Published July 1, 2006.
Grilled onions usually cook up blackened outside and raw inside. Is there a better way?
Onions are hard to manage on the grill. They slip through the grate, burn, or cook to a leathery texture on the outside while remaining raw on the inside.
We wanted a simple cooking method that would produce an ideal caramelized exterior but that still cooked the onion through to the centermost slice.
Because sliced onion rounds exposed the greatest surface area, they were the logical cut for grilling, and slices cut 1/2 half inch thick were best. We found the onions too susceptible to burning over high heat; moderate heat, with the onions covered with a foil pan, was just right. We stopped the rings from plunging through the grate by skewering them. After developing our grilling technique, we conducted a taste test to choose the best variety. Spanish onions won; tasters loved their meaty texture and "complex" flavor profile.
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