Grilled Peppers
Whether you use sweet, hot, yellow, red or green, grilled peppers are a flavorful addition to your barbecue meals. The versatile peppers can be grilled whole, split in half, and even filled with yummy things like cheese, sausage, or even cooked rice mixed with other ingredients.
If you're working on a salsa or soup recipe, grilling peppers is a great way to remove the skins. Over high heat, the skin chars and separates from the flesh of the pepper. Then the skin can be simply peeled off by hand.
Types of Peppers For Grilling
There are many varieties of peppers to choose from, each with a different flavor and heat level. Some you might enjoy trying are:-
Bell Peppers -- The most common type, these large, almost round sweet peppers have no heat at all. Varieties include green, red, yellow, orange. In my opinion, red bell peppers are the best overall, with rich flavor and a subtle sweetness. Yellow and orange varieties are milder in flavor, while the green peppers taste is more robust.
Bell peppers can be grilled in a variety of ways. Cut in half or in strips they make a good side dish. Filled with a spicy stuffing of rice, meat and chopped veggies they can be served as the main course.
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Banana Peppers -- Yellow banana peppers have a long, narrow shape, with the large end about an inch in diameter. After cutting the top off, the seeds and membrane can be removed with a narrow blade knife, making room for a cheese or meat filling, handy with this grilled banana peppers recipe.
True banana peppers are on the mild side, with just a touch of heat. Hungarian wax peppers look very similar, and have a considerably hotter flavor. If you're concerned about the heat level of the peppers, ask the produce manager for a small sample before you buy them.
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Jalapeno Peppers -- This pepper is also very common with several varieties ranging from very mild to medium in heat. They are often very reasonably priced, too. As with the banana peppers, ask for a sample taste if concerned about the heat level.
When Jalapeno peppers are stuffed with meat or cheese and grilled, they're known as Jalapeno Poppers or ABT's. One of my favorite Jalapeno popper recipes has them filled with cheese and wrapped with bacon before grilling. Yummy!
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Poblano Peppers -- This dark green variety of pepper has a unique flavor, with medium heat. These can be filled before grilling, and also make a useful ingredient for other dishes when chopped after charring and removing the skin.
- Other Varieties of Peppers for the Grill -- There are lots of other peppers you can try on the grill including Ancho peppers, Santa Fe chili peppers, pimento chili peppers and more. If you're the daring type, try grilling some cayenne peppers or serrano peppers. And if you're into pain, the Habanero and Scotch Bonnet peppers are sure to please!
Grilled Peppers Tip: -- As peppers are grilled they begin to lose some of their heat. Grill hot peppers longer to tame the fire!
If you're new to grilled peppers, try a recipe for stuffed mild peppers first. Small red bell peppers stuffed with a rice, cheese and meat mixture is one of my favorites.
