Hear Us Out — You Should Be Cooking Hard-Boiled Eggs On The Grill

If you're planning to make hard-boiled eggs, chances are the first thing you do is grab a pot and fill it with water. Using the stove is the most common approach, after all, they are called hard-boiled eggs. But while this tried-and-true method is perfectly effective, it isn't the only way to hard boil your eggs. As it turns out, water isn't even a necessary part of the process, and the grill works just as well as the stove.

To cook hard-boiled eggs on the grill, the process isn't much different from grilling anything else. You simply place the eggs directly onto the grill, and keep them on the heat until the yolk is cooked to your liking. Six minutes will yield a softer yolk, while 14 results in a more firm one. Considering it takes about the same amount of time as hard-boiling eggs on the stove, it might seem pointless to fire up the grill, however, there's actually a flavor-related advantage to the unconventional cooking method.

Both boiling and grilling use heat to cook eggs within their shells, but grilling has a distinct effect on their taste. Rather than that familiar, relatively neutral egg taste, grilling gives hard-boiled eggs a smoky flavor that is reflective of the type of wood chips you use as well as how long the eggs are grilled for. If you want your eggs to have a smokier flavor, opt for mesquite wood chips and cook them low and slow.

In addition to developing a smoky flavor, grilled eggs will also change in color. Not only will the shell darken, but the whites of each egg will also have visible grill marks, but only where they came in contact with the grill. The whites will fully turn brown however if you choose to cook your eggs over low heat for an extended amount of time.

If you want your eggs to have an ultra-smoky flavor (and you have 90 minutes to spare), set your grill to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, crank it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, you can either place the eggs directly onto the grates or put them in muffin tins. Muffin tins aren't necessary, but they do help keep the eggs from potentially rolling off the grill.

After six to 14 minutes, remove the eggs from the grill using a pair of tongs. Try not to exceed 15 minutes, as prolonged contact with the heat will cause eggshells to crack. This ultimately leads to a rubbery texture. Much like when you cook them the traditional way, hard-boiled eggs continue to cook even after you take them off the heat, so to prevent a too-firm yolk, make sure to shock them in an ice bath for at least 10 minutes after you pull them off the grill. You'll have perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs or should we say hard-smoked eggs? Either way, enjoy!