How to Make Grilled Eggplant
Enjoy some eggplant at your next barbecue. If there's any left over, blend it with a little lemon, garlic, and salt and you've got a tasty baba ghanoush.
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You Will Need
- A grill
- A steel brush
- A clean cloth
- Vegetable oil
- A pastry brush
- Eggplant
- Salt
- A male eggplant (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Clean the grill
Clean the grill. For a charcoal grill, light some coals; with a gas grill, set it on high and close the lid. After about 20 minutes, let the grill cool. Then scrape off the burnt-on bits with a steel brush, and end by wiping down the grill with a clean cloth soaked in vegetable oil.
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Step 2
Heat the grill
Heat a gas or electric grill to medium. If it's a charcoal grill, wait until the coals are ash-colored.
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Step 3
Cut the eggplant
Rinse the eggplant and then cut it in half lengthwise. If it's large, cut it like you would a loaf of bread, into half-inch thick slices.
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Some cooks swear by the fact that "male" eggplants are less bitter than "female" eggplants. To find a male, look at the indentation at the bottom; if it's shallow and round, it's male. A deep, dash-shaped dent indicates a female.
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Step 4
Salt it
Salt the eggplant halves or slices and let them drain in a colander for 20 minutes; the salt removes the eggplant's bitterness. Then rinse off the salt and pat very dry with paper towels.
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Step 5
Brush with oil
Brush the eggplant generously with vegetable oil on all sides and salt to taste.
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Step 6
Grill it
Grill until tender, turning occasionally, from six to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices.
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Eggplant is a fruit, not a vegetable.
