Grilled Carrots with Balsamic Glaze

I had a craving for some good old-fashioned carrots.  I used to go out to the garden, pull up a handful, wash them off and then my mom would cook them, skin-and-all.  Maybe it is the recent cold streak with the coming of fall, but those sounded so good to me. I ran to the store, picked up a bunch and brought them home to make this fantastic Grilled Carrots recipe.

This recipe couldn’t be any easier.  I use the Big Green Egg, but any charcoal or gas grill will work perfectly.

Note: If you use the “baby carrots” from the store, you might want to add them to a grill basket for vegetables.  This will work just as good.

🍲 Preparation

Cut off the greenery from the top of the carrots and give the carrots a REALLY good scrubbing.  I like keeping the skins on, as I think there is more taste and nutrients, but you can certainly peel them if you would like.

It’s funny, but it seems like I always use a gallon-sized Ziploc bag for most of my cooking.  It definitely makes it easy to spread around ingredients to ensure even covering.

Open up the Ziploc, and add the Balsamic Vinegar, olive oil, an herb of your choice (I used dried Rosemary), and the secret ingredient of Sea Salt.

Pro Tip: Regular table salt has too fine of granules and just won’t work as well.  Use a Sea Salt or Kosher Salt with larger granules to make this recipe.

Add the carrots to the mixture, seal the Ziploc and work the ingredients to ensure an even coverage.  You really don’t need a lot of the mixture to cover the carrots. This is one of those recipes where a little goes a long ways.

🔥 Grilling Instructions

Step One: Heat the grill to 350 degrees and set it up for direct heat.  I removed the plate setter and brought it up to temperature.

Step Two: Now that the grill is warmed up, and the carrots are prepared, it is time to hit the grill.  Lay the carrots on the grating and close the lid. Rotate the carrots every three minutes.

Step Three: With fairly thin carrots, they should be done after about 10 – 11 minutes. I think they are best removed when they are still crunchy.

That’s it folks!  It’s time to serve them.  My son loved them. He said the tanginess from the vinegar and the hint of salt made him think these were carrots served at a high-end restaurant.  I’ll take that as a compliment!

Other Grilled Vegetable Recipes

Smoked Fingerling Potatoes – I call these baby potatoes – and they work really well with the fine smoke. It doesn’t take too long to make these and they are a special treat for your next BBQ.

Grilled Bourbon Peach Baked Beans – This recipe is absolutely amazing. I grilled it in a dutch oven and let it cook for a few hours. The sweetness of the bourbon and peaches really complemented the baked beans. We didn’t have anything for leftovers, though!

Grilled Parsnips – If you liked these carrots, I bet you will love my parsnips too. It grills up in a cast iron skillet in just a few minutes and is a fantastic flavor-filled vegetable dish!