Grilled BBQ Peppers — Sweet, Smoky and Full of Flavour

Which peppers should you choose?

Red and yellow peppers generally taste sweeter than green ones. Green peppers can be pleasant when you want a fresher, less sweet flavour. Choose by taste and dish; no colour always works best.

Grilling can develop browning and roasted aroma. Smoke flavour also depends on cooking and spices, not only peppers’ natural sugars. Blackened skin or burnt rub is not a goal for quarters served with skin on.

Also read about smoked paprika as a spice and explore the vegetarian BBQ guide for more vegetables and tofu.

Grill quarters or whole peppers?

Quarters: season the flesh

Wash the pepper, quarter it and remove stem and seeds. Coat lightly with olive oil if needed and distribute an appropriate amount of rub. This is convenient for serving pieces directly as a side.

Whole: roast first, then peel and season

Put a whole washed pepper on the grate and turn regularly to roast all around. With this method, the outer skin may darken because you remove it afterwards. Carefully let the pepper cool until manageable, peel loose skin and remove stem and seeds. Beware of hot juice and steam.

Season peeled flesh to taste. Applying rub first to skin you later discard is usually less practical. Peeled peppers work well in salads, wraps or a pepper spread.

Which rub suits peppers?

• Shawarma: cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice among other ingredients add warm spice. Read the Shawarma rub guide.
• Tex-Mex: cumin, Kashmiri chilli, cayenne and smoked paprika give a spiced direction with chilli heat. Read the Tex-Mex rub guide.
• Memphis: paprika, smoked paprika and brown sugar give a sweet-smoky direction. The blend also contains cayenne and mustard.
• Toscana Fire: fennel, smoked paprika, garlic, allspice and cayenne give an Italian-inspired flavour. Contains brown sugar and mustard.

All four contain salt. These are flavour examples, not complete ingredient lists. Follow dosing information and check the current label for ingredients, allergens and possible cross-contact information. A thick layer is unnecessary and can darken quickly over direct heat.

Which rub suits which dish?

Cooking pepper quarters on the BBQ

1. Create two heat zones. Follow appliance instructions for direct heat, with space to finish indirectly. The original 200–220°C is a starting point, not a requirement for every appliance.
2. Place pieces on the grate. Spread out the quarters and stay nearby. You can start skin side up and turn for even colour; adapt if spices on the flesh side darken too quickly.
3. Turn according to results. The original four to five minutes followed by three to four minutes are indications. Size, thickness, desired bite and heat alter timing. Check tenderness and colour rather than following only the clock.
4. Move if needed. If sufficiently coloured outside but still too firm, finish in the gentler zone. Avoid flaring fat and burnt spices.
5. Finish. Serve warm with olive oil and fresh basil to taste. Taste before adding extra rub or salt.

Whole peppers need a different approach: roast all around, cool carefully and peel. Do not automatically copy timings for quarters.

Direct and indirect heat explained

Serving and pairing

Serve as a vegetable side, use peeled peppers in salad or wraps, or make a spread with feta. Feta contains milk; wraps may contain wheat among other ingredients. For a vegetarian meal, check your cheese and other additions too. To use peppers later, do not leave them unnecessarily long on the table; refrigerate appropriately.

For detailed ingredients and amounts, continue to the full grilled pepper recipe. This guide mainly helps with choosing quarters or whole peppers, rub and heat control.

• Grilled courgette
• Grilled corn
• Grilled aubergine
• All BBQ sides

Want to compare flavours? Explore the Starter Pack for current contents and choices.