Grilled Cabbage Wedges with Apple-Bacon Vinaigrette

Grilled cabbage works when the wedges are thick enough to stay intact, hot enough to char, and dressed while warm enough to absorb the vinaigrette. Apples and bacon provide sweet, smoky contrast, but the dressing still needs mustard and vinegar or the whole platter starts tasting like a side dish designed by syrup.

Yield and timing

• Yield: 8 wedges; serves 6 to 8
• Prep: 25 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: About 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the cabbage

• 1 large green cabbage, about 3 pounds
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the apple-bacon vinaigrette

• 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 crisp tart apple, finely diced
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives

Method

1. Cut stable wedges: Remove loose outer leaves. Cut cabbage through the core into 8 wedges, leaving enough core attached to hold each wedge together.
2. Season: Brush all sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Let stand 15 minutes while the grill heats.
3. Cook bacon: Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon. Reserve 3 tablespoons rendered fat.
4. Build vinaigrette: Add shallot to the warm bacon fat and cook 1 minute. Add apple and cook 2 minutes, just until glossy but still crisp. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar, both mustards, maple syrup, and enough olive oil to make a loose dressing. Fold in bacon, parsley, and chives.
5. Grill: Prepare two-zone medium-high heat. Grill wedges over direct heat 3 to 5 minutes per cut side until deeply charred. Move to indirect heat, cover, and cook 8 to 12 minutes, until the outer layers are tender and the core still offers slight resistance.
6. Dress warm: Arrange on a platter and spoon warm vinaigrette over and between the layers. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

If you want the same wedge structure without the bacon-and-apple direction, Roasted Cabbage Caesar uses a different flavor system around the same holdable shape.

Make-ahead and service

Cut the cabbage and make the vinaigrette base one day ahead, but add herbs only shortly before serving. Grill the wedges up to 40 minutes before service and keep them loosely tented at room temperature. Rewarm the dressing and spoon it over immediately before serving.

Substitutions

• Use red cabbage, allowing a few additional minutes over indirect heat.
• Replace bacon with toasted walnuts and use olive oil for a vegetarian version.
• Use pear instead of apple.
• Replace maple syrup with honey or omit it when the apple is particularly sweet.

Likely failure points

The wedges fall apart: Too much core was removed or they were turned repeatedly.

The outside burns before the center softens: Move to indirect heat earlier and cover the grill.

The dressing is greasy: Add vinegar and mustard; rendered fat needs acid.

The cabbage tastes watery: It was steamed under a tight cover after cooking or dressed too far ahead.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate cabbage and dressing separately for up to four days. Reheat wedges at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes and warm the vinaigrette gently. The dish is also good at room temperature.

Part of Recipes & Technique.