Grilled Asparagus for 250


 
P

Paul K

TVWBB Guru
I've got a gig coming up and one of the sides is grilled asparagus. We're serving 250. I'd like to grill 1st to give them some marks, and then perhaps finish them in a roaster(s). My question is, approximately how long do you think they'll need to finish in the roasters? We've got a firm serving time we're up against and I don't want them to come out fibrous or mushy. The roasters have adjustable temp controls. I don't think finishing them in the oven will be an option as the ovens will be used for stuffed chicken. So I'm thinking based on the amount of asparagus in each roaster and the roaster temp (325?), these could be done in about 45 mins?

Paul
 
I love asparagus - but not a caterer.

However, I think that to save time, I would:

-Blanch it (make the grilling part of this) ahead of time. Makes the cooking easier & helps to retain color.

-Then Steam it before serving - gets it cooked-thru without making it mushy.

My past experience about "fibrous" is that this has less to do with the cooking than it does with product selection & prep. Avoid "woody" stems and you should be OK.
 
try to get some thicker stuff. if you end up with pencil thin ones, your boat will be sunk before you leave the dock. I've never had much luck grilling the thin stuff, they always end up wilted.

I'd blanch and shock them so they're 99% cooked though. I'd toss them on the grill prior to serving.

or my second option would be to just roast them. They should brown a bit, and most wouldn't know that they weren't grilled.
 
Thanks Ron,

I'm not a caterer either! You're point on fibrous asparagus is well taken. However I'll have to cook what I can get this time of year. Also, I may have been mistaken altogether on the fibrous comment. The more I read, I'm find several sources that say overcooked asparagus can come out fibrous, of course many also say it will come out mushy....hmmmm. What I'm looking for is a time frame as I'm trying to stage each part of the meal and have it ready with minimal holding time.

J, I may do a blanch and grill process (completing it on the grill) and then hold them in an ice chest. Logistically I'm dealing with 250 servings so most will have to be completed in advance.

Paul
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">J, I may do a blanch and grill process (completing it on the grill) and then hold them in an ice chest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

then you'll have to take carry-over cooking into account.

good luck!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">then you'll have to take carry-over cooking into account. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Exactly. That's part of my timing issue. To be continued...
 
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