Max The Meat Guy's Top Tip For Grilling Veggies - Exclusive

Still trying to use your grill to its fullest potential while hanging on to the last bits of summer weather? You have plenty of options that go beyond the staple burgers, dogs, and steaks that you may have gotten your fill of over the last three or four months. Instead of grilling another round of meat-based entrees this weekend, why not try grilling some veggies instead (or in addition)? That's what Max the Meat Guy recommends, even if his name might suggest otherwise.

As Max the Meat Guy, aka Max Greb, told Mashed in a recent exclusive interview, a lot of people shy away from grilling vegetables due to past bad experiences. There's a lot that can go wrong when grilling veggies, after all, from vegetables falling apart on the grates to just ending up with a blandly flavored dish — but Greb's top tip for grilling veggies can help with the latter problem. He said, "It's actually very simple to make vegetables not boring on the grill. All you have to do is combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and my personal favorite, McCormick Grill Mates Garlic & Crushed Herbs, to give you those herbaceous notes. [It's a] super simple marinade, but it completely elevates your vegetables. Literally, marinade them for — ideally, a few hours, but if you need to, 10 to 15 minutes right before you throw them on the grill — and you'll transform a bland, soggy vegetable into something that is truly incredible."

There are plenty of vegetables that work well on the grill, beyond your typical summer squash and zucchini, or grilled romaine. Max Greb mentioned recently grilling a lot of corn at home, and he recommended it as an underrated item that more people need to try grilling. He said, "Any time I'm grilling ribs or doing a bigger grill session, [I] throw some corn on there, fully in the husk. You'll get a little bit of the smoke flavor. They'll steam themselves. That is a really underrated side dish. Once they're done cooking, I like to throw on some butter, season them up with a little bit of coarse black pepper and flake salt. I love that one, and it's a great side dish."

Already grilled or smoked your fair share of corn on the cob this summer? Go even further outside the box and do as Chef Carla Hall does. Hall told Tasting Table that she enjoys a nice side of grilled celery.

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