Why It Works
- Brining complete heads of cauliflower in salted water ensures deep seasoning all through.
- Beginning the cauliflower on low warmth in a coated grill earlier than transferring it to the new aspect of the grill permits the cauliflower to develop into tender on the skin with out burning on the skin.
- Brushing the teriyaki glaze over your complete cauliflower head in levels produces a burnished, flippantly charred look.
I’m a sucker for Japanese-American classics like teriyaki rooster, and for me, the most effective a part of that dish isn’t the rooster itself, however the smoky, chargrilled greens that always accompany it. However once you convey the teriyaki therapy to an entire head of cauliflower, it captures the spirit and what I really like most concerning the unique: Deep umami notes, charcoal, caramelized flavors, sweetness, salt, substance. The truth is, that is in all probability the meatiest model of cauliflower I may dream up—one thing main-course worthy.
Burnished, flippantly charred domed cauliflower heads slathered in a savory teriyaki sauce has entrée power and present stopping attraction, however correctly grilling complete heads of brassicas presents us with two frequent pitfalls: They’re typically erratically cooked (too crunchy on the within whereas blackened and bitter on the skin) and underneath seasoned all through. Right here’s the way to resolve these two essential issues.
Severe Eats / Lorena Masso
3 Suggestions for Grilling Complete Cauliflower Heads
1. Brine for even seasoning. One method to assure even seasoning—even to the woody core—is to make use of a brine. When cauliflower is submerged in a saline answer over the course of some hours, the brassica takes on an increasing number of seasoning. In earlier testing on how and why you need to brine your greens, I discovered the distinction in taste between floor seasoning and brining for cooked cruciferous greens is stark. Right here, a soak in a 4 to five% salt brine for about three hours produces optimum outcomes, however you’ll be able to let the cauliflower sit for as much as six hours to work along with your cooking schedule.
2. Begin low and gradual over a two-zone grill. In my first assessments, after brining I merely threw the heads on the most well liked aspect of the grill, however this resulted in a burnt exterior with a crunchy, undercooked heart. It was clear that I wanted to hurry up the cooking of the cauliflower’s fibrous core earlier than the outside florets overcooked. I attempted numerous strategies for par-cooking the cauliflower earlier than ending it on the grill—boiling, microwaving, even baking to make sure the cauliflower heads had been cooked by previous to a closing blast of warmth from the grill. Boiling and microwaving resulted in a candy inside, however for the reason that heads had been so saturated with moisture, the speed of browning was much less within the closing stage of cooking on the grill; the feel was too comfortable, the cauliflower lacked depth of taste, and it additionally didn’t char as nicely on the grill.
Baking was a greater route, for the reason that dry cooking surroundings drew moisture from the outside, making certain that the heads charred nicely on the grill. However much like my assessments with boiling and microwaving, even after grilling, the baked cauliflower lacked the smoky, grilled aroma and taste I needed.
Ultimately, I opted to cook dinner the cauliflower on the grill for your complete time, and handled it much like an enormous barbecued chunk of meat, equivalent to brisket or pork butt. Utilizing a two-zone oblique warmth grill set-up as described in our information to grilling, I cooked the heads low and gradual over the cooler aspect of the grill so there was no direct warmth beneath them, which stored the cauliflower from charring too early and turning bitter. Over 40 to 50 minutes, the inside cooked to an ideal crisp-tender texture, and took on loads of the smoky, grilled taste I used to be in search of.
3. Create layers of taste. One of many hallmarks of teriyaki is the attribute smoky taste that comes when the teriyaki sauce (and fats, in case you’re grilling meat) hits the coals and caramelizes, and the ensuing cloud of unstable compounds floats again as much as the meals. That cascade of flavors from the response of burnt sugars and different sulfur-containing amino acids equivalent to cysteine amplifies meaty taste, and it’s an enormous cause why teriyaki is particular. To imitate that, I brush the glaze on in three levels—as soon as after the primary 20 minutes of cooking and twice towards the tip of cooking when the crown of the cauliflower head will get a closing blast of direct warmth on the grill. This manner, the cauliflower reaps the advantages from the slower Maillard response and caramelization occurring throughout the longer preliminary cooking course of over the oblique warmth, but additionally develops the extra aggressive, charred flavors within the closing hotter grilling stage on the new aspect of the grill. The result’s burnished, smoky cauliflower that slices simply into thick wedges for serving. All it wants is a squeeze of lemon, and possibly a bowl of rice to scarf all of it down.