Grilled Asparagus in foil is perfect for cooking over a campfire or tossing onto the grill at a backyard barbecue. If you'd like to cook your asparagus in the oven, I would recommend this Roasted Asparagus recipe.
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This is a great side dish for when you have the grill going for some meat. Foil keeps spears of asparagus from falling between the grates on a grill or over an open campfire. It takes a little longer to cook something wrapped in foil, but the convenience is worth a few extra minutes.
You can pre-wrap asparagus in foil to transport it to a campfire or take it along when you're going camping.
My husband likes to build a campfire for cooking. He even built a portable, adjustable grate for the job. He cooks a great steak, and this grilled asparagus is the perfect side for it!
Ingredients
- Asparagus - Choose asparagus that doesn't feel woody, and try to use it as soon as possible after it's been picked.
- Lemon - A roasted lemon will add a nice touch to this simple dish.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Tear off two sheets of aluminum foil each twice as long as trimmed asparagus plus 5 inches (13 cm). Lay half a pound of asparagus spears lengthwise onto each one. Drizzle them with oil and toss with salt.
Fold the long ends of foil over the asparagus, so they meet in the middle. Wrap and press them snuggly around each other to seal them. Then fold in the long sides a couple of times to seal well.
Place the two packets of asparagus and a whole lemon on a grill over high heat.
Grill the asparagus until it's bright green and tender-crisp, turning over once part way through cooking. Remove the lemon after 10 minutes.
Hint: For best flavour, be careful not to overcook your asparagus.
Recipe FAQ's
Don't soak asparagus before grilling. Just give it a quick rinse under cold running water to remove any dirt and debris.
If your asparagus is soggy, you're overcooking it. It's less likely to become soggy when you grill it than if you were to steam or boil it. However, you need to be careful when it has been wrapped in foil. It could steam in there if you leave it too long.
How to Store Raw Asparagus
Break the woody ends off asparagus spears. Stand them upright, with the broken-off, thicker ends submerged in about ½-inch (1.5 cm) water, in a stable jar, wide cup, or pyrex measuring cup. Cover loosely with plastic, and keep this in the refrigerator.
Substitutions
Butter tastes fantastic with asparagus! If you're careful not to burn it, you could try using butter instead of olive oil.
Variations
See this Roasted Asparagus on my website! It's the way to cook asparagus indoors.
Storage
Store leftover, cooked asparagus in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Chop up some leftover asparagus and add it to a salad.
Reheat leftover asparagus in butter in a frying pan.
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Recipe
Grilled Asparagus in Foil
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- Grill or outdoor fire
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat, or build a campfire!
- Rinse the asparagus spears under cold, running water. Snap off the tough, woody bottom ends.
- Tear off a couple sheets of aluminum foil, each twice as long as your trimmed asparagus plus about 5" (13 cm).
- Lay half of the asparagus lenghwise on each of the two sheets of foil. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Using your fingers, toss to coat.
- Bring up the ends of the foil to meet in the middle over the asparagues spears, and fold them together to seal moisture in. Then fold over the long edges a couple of times to seal them.
- Place the foil-wrapped asparagus bundles and the lemon over the heat. Cook for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how close they are to the heat source. Flip them over halfway through. Remove the lemon after 10 minutes. The asparagus is done when the spears are tender-crisp, not mushy. When you think they might be done, open the foil just enough to carefully pierce one of the spears with a sharp knife to test it.
- When the asparagus is done, slice open the lemon and squeeze lemon juice over the spears to serve.
Notes
- Grilling time can vary depending on how high the heat is, how close the asparagus is to the source of heat, and how thick the spears are.
- The asparagus is done when it's tender-crisp but not mushy. It will turn a deeper green in colour.
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