How to Grill the Perfect Shrimp
Grilled shrimp is a favorite food accoutrement to any meal we have around our house. As an appetizer you can’t ever get enough and as an addition to a main dish, such as a juicy steak, it is “the tops.”
One of the biggest pitfalls many people face is keeping the shrimp moist and tender. They (the shrimp, not the people) overcook very easily due to their short cooking time. Because of this factor you may wind up with a plateful of chewy, gnarled and dried out shrimp.
I recommend grilling shrimp with the shells on. This helps retain the moisture and insulate the shrimp from the intense heat of the grill. I also recommend using only large to Jumbo shrimp for grilling as small shrimp always overcook and take on the consistency of pencil erasers.
To Prepare:
To make it easier to remove the shells after the shrimp are grilled, cut along the back of the shrimp with kitchen shears stopping about a ½ inch from the tail. (This also helps facilitate deveining them if you chose to before you start grilling.)
Skewering the shrimp makes it easier to flip and to remove them from the grill. If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least a half an hour prior to grilling to prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.
Weber Set of 7 Skewer and Kabob Set
Ingredients:
Large to Jumbo Shrimp – ½ pound, unpeeled
How To Make It:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat, from 350-400 degrees.
2. Prepare shrimp as instructed above, deveining if you choose to.
3. Grill the shrimp, with the lid for the grill on, directly over the heat source until they are opaque in color (not able to be seen through, or not transparent) all the way through. Use the chart below as a guide for grilling times.
Shrimp Cooking Times:
Large:
2 minutes per side
Extra-Large:
2 ½ minutes per side
Jumbo:
Three minutes per side
4. Be careful removing the shrimp from the skewers as the shrimp and the skewers will be very hot.
Well now. There is only one thing left to do and that is to have at it! Enjoy these moist and tender crustaceans.
