My Dad’s Simple Secret for the Most Delicious Grilled Vegetables

When I was growing up, my dad was the king of the backyard grill. In particular, his grilled vegetables had an incense-like muskiness that mimicked that of a professional charcoal smoker. I never knew how he achieved this complex flavor from a standard gas grill. My own grilled veggies always lacked that robust flavor profile. So a few summers ago I inquired about his secret recipe, and he said it wasn’t a special sauce but a spice. He’d take a single cinnamon stick, char it directly over a gas stove until it smoked like a cigar, then drop it into a jar of olive oil, which he used to brush on his grilled eggplant and zucchini. That’s all! My dad’s burnt cinnamon grill oil hack doesn’t make vegetables taste like dessert; in fact, it adds that deep, woody taste that mimics the flavor of food cooked over charcoal but on a standard gas grill.

As we embark upon grilling season (finally!), try out my dad’s burnt cinnamon grill oil hack to give your grilled veggies that delicious smokiness of a charcoal smoker. Here’s how to do it using your gas grill.

1. Get your olive oil ready. My dad always begins by prepping the olive oil first. Pour 1 cup of olive oil into a clean, dry glass jar or bottle and place it right next to your gas grill (or stovetop).
2. Burn a cinnamon stick. Take 1 thick cassia cinnamon stick and grip it firmly at one end with kitchen tongs. Turn your gas grill (or stove) burner to medium-high. Hold the cinnamon stick directly in the open flame, turning it gently for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges catch fire. Let it turn white-hot and ashy, and when it starts to billow thick smoke, reminiscent of a cigar, it’s done.
3. Plunge the stick and trap the smoke. Then, immediately plunge the smoking cinnamon stick entirely into the jar of olive oil. The cinnamon stick will hiss and crackle delightfully (this is a good sign!). Shut the lid on the jar right away to trap the rising smoke, and let it steep for at least 30 minutes before brushing it onto your vegetables.

• Always choose dense cassia cinnamon sticks rather than delicate ceylon varieties. The thick, woody layers of cassia sticks hold up well to direct flame and won’t crumble into your olive oil.
• Pick a glass jar that is heat-safe (like a Mason jar) and drop the cinnamon stick in carefully. Don’t be afraid of the crackle; that’s just the fire transferring its smokiness to the blend.
• You don’t need to char the entire stick from end to end! You only need to char about the bottom half to 2/3 of your cinnamon stick.
• Lastly, while you can use your cinnamon grill oil right away after it steeps, if you want that depth of flavor and complex woody profile, make it a day or two before you’re going to use it on your vegetables.