Mushrooms can be at your service whenever you want to grill an accompaniment alongside something more substantial—and there’s a whole kingdom to experiment with: umbrella-like shiitakes; ruffled maitakes; and the ubiquitous brushed-suede trio of buttons, cremini, and portobellos.
Grilling
For The Best Grilled Mushrooms, Steam Them
Start with moist heat, and your mushrooms will be more savory and meaty-textured.
By Published Aug. 8, 2022
But before they can concentrate and brown, mushrooms need to give up some of the abundant water and air that makes them spongy when raw. The method I’m going to suggest might sound counterintuitive, but stay with me: The best way to rid mushrooms of air and water is to cook them in water.
Sign up for the Cook's Insider newsletter
The latest recipes, tips, and tricks, plus behind-the-scenes stories from the Cook's Illustrated team.
America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials.
Water Helps Mushrooms Get Rid of Water and Air
This was a game-changing discovery that Senior Editor Lan Lam made while working out her sautéed mushroom technique, and it actually makes great sense. If you start cooking mushrooms with a dry-heat method such as sautéing or roasting, their surfaces dry out and become insulative barriers that prevent their interiors from cooking through. But surrounding mushrooms with moist heat quickly collapses their air spaces and helps them shed their own liquid. Once drained, they can be briefly seared to concentrate their flavor and brown.
Here’s my method, which will work for any variety with a cap that measures at least 2 inches in diameter. (The mushrooms will shrink during cooking so anything smaller runs the risk of slipping through the grill grate.) The steaming step can even be done ahead of time, so you can have keep ready-to-sear mushrooms handy for anytime the mood strikes.
How to Grill Mushrooms: Steam, Then Sear
- Microwave 1 pound mushrooms with some water in bowl. After a few minutes, they’ll shrink by about a third and amount of liquid in bowl will double, indicating that they’ve given up a good bit of their air and moisture.
- Rest mushrooms, covered, for about 5 minutes to finish cooking.
- Drain mushrooms well. Let them stand at room temperature while you prepare grill, or store them in fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Toss mushrooms with a little vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.
- Grill mushrooms on hotter side of a hot two-level fire (cover grill if using gas), flipping every two minutes until well browned on all sides.
They'll taste great as they are—woodsy and smoky with concentrated sweet-savoriness—but you can also upgrade their complexity by tossing them with herbs, sauces, oils, or basting them with a seasoned butter.
Get Mushrooms Grill Ready
Use any variety you like, as long as the caps measure at least 2 inches in diameter. The mushrooms will shrink during cooking, so anything smaller runs the risk of slipping through the cooking grate.
- White and Cremini (Baby Bella): Trim tough ends; halve
- Portobello: Stem; halve if smaller than 4 inches across, quarter if larger
- Shiitake: Stem; leave caps whole
- Oyster and Maitake (Hen of the Woods): Trim; tear into 2- to 2½-inch pieces
- King Oyster (King Trumpet): Trim stem, slice lengthwise 3/4 inch thick
Grilled Mushrooms with Rosemary-Lemon Basting Butter
Uniquely resilient and a mate for anything, mushrooms can be flashed over a blazing fire and emerge with mighty savoriness and meaty chew.Get the Recipe
Grilled Mushrooms with Ginger-Miso Basting Butter
Uniquely resilient and a mate for anything, mushrooms can be flashed over a blazing fire and emerge with mighty savoriness and meaty chew.Get the Recipe
Grilled Mushrooms with Garlic-Parsley Basting Butter
Uniquely resilient and a mate for anything, mushrooms can be flashed over a blazing fire and emerge with mighty savoriness and meaty chew.Get the Recipe
10,000+ foolproof recipes and why they work Taste Tests of supermarket ingredients Equipment Reviews save you money and time Videos including full episodes and clips Live Q&A with Test Kitchen experts
Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.