When it comes to grilling, meats and veggies seem to get all the love; however, these foods are not the only ones that can benefit from being cooked over an open flame. If you are a cheese lover, don’t hesitate to grill a wheel of cheese. A little halloumi and tomato on the grill is the perfect intro to this technique and is as easy as brushing your chosen cheese with olive oil and throwing it on the grill until it becomes soft, and its flavor is smoky. Once you get comfortable with this process, you may want to consider marinating the cheese to give it even more flavor.
There are many delicious ways to marinate cheese and impart a whole new layer of flavor, but the first thing to consider is whether or not it has a rind. If it has a rind that cannot be eaten because it is made of wax, plastic, paper, or cloth, remove it before marinating and grilling it. However, if the rind is edible, you can marinate the cheese with it intact, but you will want to poke holes in it so all the marinade can penetrate the surface of the cheese.
Try some pickle juice
How long should you marinate cheese for the grill? Overnight is going to allow for all those beautiful juices and herbs to penetrate the surface, giving you optimal flavor. That said, if you cut up the cheese into smaller pieces rather than keep it in the round, the process of soaking up all those sweet, bitter, savory, and spicy components of your marinade is going to happen that much quicker.
What should you use for your marinade? This is where the fun begins. Be creative and experiment. To give your gouda or mozzarella a tasty zing, marinate it in pickle juice. Just save the leftover juice with all of its herbs and seasoning and you can place the cheese in the jar and let it absorb all those flavors. If you are a fan of feta, try mixing a little lemon zest, thyme, and olive oil for a bright, peppery sweet layer of flavor that will contrast perfectly with feta’s salty nature. If you want to swap the lemon zest for orange, that little substitution will completely change your feta eating experience.
