Grilled Lettuce

That's right! You heard it here! Big Daddy eats lettuce even though lettuce is the Devil. Technically lettuce is a gateway vegetable - not the Devil. This recipe is perfect for a main course or to make a quick side that seems WAY fancier than it really is.

There are three basic ingredients for this recipe:
Romaine Hearts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Your favorite dry rub - in this case I used two of my favorites:

Simply Marvelous Sweet Seduction - seriously - if you haven't tried these rubs you are missing out. Do yourself a favor and get the sample pack. These rubs go great on everything from ribs to chicken to.... well.... lettuce!

The Rub Co Santa Maria Style dry rub. The Rub Co is another must have in every spice cabinet. A sample pack of these rubs will have you making restaurant style food that has the basics turbo boosted to a whole new flavor level!

Chop off the bottom of the romaine heart, spread open and rinse.

Unfurl the lettuce head. Don't worry about the residual water left in the head of lettuce. Drizzle on a few tablespoons of olive oil onto each lettuce head.

Shake on a good dose of the dry rub of your choice. If you don't have one of the dry rubs I've recommended, make up your own dry rub with your own flavors - maybe some salt, pepper, garlic, and a touch of brown sugar.

Fold the lettuce back up as tight as possible but do not tie shut. Place the lettuce heads on a grill or smoker pre-heated to 250F and cook indirectly. Do not cook over direct heat. If you are using a smoker, then you are already set up for indirect heat. On a charcoal grill, bank the coals on one side and cook the lettuce on the opposite side. If you are using a gas grill, turn all the burners on high heat to pre-heat the grill for about 5 minutes. When you are ready to cook the lettuce, turn one side off and the other side on low. Put the lettuce heads on the side with the heat off. Cook for about 5 minutes.

You don't want the lettuce to wilt but if it chars a bit on the outside, this is fine. Let the lettuce heads rest on the cutting board for no more than a few minutes otherwise it will wilt and lose some crunch.

Do a course chop and add whatever you like on a salad. Here I've added some hard salami and blue cheese crumbles. No need to add any dressing. The olive oil and dry rub with the residual water left in the lettuce head provide plenty of moisture and flavor. Dig in - Let's eat!