Grilled Okra

When the grill is smoking, why stop at chicken or steak?! Make use of the hot grates for grilled okra! It's an easy summer side dish that compliments many different mains, especially grilled favorites. The best part? With just 5 minutes of prep time and about 10 minutes on the grill, okra is transformed into a smoky, irresistible delight!

What is the best cooking technique for okra?

Whether it's southern fried or stewed in gumbo, there are lots of great ways to cook okra. Grilled okra is especially appealing as it requires little prep and yields charred, crispy results. One of the best parts about grilled okra is that the pods can be grilled whole. Cutting okra is a slippery slope—literally! When cut, okra can sometimes omit unpleasant moisture while cooking. Grilled okra works best when grilled whole, which keeps the slime factor to a minimum.

How do you grill okra?

Start by trimming the woody stems from the okra. It’s fine to leave on the pointed tip, but the stem part, which connects to the plant, can be tough and fibrous and should come off. Once trimmed, toss the pods with olive oil, then two of our favorite seasoning blends: lemon pepper and seasoned salt. Grilled okra works best on a super hot grill. Heat to high heat (450 to 500 degrees) and grill the okra over direct heat until it’s charred and tender, 6 to 10 minutes total, turning once. If the okra is larger, you may need to cook it longer. 

How do you season okra for the grill?

Super fresh okra needs nothing more than a little olive oil and salt before grilling. The spice blend used in this recipe is a suggestion. Use your favorite dried spices and mix things up. Garlic powder, onion powder, and even yellow curry powder would compliment okra nicely. 

Do I need to use skewers to make grilled okra?

You certainly can skewer the okra, and many people do for both easy flipping on the grill and the assurance that the pods don’t fall through the grates. Most okra is large enough that you shouldn’t have to worry about the latter happening, but if you like, feel free to put the okra on skewers, kebab style. To keep the okra flat, use two skewers, to pierce through both ends of the pods.