Grilled Artichokes have always been a favorite of mine. My family made artichokes constantly while I was growing up. Not much has changed, but the extra step of grilling the steamed artichokes is a major improvement. The wood-fired flavor I get from my Traeger makes them extra special. This recipe is a variation with a ton of flavor in the crispy stuffing. You can never have too many artichoke recipes! I like to get little bits of the bacon and crispy stuffing on each leaf and enjoy it with the bright and creamy lemon dipping sauce. Pick up some high-quality delicious Kurobuta Bacon from Snake River Farms. It’s my daughter’s favorite and works so well in this recipe!

Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Grilled Artichokes
- Trim the tops and end of the stems with a knife, and snip the pointed tips off the leaves with kitchen shears.
- Rub the artichoke with a lemon or squeeze the lemon into 1 cup of water and let the artichoke sit in the acidulated water while you prepare the remaining artichokes.
- In a large pot with a steamer insert, bring a few inches of water to a boil.
- Place the trimmed artichokes, cut top side down in the steamer.
- Cover and steam for 25 minutes until artichokes are tender and leaves easily pull away. (35-45 minutes for large artichokes.)
- Remove the artichokes carefully with tongs and allow to cool before handling. Artichokes and be covered and refrigerated up to a day before proceeding, if desired.
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Place the cut top side down on a cutting board and with a knife, slice through the center of the stem down to the board to create two halves.
- With a spoon, carefully remove the fuzzy choke portion and discard. It should separate easily from the heart.
- Drizzle the cut side of the artichoke halves with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper or salt and pepper.
- Grill artichokes 5-8 minutes, starting cut side down, turning once until warmed through and slightly charred.
- Drizzle with olive oil, fill with the crispy stuffing, and serve with the creamy lemon dipping sauce.
Lemon-Shallot Panko & Crispy Kurobuta Bacon-Shiitake Stuffing
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy.
- Remove the bacon, drain on a paper towel and allow to cool before cutting into ¼” pieces.
- In the same skillet, add the Shiitake mushrooms and shallots and sauté until slightly caramelized. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil if there is not enough bacon fat to cook the mushrooms and shallots.
- Add the Panko breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp butter, and salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden brown and crispy.
- Add the chopped bacon just to warm it through.
- Turn off the heat, and add the lemon zest and parsley.
- Spoon into the center of the grilled artichokes.
Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until mixed well.
- Taste for seasoning and add additional lemon juice if desired.

