We are huge fans of asparagus and are always on the lookout for new ways of cooking one of our favorite veggies. Recently we ended up smoking a batch on my pellet grill and was delighted with how they turned out!
I used my Z Grills for this cook but the tips and recipe will work just fine for your Traeger or Pit Boss.
Trim and Season the Asparagus
I start with thick asparagus spears because I put them on skewers. I like to cut the bottom inch off of the spears because they can be a little too fibrous for my liking.
After the spears are trimmed coat them with a little olive oil and season as desired. You can go with a little salt and pepper or use a full blown dry rub mix. Here is what I used to season my asparagus:
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
It is a simple rub that has a nice balance of salty-sweet with a touch of heat.
I run a skewer through the base of the spears so they don’t fall through the grate.
Smoke the Asparagus at 250F
Set your pellet grill to 250F. Why 250F? Because I wanted to write a recipe that anyone with a pellet grill could use and if I smoked them at 275F then the Pit Boss owners would be out of luck 🙂
I like to use hickory pellets when I smoke vegetables.
Let the asparagus cook in the smoker for 20 minutes, drizzle with a lemon butter sauce and cook for another 10 minutes until tender.
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 2 tbls melted butter
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
You really do want to drizzle the sauce onto the asparagus instead of brushing or basting so you don’t knock the rub off of the spears. If lemon butter is not your thing then you can check out this balsamic honey glaze we use for grilled bacon wrapped asparagus.
The asparagus was tender with just a little bit of crunch. The “barbecue twist” of using a dry rub and cooking it in a smoker is a nice way to break up the routine of your standard asparagus dishes.
It is also another great excuse to stand around outside and fire up a smoker!
Smoked Asparagus on a Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of large asparagus spears
- 2 tsp olive oil
- For the Dry Rub
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
- For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- juice of 1/2 large lemon
Instructions
- Trim the tough ends from the asparagus.
- Coat the asparagus with olive oil and place on skewers.
- Season the asparagus with the dry rub.
- Smoke the asparagus at 250F for 20 minutes.
- Drizzle the lemon butter sauce over the asparagus.
- Smoke for another 10 minutes or until tender.