Are you an artichoke lover? We grew up with them and still every time the family is over for dinner we remember how we kids fought for hearts.
My mom first encountered artichokes in college in Los Angeles in the late 50s. She was babysitting for a family who left instructions for her on how to cook this strange looking vegetable.
She dutifully followed the instructions to cook them, and then removed the leaves to serve to the kids and threw out the hearts! Thankfully the kid’s mom eventually set her straight, and to this day mom still bemoans the loss of those hearts.
Anyway, if you love artichokes, here’s a great way to prepare them on the grill. The trick is to steam them first.
Artichokes take a long time to cook, and like moist heat, so it’s best to just grill them at the end for the grill marks and smoky flavor.
Cut them in half so the steam penetrates the center more easily and the artichokes cook faster and more evenly.
Steam them instead of boiling them so they don’t get too soggy from the water and they stay dry enough to get good browning on the grill. Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice to serve. Yum!
Grilled Artichokes Recipe
PrintIngredients
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, cut in half (no need to peel)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 2 to 4 large globe artichokes
- Salt
Method
1 Steep herbs in warm olive oil: Place chopped fresh herbs in a small bowl (not the bay leaf), cover with olive oil. Microwave on high heat for 30 seconds (or heat oil and herbs on the stovetop until warm). Let the herbs steep in the warm olive oil while you prepare the artichokes.
2 Prep the artichokes: Prepare a large pot with an inch of water at the bottom. Add the cut cloves of garlic and the bay leaf, and place a steamer rack in the pot.
To prepare the artichokes, have lemon wedges ready. If you want a nice presentation, use scissors to snip away the pointy tips of the artichoke leaves. As you trim the artichokes, rub the cut areas with juice from the lemon wedges to prevent the artichokes from turning brown from oxidation.
Use a vegetable peeler to cut away the thick outer layer of the artichoke stems. Trim the stems to 2 inches from the base of the artichoke. Cut off and discard the top 1/2 inch of the artichokes. Cut the artichokes in half.
Use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the fuzzy chokes and the small inner artichoke leaves. Rub lemon juice all over the inside and exposed cut areas of the artichokes.
3 Steam the artichokes: Heat the water in the large pot with a steamer rack on high. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and place the artichoke halves, cut side down on the steam rack.
Cover. Steam for 20 minutes (less or more, depending on the size of the artichokes), until you can easily pull off the outer leaves, and you can pierce the heart easily with a knife.
The artichokes can be just a tiny bit less cooked than would be typically perfect for steamed artichokes, as you will be cooking them further on the grill.
4 Grill the artichokes: Prepare your grill for direct, high heat. Use a pastry brush to brush the artichoke all over with the herb infused oil. Sprinkle all over with salt.
Place the artichoke halves cut-side-down on the grill grates. Cover, and grill for 5 to 10 minutes, until you have nice grill mark on the cut sides of the artichokes.
To serve, sprinkle the cut sides with more lemon juice. Serve alone or with mayonnaise, remoulade, or aioli.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Grilled Artichokes
My husband just said these were the best artichokes he’s ever had! We grew up in CA and we’ve eaten a LOT of artichokes. I just added lemon juice to the leftover oil and that was all they needed for dipping.
xxxxxyyyyy
These look wonderful and make me wonder why I’ve never cooked artichokes! I’ve use canned ones plenty and love them. What season is best to buy fresh artichokes? What are some tips on finding good ones? Thanks and I love your recipes!
Hi Lisa, most artichokes sold in the US are grown in California near Monterey. There are two seasons, the main one is in the spring, March through June, and there is a smaller season in the fall. What to look for? Petals that are closed, tight to the artichoke. If the petals are open too much, that indicates the artichoke is old. An artichoke is a thistle, surrounded by petals that look like leaves. Think of a rose blossoming, you want the “bud” not the open flower in this case. Fresh artichokes can sometimes “squeak” when you handle them, that’s a good sign. Also, if you see what looks like signs of frost, black spots or silver spots, those artichokes are especially good. They’ll even sell them at a premium as “frost kissed”. See How to Cook and Eat an Artichoke for more info.
I wanted this to work so bad. I am a chef and I steamed and grilled and then steamed again. Still really hard. Like inedible and the leaves were super charred at that point. I am going to try again, because this should have worked!
Hi Amy, it could be that you are working with some tough artichokes. They get tougher as they get older. Right now is not the season for artichokes, so that might be an issue as well. You really need to steam them until they are cooked through and tender. Grilling is not going to make them tender. Grilling is just going to add flavor. So, if you still can’t easily pull off an outer leaf or pierce the heart with a fork after you’ve steamed the, you just need to steam them longer before grilling.
I agree Elise. They need to be cooked through (the leaves should pull off easily) bigger artichokes require more steaming. Baby artichokes are easier to steam (20 min) and grill than the bigger Globe artichokes. I grow these in my garden and enjoy them throughout the summer months. I live in the Palm Springs, Ca area.
I’m trying these tonight-dumb question though….do you eat the whole thing? I feel ridiculous asking, but I don’t know. It’s why I have never tried cooking artichokes at home before…..
Hi Nicole, check out our tips on how to cook and eat an artichoke. You definitely do not want to eat them whole, but scrape the petals with your teeth. The hearts you can eat whole, as long as you have removed the fibrous choke. ~Elise
These are perfection! We made two last night with a little bit of balsamic reduction drizzled over. I just finished the last half for dinner this evening. You know what? They are just as good cold! Thanks for the tip to shave the stem. In all of my years of preparing ‘chokes, I’d never done that. Duh!
xxxxxyyyyy