Recipes

BBQ Dry-Rubbed Cauliflower Steaks (Serves 2–3)

Base serves 2 with leftovers — slide to scale the ingredients.

Serves: 2–3 steaks per large head, plus loose florets Time: 35 minutes (5 active) Flavor: smoky, sweet-glazed, deeply caramelized Type: Vegetarian centerpiece for a BBQ plate

Thick center-cut cauliflower slabs given the exact same dry rub and BBQ glaze as a rack of ribs. Roasted hot until the cut faces go mahogany and the stem turns silky, then sauced and broiled so the glaze tightens and catches. Built to sit on a BBQ plate as an actual main course rather than a vegetable side — and nothing about it is mushroomy.

Ingredients

Base

  • 1 large head cauliflower
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
  • 1½–2 tbsp BBQ dry rub (the same jar you're using on the ribs)
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup BBQ sauce (same bottle as the ribs)

Optional Finishers

  • Sliced scallions or chopped parsley
  • Flaky salt
  • Pickled jalapeños or a squeeze of lemon, to cut the sweetness

Instructions

  1. Cut the steaks: Pull off the outer leaves but leave the core intact — the core is what holds a steak together. Stand the head stem-down and slice straight down through the center into 1" to 1¼" thick slabs. Only the middle 2–3 slices will hold as steaks; the outer pieces will fall into florets. Keep those, they roast alongside and go crispy.
  2. Season: Brush both cut faces generously with olive oil, then press the dry rub and salt onto both sides. Cauliflower is thirsty and bland on its own — be heavier-handed with the rub than feels right.
  3. Roast at 400°F for 25–30 minutes on a foil-lined sheet pan, flipping once at the 15-minute mark. You're looking for deep brown, almost-too-dark patches on the cut faces. Pale cauliflower tastes like nothing; browned cauliflower tastes nutty and sweet.
  4. Glaze and broil: Brush the tops with BBQ sauce and broil 2–3 minutes until the sauce tightens and starts to bubble and char at the edges. Watch it — sugary BBQ sauce goes from glazed to burnt fast.
  5. Serve with a little more sauce on the side, scallions or parsley over the top, and flaky salt.

Tips

  • Don't crowd the pan. Steaks packed together steam instead of browning, and browning is the entire point. Use two pans if you need to.
  • Sauce only at the end. Glazing from the start guarantees a burnt, bitter exterior long before the stem is tender.
  • The floret scraps are the best part — they get crunchy and almost popcorn-like. Save them for whoever's standing at the stove.
  • Timing with ribs: these need 400°F, not the ribs' 300°F. Roast them after the ribs come out and rest, sharing the oven with Baked Mac & Cheese with Ritz Crust.
  • Pairs with BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Baked Potatoes and Zucchini as the vegetarian main on the same plate.
  • Leftovers chop nicely into a grain bowl or get tucked into a sandwich with extra sauce.