5 essential grilling tips from Aaron Franklin, Alton Brown, Bryant Terry and more top chefs

When it comes to barbecue, Bryant Terry, the author of six cookbooks including 2020’s “Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes,” said he preferred to avoid the whole “‘delete meat and add tofu’ kind of ethos.”

“For example, I do this barbecue tempeh,” he said. “It was in my book, ‘Vegan Soul Kitchen.’ People love it! Even the ardent meat eaters have been like, ‘You know, this isn’t ribs, but it’s, it’s OK! It’s pretty good.’ I think creativity is key to me. I have a recipe for barbecue carrots. People love it! I do these barbecue carrots in ‘Vegetable Kingdom,’ and then I pair them with white beans and some Memphis coleslaw. Everything just coalesced really beautifully — and it’s just vegetables.”

Jason Hawk, a chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, also gave Salon a shortlist of vegetables that he recommends grilling before the season is over, including carrots, cauliflower and potatoes (yes, potatoes!).

“Grilling, in general, I’m typically looking for something more like firmer flesh, vegetables that are going to stand up to grilling,” Hawk said. “You don’t want anything too moist or too soft. That’s going to fall apart on a grill.”