How to Make Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

Step 1

Cut the Cauliflower Steaks: Prepare the cauliflower by first gently tearing off any large leaves from the stem. Then, trim the stem, but do not cut it out, we're simply making the bottom level. Then, stand the cauliflower upright on the even stem and cut off the sides of the cauliflower head by a couple of inches, leaving a large middle piece in tact. Set the side florets aside for another use later.Keep the cauliflower standing on its stem, and cut the steak pieces. Use your best judgement for how many steaks you'll be able to cut out of the remaining cauliflower head. I generally can get 2-3 cauliflower steaks; it just depends on the size of the cauliflower you started with. 2 steaks will result in thicker pieces, and 3 generally results in more moderately sized steaks.

Step 2

Grilling: Preheat the grill to around 500°F; the steaks will cook on medium-high heat, around 425°F. However, when preheating, I like to start with an extra hot grill because you will lose quite a bit of heat when you put the cauliflower on the grill. Before you begin cooking the cauliflower, brush the steaks with olive oil and then sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper, as you would when roasting vegetables or cooking meat. You can do both sides and the tops before starting, or do one side, place it on the grill, and oil the other side (typically what I do).

Step 3

Place the steaks on the grill over direct heat, oiled side down. If you need to use indirect, that will work too, just be aware that it make take a little more time with less charring. If you didn't oil the second side, do so once you've placed the cauliflower steaks on the grill with the first oiled side down, then salt and pepper as needed.

Step 4

Close the grill and let the steaks cook for 7-8 minutes at around 425°F. Then, flip the cauliflower steaks over once they've developed good grill marks, and cook on the second side for another 7-8 minutes. The cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your steaks, and you may need 1-2 extra minutes per side if they are on the thicker side.

Step 5

Remove from the grill and serve with chimichurri sauce drizzled on top as desired.