Roasted Asparagus on the Grill

My family loves roasted asparagus, and we eat it often during the summer to compliment grilled steaks and chicken. The recipe is likely familiar, but if you cook it on the grill with your meat you can avoid heating the kitchen.

Take a bundle of asparagus stalks and wash them. Then, grasping them at either end, bend until they snap. The part that snaps off is where the asparagus would have likely been too tough to ever get tender enough to eat. Or you can cut the stalks at the point where they begin to lighten.

Roll out a wide piece of aluminum foil and lay the asparagus in a single layer. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. Garlic powder and a little lemon juice are optional. Using your hands, roll and mix the ingredients until all the pieces of asparagus are coated in the mixture of oil and spices, then close the aluminum foil into a bundle. Its OK if size limitations make it where the asparagus is no longer in a single layer.

Place the bundle on the grill whenever the time seems right. If your coals are hot and you need to wait for them to cool before cooking a meat that takes a short time, go ahead and put the asparagus on then and let it get started. Or if your meat takes a while to cook, roast the asparagus at the same time. For best results, we’ve found that about 20 minutes on a hot grill will make the asparagus tender, but not overcooked. It is near ready when you hear the moisture from the asparagus and the oil sizzling inside the foil. Open the foil for the last five minutes if you like the parmesan cheese to have a little crunch.

Remove from grill and serve. Yum!