Grilled Brussels Sprouts

When I was  a kid, my mom used to cook Brussels sprouts and all I remember was that I thought those tiny little cabbages smelled totally gross. I couldn’t remember her exact preparation but I do recall that they were slimy. So, I called her and she confirmed my suspicions: she microwaved frozen Brussels sprouts. This didn’t surprise me considering that my mom was microwave mad in the 70’s/80’s and is still a loyal user. One Thanksgiving, she microwaved sliced turkey breast because it was “so much easier.” (Are you getting a sense that my culinary skills are not genetic?) Anyway, all of this goes to the fact that I did not eat my first Brussels sprout until about a year ago.

What converted me? My lovely sistah-in-law brought Brussels sprouts to family dinner one month. That night, she pan-fried them in olive oil until they caramelized a bit and then added salt and pepper. (If I recall correctly.) I dutifully threw a few on my plate and spent they rest of the dinner exclaiming, “These are REALLY good!” Hallelujah and amen, I was a convert. Since then I have mostly cooked them according to Ina Garten’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe. So easy; so good. Bless you, Barefoot Contessa.

What could be easier than baking up some Brussels sprouts in the oven? Grilling them, of course! Yep, you guessed it — the obsession with grill packets continues. First, I rinsed my pretty li’l cabbages, cut them in half, put them on a sheet of foil, drizzled them with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt & pepper.

Then I put another layer of foil on top, wrapped the edges up twice and placed the packet on the grill so that the cut sides of my cabbages were closest to the grate. My grill was at 400 degrees (direct heat) and I left them alone for about 15 minutes.

I poked the packet a bit and could tell they were getting pretty soft, so I flipped them over carefully with a big ‘ole spatula and let them cook an additional three minutes. I removed them from the grill and let the packet rest for a few minutes; then I carefully opened up one end of my packet (watch out for that steam, y’all) and poured the sprouts into a bowl.

My Dad says the burnt parts are always the best and, in this case, I agree. I did feel like they needed a little somethin-somethin-else, so I sprinkled a bit of Parmesan on top for good measure.

And served them up with my bacon-wrapped sirloin.

Easy peasy and super yum!