Cooking fresh asparagus on the smoker is a great accompaniment to any smoked main course. This Traeger smoked asparagus side dish comes together beautifully, topped with parmesan cheese and sliced almonds – or, just smoke and serve it with a little salt and pepper, your choice! Let’s get smoking!!!
The smoky flavor of smoker asparagus with garlic, lemon, and almonds is something you have to try!
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Why smoking asparagus is a great side dish for any meal…
- It’s a fast smoked foods recipe. In an hour, you’ll have these delicious asparagus spears that have a smoky flavor but still maintain that nice crunch that we all look for.
- Try variations like smoked bacon wrapped asparagus.
- Try pairing smoked trout or smoked salmon with asparagus. (recipe coming soon)
- It pairs well with most main courses. When you smoke foods as much as I do, it’s great to find a smoked main dish and smoked side dish that cook at the same time and or temperature. Basically, to make a complete meal in the smoker.
New to smoked food recipes and Treager recipes? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make smoked asparagus.
To make it a more-fancy smoked side dish
- asparagus
- olive oil
- garlic
- lemon juice and zest (optional)
- salt
- black pepper
- almonds
- parmesan cheese
Easy topping idea
To keep it simple, just sprinkle it with a salt (try a garlic flavored finishing salt) to enhance that natural sweetness that asparagus has. And a fresh crack of pepper.
How to make smoked asparagus
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at smoked asparagus recipe
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F and prepare your asparagus with seasoning.
- Smoke asparagus for 30 minutes then flip.
- Finish smoking the asparagus for another 30 minutes or until done.
- Top Traeger cooked asparagus with parmesan cheese and almonds and enjoy.
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
- Season asparagus for smoking. If you just washed it, pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel to help the seasonings stick. Then over a sheet tray or something similar, season asparagus all over with olive oil, diced garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.
- Smoke asparagus at 225 degrees F for about 60 minutes, flipping at the half-way mark of 30 minutes. Do you need a pan to smoke asparagus in? Nope – while you can smoke it in a pan, heavy duty aluminum foil or cast iron skillet, you can also smoke asparagus directly on a pellet grill. Just make sure to place it perpendicularly to the grill grates. (In the Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration, you’ll see I put the asparagus on a wire baking rack, then put that directly on the grill. I think this method is easier to prepare in the kitchen and transfer to the Traeger.)
- Continue smoking asparagus until done. It’s done when you can easily pierce asparagus with a fork.
- Remove asparagus from Traeger.
- Serve smoked asparagus with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and parmesan cheese and enjoy when it’s cool enough to eat.
FAQs
Nope – while you can smoke it in a pan, grilling basket or cast iron skillet, you can also smoke asparagus directly on a pellet grill. In the Sip Bite Go demonstration, you’ll see I put the asparagus on a wire baking rack, then put that directly on the grill. I think this method is easier to prepare in the kitchen and transfer to the Traeger. (one thing I love to smoke on a wire rack because it’s easier are the ingredients for smoked salsa)
Yes…most definitely. As you’ll see in the recipe video, asparagus on the pellet smoker is a super simple summer side dish or Thanksgiving food favorite that’s fit for any BBQ menu dinner.
If you are smoking asparagus at 225 degrees F, it should take about an hour. Cooking time could adjust a bit depending on how thin or thick your asparagus is.
A nice side to smoked asparagus would be smoked mac n’ cheese, smoked mashed potatoes or smoked baked potato. As a main, a nice smoked steak like ribeye, tomahawk or flank steak would pair nicely with smoked asparagus. A whole smoked chicken is another great option.
Hickory pellets, mesquite, oak or any Traeger pellet blend all provide great smoke flavors for asparagus on the smoker. When making this as a smoked Thanksgiving side dish, I usually have Traeger Turkey pellets in my smoker. See more recipes to cook for a tasty Traeger Thanksgiving.
Perfectly smoked asparagus should be easily pierced with a paring knife or fork. The asparagus should have a deep green color that still has some bit or crunch to it.
You do not need much to make deliciously cooked asparagus. You need nice fresh asparagus and a grill or smoker to cook them on. In addition to that, you can use any seasoning of your choice, so be creative! Just grill or smoke asparagus until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Perfectly cooked asparagus should still have a nice crunch to it when done.
Serve these with pellet grill ribs or smoked ham.
More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked cream cheese
- Smoked brisket flat
- 321 ribs
- Beer can chicken on the smoker
- Smoked wings
- Smoked tomahawk steak
- Traeger tri tip
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked turkey legs
- Whole smoked turkey
- Smoked Traeger pizza
- Smoked onion rings
- Traeger smoked ham
- Smoked whole chicken
- Smoked jalapeno poppers
- Smoked corn on the cob
- Traeger beef ribs
- Smoked leg of lamb
- Smoked shrimp
- Grilled chicken wings
- Grilled skirt steak
- Flank steak marinade
- Grilled potato wedges
- Smoked pulled pork
- Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes
See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about smoked asparagus.
See these game day smoker recipes.
Connect…
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- Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection
Traeger Smoked Asparagus Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 2 LB asparagus white ends trimmed off
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic diced
- ½ medium lemon juice (optional)
- 1 medium lemon zest (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper fresh cracked
- 2 tbsp almonds sliced (optional, to garnish)
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese optional, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
- Season asparagus for smoking. If you just washed it, pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel to help the seasonings stick. Then over a sheet tray or something similar, season asparagus all over with olive oil, diced garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.
- Smoke asparagus at 225 degrees F for about 60 minutes, flipping at the half-way mark of 30 minutes. Do you need a pan to smoke asparagus in? Nope – while you can smoke it in a pan, heavy duty aluminum foil or cast iron skillet, you can also smoke asparagus directly on a pellet grill. Just make sure to place it perpendicularly to the grill grates. (In the Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration, you’ll see I put the asparagus on a wire baking rack, then put that directly on the grill. I think this method is easier to prepare in the kitchen and transfer to the Traeger.)
- Continue smoking asparagus until done. It’s done when you can easily pierce asparagus with a fork.
- Remove asparagus from Traeger.
- Serve smoked asparagus with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and parmesan cheese and enjoy when it’s cool enough to eat.
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