Why You Should Keep Sugary Sauces Far Away From Grilled Vegetables

For people who don't particularly enjoy eating vegetables, it's an uphill battle trying to make them taste good. Many feel the need to add something sweet like barbecue sauce or balsamic glaze to add more excitement to their grilled vegetables. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. Sugary sauces and vegetables do not go well together on the grill. The intense heat combined with the high amounts of sugar cause the already flimsy vegetables to start charring badly. This could lead to people attributing their dislike of grilled vegetables to an all-too-common mistake. 

The reason to avoid sugary sauces is it adds another layer of worry to an already troublesome process. Even without a sugary sauce, many vegetables won't take more than a minute or two to get a good char. It's important to know the individual cook times for each kind of vegetable. Once a sear has formed, either move them to a cooler part of the grill or take them off entirely.   

Not to mention, sauces high in sugar such as barbecue sauce and honey mustard glaze counteract any health benefits you may gain from the vegetables in the first place. Sugar in large quantities can increase the risk of weight gain and of heart disease, according to Heathline. Besides, there are other ways to flavor your grilled vegetables outside of sweet sauces. 

Oil and vinegar-based marinades are going to get you much farther in the taste department without any unwanted scorching. Unlike sugar, a marinade made with oil won't immediately burn on the grill. A light coat of olive oil is a wonderful choice of marinade for vegetables, with a squeeze of lemon to add citrus to the party. Salt and pepper are also good additions. The richness of the olive oil and sourness of the lemon round out the natural flavors present in veggies. 

In addition to the marinade, it's important to know which veggies work best with the grill. Leafy greens in general are not going to work well on the grill without some help. Pick greens with a strong core, such as kale, romaine, or Swiss chard. Other good vegetable choices are zucchini, asparagus, portobello mushrooms, onions, radishes, and of course, bell peppers.

Of course, if you do plan on using barbecue sauce or some other sugary marinade, it's better to add it during the final stages of cooking. That way it doesn't cause your vegetables to burn. If you don't care about the sear and just want smokey flavors, you can also wrap your vegetables in foil and cover the grill and cook them as a foil pack.