In “The Outdoor Kitchen,” Eric Werner says it’s one of the best vegetables to grill because it holds up well to high heat and tastes even better when deeply browned or charred.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower Oil, for coating Salt and pepper Beer-Raisin Glaze (see recipe)
Preparation:
Wipe the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking. Build a two-zone fire. Your high-heat zone should have embers 1 to 2 inches from the cooking surface, with occasional flames licking it. To create your medium-heat zone, nudge the embers 2 to 3 inches lower than that.
Meanwhile, trim the leaves and stem from a cauliflower and place it stem side up on a cutting board. Starting where the florets attach to the core, slice vertically at 1-inch intervals; you should end up with 2 or 3 “steaks” and loose florets from either end (reserve these for another purpose, such as adding to a salad or grilling as a side dish for another meal).
Rub the cauliflower steaks with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place directly on the grill grates over high heat and cook until well charred in spots, about 4 minutes, then flip and repeat on the other side. Move to medium heat and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, turning often. Cauliflower is done when a fork pierces it easily.
Serve with a drizzle of the glaze, making sure each serving gets a few raisins. Serves 4.
Beer-Raisin Glaze
1 (12-ounce) can dark beer
1/2 cup dark or light raisins
1 mulato or ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Combine the beer, raisins, chile, butter and salt in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Move the pan to medium heat and simmer until the liquid has thickened and is syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the chiles. Set aside. Makes 3/4 cup.