Cooking An Artichoke Made Easy: Grilling Artichokes

My whole family are artichoke fanatics and we all four love grilled artichokes! That short cook time on the grill imparts a brilliant smoky charred flavor that is irresistible on its own, but downright next level delicious when paired with your favorite dipping sauce for artichokes.

Photo credit James Collier for California Grown.

What part of the artichoke do you grill?

To grill an artichoke you will need to completely clean and prep whole artichokes, par-cook them, and then break the whole partially cooked artichokes down into halves.

The process isn't hard, but it can be intimidating if you have never done it before. Which is why I have a step-by-step picture tutorial for you in the post linked below.

Once you have prepped the artichokes through step 5 of the tutorial above you can choose a method to par-cook the artichoke hearts before finishing on the grill. .

What does par-cook mean?

Par-cooking is a process by which food is partially cooked so that it can be finished or reheated later. Restaurants use this method quite often, however it can also be very useful to the home cook especially when cooking dishes like grilled or stuffed artichokes.

Which method of par cooking artichokes is right for you?

Both of the artichokes in the image above are par-cooked. The ones in the salmon colored dish were steamed and the ones in the gray dish were boiled. These are our two preferred methods for par cooking artichokes for the grill.

You could also par cook the artichoke in the microwave, but we have found that while effective, cooking in the microwave doesn't always produce such beautiful results.

Once the artichokes have par cooked you are ready to continue breaking them down. Once the artichokes cool, slice in half through the stem end, use a spoon or small knife to remove the hairy choke and inedible inner leaves.

Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper aggressively then grill the prepared artichoke halves with the sliced side down.

How long do you grill artichokes?

It should only take about 5-10 minutes to cook on the grill depending on the grill temperature, doneness of the artichoke already from the par cook, and their size.

You will know they are done when they have beautiful grill marks, the leaves are slightly charred, and the choke is easily pierced with a knife or fork.

Do artichokes fall apart when you grill them?

Since you are grilling par cooked artichokes that have been cut into halves there is always a chance of a few petals falling off.

However, if you overcook the artichokes - the whole thing will practically fall apart so make sure to keep an eye on both the artichoke halves and the clock!

Do I have to cover the artichokes when grilling?

No, you do not have to cover the artichokes when you are grilling them, but I prefer to close the lid on my grill so they can get that delicious smokey flavor! Artichokes will cook faster if the grill cover is closed, so adjust cooking times accordingly.

If you tried this grilled artichoke heart recipe I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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