The Counterintuitive Trick for the Best Grilled Whole Cauliflower

I’m a sucker for Japanese-American classics like teriyaki chicken, and for me, the best part of that dish isn’t the chicken itself, but the smoky, chargrilled vegetables that often accompany it. But when you bring the teriyaki treatment to a whole head of cauliflower, it captures the spirit and what I love most about the original: Deep umami notes, charcoal, caramelized flavors, sweetness, salt, substance. In fact, this is probably the meatiest version of cauliflower I could dream up—something main-course worthy.

Burnished, lightly charred domed cauliflower heads slathered in a savory teriyaki sauce has entrée energy and show stopping appeal, but properly grilling whole heads of brassicas presents us with two common pitfalls: They’re often unevenly cooked (too crunchy on the inside while blackened and bitter on the outside) and under seasoned throughout. Here’s how to solve these two main problems.

3 Tips for Grilling Whole Cauliflower Heads

1. Brine for even seasoning. One way to guarantee even seasoning—even to the woody core—is to employ a brine. When cauliflower is submerged in a saline solution over the course of a few hours, the brassica takes on more and more seasoning. In previous testing on how and why you should brine your vegetables, I found the difference in flavor between surface seasoning and brining for cooked cruciferous vegetables is stark. Here, a soak in a 4 to 5% salt brine for about three hours produces optimal results, but you can let the cauliflower sit for up to six hours to work with your cooking schedule.

2. Start low and slow over a two-zone grill. In my first tests, after brining I simply threw the heads on the hottest side of the grill, but this resulted in a burnt exterior with a crunchy, undercooked center. It was clear that I needed to speed up the cooking of the cauliflower’s fibrous core before the exterior florets overcooked. I tried various methods for par-cooking the cauliflower before finishing it on the grill—boiling, microwaving, even baking to ensure the cauliflower heads were cooked through prior to a final blast of heat from the grill. Boiling and microwaving resulted in a sweet interior, but since the heads were so saturated with moisture, the rate of browning was less in the final stage of cooking on the grill; the texture was too soft, the cauliflower lacked depth of flavor, and it also didn’t char as well on the grill.

Baking was a better direction, since the dry cooking environment drew moisture from the exterior, ensuring that the heads charred well on the grill. But similar to my tests with boiling and microwaving, even after grilling, the baked cauliflower lacked the smoky, grilled aroma and flavor I wanted.

In the end, I opted to cook the cauliflower on the grill for the entire time, and treated it similar to a big barbecued chunk of meat, such as brisket or pork butt. Using a two-zone indirect heat grill set-up as described in our guide to grilling, I cooked the heads low and slow over the cooler side of the grill so there was no direct heat underneath them, which kept the cauliflower from charring too early and turning bitter. Over 40 to 50 minutes, the interior cooked to a perfect crisp-tender texture, and took on plenty of the smoky, grilled flavor I was looking for.

3. Create layers of flavor. One of the hallmarks of teriyaki is the characteristic smoky flavor that comes when the teriyaki sauce (and fat, if you’re grilling meat) hits the coals and caramelizes, and the resulting cloud of volatile compounds floats back up to the food. That cascade of flavors from the reaction of burnt sugars and other sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine amplifies meaty flavor, and it’s a big reason why teriyaki is special. To mimic that, I brush the glaze on in three stages—once after the first 20 minutes of cooking and twice toward the end of cooking when the crown of the cauliflower head gets a final blast of direct heat on the grill. This way, the cauliflower reaps the benefits from the slower Maillard reaction and caramelization happening during the longer initial cooking process over the indirect heat, but also develops the more aggressive, charred flavors in the final hotter grilling stage on the hot side of the grill. The result is burnished, smoky cauliflower that slices easily into thick wedges for serving. All it needs is a squeeze of lemon, and maybe a bowl of rice to scarf it all down.

Remove leaves from bottom of each cauliflower head. Using a sharp knife, slice stem off of each head so that cauliflower sits evenly on flat surface. Do not cut out the core.

In a large container, such an 8-quart Cambro or large stock pot, whisk water and salt until dissolved (see notes). Place cauliflower in saltwater brine, core side up, making sure that cauliflower is submerged. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours.

Make the teriyaki sauce: A few minutes before you want to cook the cauliflower, in a medium saucepan, whisk shoyu, sake, mirin, sugar, and powdered dashi until combined. Bring mixture to boil, then cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until temperature reaches 225°F (107℃) and sauce thickens and is reduced to a scant 1 cup, 12 to 16 minutes. Off heat, stir in rendered fat or butter and sesame oil. Set aside.

For a Charcoal Grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on, and switch other burners off.

Remove cauliflower from brine, letting excess liquid drain back into container. Place both cauliflower heads, stem side down onto cooler side of grill, approximately 2 inches from edge of hot coals or primary burner. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Uncover grill, and using a heatproof brush, brush one layer of reserved sauce over cauliflower heads. Cover and continue cooking until thermometer registers 175°F at the thickest part of the core, and cauliflower is tan, but not well browned yet, rotating cauliflower occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes longer.

Uncover grill and brush cauliflower with a second layer of sauce. Using tongs, flip cauliflower and place floret-side down directly over the hottest part of grill (for a charcoal grill, directly over the coals, for a gas grill, over the primary burner). Cover and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover grill, flip cauliflower heads stem side down, and brush florets all over with a final layer of sauce. Flip cauliflower and place floret side down, cover, and cook until well browned and lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Sprinkle with togarashi. Serve with lemon wedges and remaining sauce.

Special Equipment

8-quart plastic container (such as a Cambro) or large stock pot for brining, charcoal or gas grill, chimney starter (if using a charcoal grill), thermometer, heat safe brush, grill tongs

Notes

Koikuchi shoyu is a general, all-purpose shoyu with a balance of salinity, umami, and richness. For a richer, slightly darker sauce, use tamari (it’s also gluten free). Saishikomi shoyu is the darkest, richest, most umami option, and produces teriyaki sauce with the greatest depth of flavor. 

Make-Ahead and Storage

The cooked cauliflower is best eaten right away, but it can be safely covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.