C – Putting green beans straight on a grill is not advised.
I really wanted to try it, but Jim knew better. Jim suggested I use a grill topper pan to cook the beans. I didn’t like the idea. The last time he used a grill topper pan on a grill to cook vegetables, it didn’t cook the vegetables as well as I liked. There were no char marks.
I want char marks on my grilled vegetables. So, I suggested having the beans go straight on the grill. Jim didn’t want to argue, so he agreed. After 24 hours of thinking about the process, I changed my mind.
What if the beans do fall through the grill? I wasn’t looking forward to the “I told you so.”
I guess I had to think about how to use the grill topper pan the right way. It’s like a cast iron pan on a stove or a pizza stone in an oven. You have to get it really hot to have the best results. The last time we use it, we just placed the pan on the grill and threw on the vegetables. There was no chance the topper pan would be hot enough to do anything other than steam the vegetables.
This time we did it right. We achieved char marks. We succeeded in perfectly cooked green beans. We got a really delicious dish out of it. Perfectly cooked beans were one thing. Adding that dressing really made this dish amazing.
| Grilling 101 for Newbies 2016: Grilled Green Beans with Garlic Miso Dressing |
- 1 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 pound fresh green beans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp canola oil or grapeseed oil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 sprigs of Thai basil leaves
- 1 sprig of fresh mint leaves
- In a mixing bowl, mix together garlic, vinegar, miso, honey, and pepper flake. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil into the mixture, while mixing until emulsified. Set aside.
- Toss the green beans with about a tablespoon of oil and some salt and pepper.
- Prepare grill on high heat. Place the grill topper pan on the grill to preheat. Place the cover on the grill to get the maximum temperature.
- Remove the grill lid. Let the heat reduce for about a minute. It will be way too hot at first.
- Place the beans on the grill topper pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the beans are tender but still has a slight crisp. Remove from grill.
- Toss in beans into the miso dressing.
- Place on a serving platter.
- Top with fresh mint and basil leaves.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
The miso dressing is sweet, salty, tangy with a little spicy kick. It was like vegetable candy. They were very addicting. We added some fresh mint and basil, which gave it a nice balance of freshness in a rich warm dish.
Another cooking tool I learned how to use correctly. It’s a lot of work and I might prefer pan searing my green beans the next time. But, I am glad I was able to learn how to use the pan the right way.