How to Grill Onions and Garlic

I’d be hard pressed to name a culture that doesn’t enjoy some sort of grilled onion—from Japanese negi (leeks) to Spanish calçots (giant green onions) to the grilled Bermuda onions so popular on steak sandwiches in the United States. There are good reasons for the grilled onion’s popularity. Its high water content keeps the onion moist during grilling. The abundant plant sugars acquire a toffee flavor when caramelized by the high heat. The fire mellows the onion’s breath-polluting pungency, while adding complexity to its overall flavor. Even the texture undergoes an interesting transformation, from wet and crisp to silky and soft.