Grilled eggplant


 
M

michele p

TVWBB Pro
This is what I did tonight, and it was terrible!
Sliced the eggplant into 1/4 inch round slices.
Brushed each slice with olive oil, and seasoned w/ kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Grilled over medium direct.

The eggplant soaked up the olive oil like a sponge, and would not really get the grill marks I was looking for, instead, quickly became an ugly brown color and mushy.

Any advice?
 
I was just thinking about grilling some eggplants, yum. Eggplants are quite porous so if you introduce any liquid to it, it'll just soak it up. Try cutting 1/2 inch slices, sprinkle some kosher salt on both sides and let it sit for an hour. After an hour or so, rinse with cold water and squeeze it out (think of a sponge). I like to brush balsamic vinegar and olive oil on both sides and throw it on the grill. The idea is that whatever flavor you add should stick to the eggplant. Hope this helps.

Erik
 
A couple things I want to add to what I wrote above Michele. Yesterday, I grilled up some eggplant and it was quite bitter. A friend picked it up from the store and he doesn't exactly know what he is doing. So make sure when you pick an eggplant that it has a glossy purple color (as opposed to a deep purple color which usually means more mature) and it's light in weight for its size. Also, look at the blossom end of the eggplant and make sure you pick the oval shaped one (opposed to a round shape). Usually these eggplants have less seeds, which tend to be less bitter.

Also, instead of purging the eggplant for an hour, I would do it anywhere up to four hours. I was short for time and did it for an hour. It did remove a lot of the water (not as mushy when introducing other liquids to it, i.e. olive oil and balsamic vinegar), however there was still a lot of water left. Next time I will do it for three hours or even longer. Make sure you rinse out all of the salt or it will not be good eats.

Erik
 
I don't rinse but I don't use a lot of salt--it really isn't required. If you salt lightly then stack the pieces, weight them with something, and put them on an inclined board (inclined toward the sink), they'll give up water and drain well. Alternatively, you can stack in a colander and weight (put a plate on the slices and then a gallon jug of water on top).

I also think that substantial time is necessary. I go 8 hours minimum.

Taste for salt after they have drained: just wipe a finger over a slice and taste it. If too salty do not rinse with water. Just wipe with a damp paper or kitchen towel (not a wet one) to remove excess salt.
 
Kevin, I'm assuming the reason why you allow the eggplant to purge for a minimum of 8 hours is directly related to the amount of salt you put on.

I have never had to wait 8 hours, then again, I have always had to rinse with water or it's way too salty.

Erik
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Erik G:
Kevin, I'm assuming the reason why you allow the eggplant to purge for a minimum of 8 hours is directly related to the amount of salt you put on.
Erik </div></BLOCKQUOTE>It is.
 
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