Smoked Cauliflower

Grilling a whole Smoked Cauliflower is easy to do. Add a your favorite rub and a light tomato paste and you’ll have a fun side dish for your next BBQ.

I was super excited to try Smoked Cauliflower.  Truth be told, I always liked cauliflower, but it was never one of those vegetables I would actively seek out in the grocery store.

A few years ago, we decided to start being more frugal with our funds and I started bringing my lunches to work.  Ginny started to look for easy recipes to make vegetables besides just dumping in the frozen bags.

She found a neat recipe on sheet pan roasted cauliflower. It seemed easy enough.  Cut up a whole head, spread it on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with some herbs or spices.  Wow! Did that taste delish! That evolved into the sheet pan cauliflower that is roasted and sprinkled with parmesan cheese as it came out. That was a true winner as Spencer inhaled that as it came out of the oven!

Ever since then, we have looked for more ways to cook using cauliflower.

Enter, smoked cauliflower!

🍽️ Ingredients

Whole Head of Cauliflower – Pick a nice firm head and peel off any leaves that remain. If there are any dark spots, just scrape them off with a kitchen knife.

Dry Rub – Choose a flavorful dry rub. I used Dizzy Dust from DizzyPig. You’ll be mixing this with the tomato paste and garlic, you want a stronger flavored rub to highlight. The taste from mild seasoning will be overtaken by the other ingredients, so go bold!

Garlic and Tomato Paste – You can never have enough garlic in my house! These will form the base of the seasoning paste that will adhere to the cauliflower.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

SmokeWare Vented Chimney Cap (OPTIONAL): I used this on my Big Green Egg. I was getting frustrated with the cast iron cap, as it would collect grease and become very sticky to open. I had to let the grill heat up enough to melt the grease, and I could get it open just fine.

I bought it because it doesn’t collect as much grease, and when it does, it is still easy to open. It is also a breeze to clean.

Cast Iron Skillet: I used a cast iron skillet as it fit the cauliflower head extremely well. Alternatively, you have used a raised baking rack on a small sheet pan too.

Smoker: Although we used our BGE, pellet smokers like the Traeger, Masterbuilt or Camp Chef all work great with this recipe.

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Mix the olive oil, DizzyPig’s Dizzy Dust seasoning, tomato paste, lemon juice and the garlic together.  Whisk it well.

Step Two: Brush the marinade on the cauliflower.  I recommend brushing it on an hour or two ahead of the smoke.  It gives the mixture a chance to really penetrate. If time is of the essence, feel free to brush it on right before the smoke.  It just won’t extend the flavor too deep into the whole head.

Step Three: Light the charcoal and let the grill come up to 500 degrees.  Look for the white smoke to turn silver. It usually take about 15-20 minutes.  I find the white smoke from oak leaves a flavoring on the food. Once it turns silver, you are ready to add the plate setter with the feet side up.  Close the top and bottom vents a little bit to bring the temperature down to 300 degrees.

Note: For gas grills, just set the temperature to 300 degrees and use a smoking box for your wood chips.

Step Four: Add a few handfuls of soaked smoking chips to the coals.  I used Hickory, as the bitter taste of the Hickory paired well with the DizzyPig seasoning.  You don’t want to see massive amount of white billowing smoke. The cauliflower will be on the grill for quite a while, so a small trickle of smoke will do the job.

Step Five: Add the grate to the top of the plate setter, and place the cauliflower in a pan.  I used a cast iron skillet since the one without the handle fits on my grill very nicely.

Step Six: Place the pan in the center of the grill and close the lid.

Step Seven: When the cauliflower is fork tender, remove the pan from the grill, sprinkle it with parmesan cheese and let the smoked cauliflower cool down before serving.

⏲️ Smoking Time

You will smoke this until it is fork tender. Start at 45 minutes and check it. Smaller heads will cook more quickly. We’ve had a larger head that took almost 2 hours.

The outside of the cauliflower was a nice, deep brown, and the florets were firm, but soft.  I hate mushy overcooked vegetables. Blech!

This is not a fast recipe!  It takes time and close management of the grill.  But, man-o-man, were the results worth it! Try it out yourself, and let me know what you think!

Speed Up Cooking Time: If you want to speed of the cook, then parboil or steam the cauliflower head for five minutes before beginning the grill. This softens the head enough and cut the smoking time in half. Drain thoroughly before smoking. Both techniques work great!

🥡 Storage

If you are going to have leftovers, cut the remaining cauliflower into bite sized pieces and add it to a tightly sealed container for the refrigerator. This also freezes quite well, and reheats in the microwave in a minute.

Note: The smoke flavor will intensify in the fridge. If you know you will have leftovers, use that tidbit of knowledge to plan accordingly. Either use less wood chips or keep the smoke going for less time.

🧂 Substitutions

For a fun twist, change out the dry rub for a hot and spicy variety, or simply add some chili pepper flakes. The tomato and cauliflower complement the heat of the spice, and you’ll be left with a spicy treat!

Change out the wood chips. You’ll be amazed at how much the variety of wood will change the flavor of the dish. I used hickory, which is deep and bold, but a more mild fruit wood will work as well. If you aren’t sure which variety to choose, check out my Wood Smoking Cheat Sheet.

Cooking Options

Traeger – Set the temperature to 275-300 degrees. Place the cast iron skillet directly on the grill grate. Choose the pellets for your desired wood. Hickory and Mesquite will provide a very strong flavor.

Oven – Place the head of cauliflower on a sheet pan and roast at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until it tender. If you want a smoke flavor, add one or two drops of liquid smoke to the tomato paste mixture.

🥩 Serving Suggestions

This is a phenomenal side that works well with several main dishes. I prefer this with a hearty main course like beef tenderloin, butterflied whole chicken, or even the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.

Alternatively, smoke several veggies like the Smoked Asparagus Bundles and Smoked Fingerling Potatoes.

❗ Expert Tips

Choose a BOLD Seasoning. The acidity of the tomato paste and the earthy flavors of the garlic have a tendency to overpower any seasoning. This is not the time for a mild seasoning.

Use a Cast Iron Skillet or a Raised Baking Rack. The skillet fit the head of cauliflower perfectly, and it was easy to remove from the grill, but the raised baking rack allows the smoke to get under the head without having to rearrange it.

A Little Smoke Goes a Long Ways. A little smoke is all that is needed. You really don’t want the full billowy smoke. You’ll find that the end product tastes too smoky. I prefer to add some wood chips periodically to keep the amount of smoke down.

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