How To: Grill Onions

Grilled onions are best when caramelized and sweet, or so I think.  I love them on all sorts of foods -  brats, pizza, burgers, fajitas...

The key is to have patience, and cut the rings to even thickness.  I prefer them thick, about 1/2 an inch.  I use yellow or white onions for this.  Red onions just look bad once cooked, I think.

Start with a large fry pan.  Drizzle in olive oil and a couple pats of butter.  The oil has a higher smoke point, but butter tastes better.  Add your onions.  Load that pan up.  You should expect 1 medium onion per person because they will break down so much that your full pan will produce just a fraction of where you start.

Over medium heat, let the onions cook.  You don't have to stir them constantly.  If you start to see char marks, your heat is too high.  It should sizzle an pop, but not burn.  If you cook them too high, they'll just taste like burned bits.  If you don't use enough heat, you will cause them to sweat, but the moisture won't evaporate.  You get soft onions this way, but not sweet and caramelized.   If you finish cooking them before the rest of the food is ready, it's ok. They hold nicely on low once they're done.

If you intend to cook them with peppers, start the peppers ten minutes before you add the onions as they are more dense and take longer to cook.