Love grilled onions but hate the mess they make on your backyard grill? Grilling slices of onion for your burgers or other protein of choice doesn’t come without its hazards. They tend to fall apart and slip right through those grates. If you know, you know — but it doesn’t have to be that way. Martha Stewart has a trick that will simply require thick slices and a properly soaked skewer to ensure your onions never fall apart when you throw them on the grill.
In a TikTok post, Stewart shared that she cuts her onions so they are about a good half-inch thick. Then she takes a skewer and pokes it straight through the center of her onion medallion, through “each and every ring,” until the tip penetrates the other side. If you do it right, it will look like an onion lollipop. Stewart brushes them with olive oil on both sides and sprinkles a little coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper onto her skewered onion before placing them on the grill.
Flip with care
Martha Stewart notes that if the skewer won’t go all the way through, you can tap it gently on the countertop or use a wet cloth to get some traction so the point of it goes all the way through each ring. This trick will also work on sliced fennel. If you use this skewer trick to keep your onion rings intact, be sure that when you use your tongs to flip them on the grill, you grab the onion by its center and not the skewer or your onion rings may loosen from the skewer and the skewer might snap and break.
Additionally, make certain your onions are evenly sliced so they char evenly. Onions have a tendency to burn over high heat so be patient and go with the low and slow mantra. Each side of your sliced onion needs about four to five minutes on the grates. If you are hoping for your rings to be sweet and caramelized, use Vidalia or Walla Walla onions.
