The only other difference between the summer and winter versions of this salad is that in the winter, I roast the vegetables in the oven as opposed to on the barbecue.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup in the mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Whisk a few drops of the oil in the vinegar mixture.
- Whisk a few more drops of the oil into the vinegar mixture.
- Add the remaining oil in a slow steady stream while constantly whisking.
- Once all the oil has been incorporated, season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
4 – Vegetable Packets
I get asked a lot about foil vegetable packets. My response is that the question isn’t what can you put in a vegetable packet. The question is, what can’t you put in them? Foil vegetable packets are the most versatile barbecued side dish because you can put just about anything in them. Really, I can’t think of anything that you wouldn’t want to put in them.
The only real tip I have about vegetable packets is to add in some fresh herbs and use garlic butter as much as possible. These two small things will have a significant impact on the flavour of the vegetables. Actually, I have one other tip. If you use a vegetable that cooks quickly like zucchini and a vegetable that takes a while to cook like sweet potato, cut the zucchini two to three times larger than the sweet potato. That size difference should make up for the difference in cooking time.
5 – Charred Onions
Onions, so simple, so unassuming, so delicious. The final item on this list of my 5 favourite barbecued side dishes is also the most simple; charred onions. All you have to do is cut an onion in half, drizzle it with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper and put it on the grill for forty-five minutes to an hour. Put them on and forget about them. You may want to flip them for the last fifteen minutes of cooking, but you probably won’t have to. As the onions sit on the grill, the surface of the onions goes black and takes on a nice charred flavour. The inside of the onion steams in its juices and takes on a sweet taste as it cooks and softens. To serve the onion, just cut the ends off and remove the skin. Charred onions go very well with steak, pork chops, grilled chicken, or just about anything. You can’t believe how good these onions are until you try them, seriously.
Conclusion
These are my 5 favourite barbecued side dishes, but I would love to hear what yours are. Tell me about them in the comments section below. I hope that this post has given you some ideas and some things to try. That’s kind of the point of it after all. Happy grilling, everyone!
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Look forward to diving in to your recipes!
Thank you Sue! Enjoy!