The Foil Packet Trick You Need When Barbecuing For Vegetarians

Former Smiths frontman Morrissey famously won't perform at a concert venue if meat is being cooked and sold on the premises. Your vegan and vegetarian barbecue guests might not be as stringent, but cooking their food separately from the meat eaters' fare is still the courteous thing to do. 

If grilled summer vegetables are on the menu, make the most of your grill space (and ensure everyone's food is ready at the same time) by wrapping the vegetables in packets of aluminum foil. Doing so will allow you to cook meat and vegetables simultaneously without worrying about meat juice encroaching on the ears of corn and spears of zucchini. What's more, grilling veggies in foil allows you to get creative by including aromatics and spices — not to mention delicate vegetables like tomatoes — that could otherwise stick to or fall through your grill grates. You can even divide your veg among multiple foil packets for easy individual servings.

If you're not keen on following recipes, you'll be glad to know that grilling vegetables in foil pouches is an opportunity for improvisation. Here are some ideas to get those (meat-free) creative juices flowing. 

Before folding your vegetables into their aluminum foil packets, season them in a bowl. You'll want to start with a fat, such as olive oil, which will help the vegetables to brown evenly as they cook. Other than that, you can truly go off-script.

You could keep things simple by seasoning your vegetables with salt, pepper, garlic cloves, and sprigs of woody herbs, which you can fish out before serving. Or you could draw inspiration from a vegetable dish you love. For instance, Mexican street corn salad – a deconstructed version of elote — might inspire you to toss corn cobs with a blend of cayenne powder, salt, garlic, and lemon or lime juice. If you prefer the medley of a grilled veggie kebab, mix things up with a blend of peppers, onions, mushrooms, and whatever else calls your name in the produce aisle. To keep things uniform, cut them into relatively same-sized pieces. There's no need to precook your vegetables before grilling, but you might consider giving denser vegetables, like carrots, a quick blanch in boiling salt water to give them a cooking head start. 

In addition to serving as a tidy and meat-juice-free grilling vessel, aluminum foil also benefits the flavor and texture of vegetables (and whatever else you decide to throw in the packet). It provides a layer of insulation that locks in flavor, promotes even cooking, and prevents food from drying out. Likewise, foil's thermal energy-reflecting properties allow it to keep food warm for a long time once it's off the grill. For the best results, crimp your packets tightly at the edges and fold them over once or twice to make a tight seal. 

Don't have time to make an icebox cake for your barbecue? Bust out some fresh fruit. The smoke from your grill will add a delightful smokiness to pineapple, peaches, grapes, and more. Foil packets might not give you those coveted grill marks, but they'll save you from cleaning sticky fruit juice from your grill grates.