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Edit · Cast-Iron Charred Brussels Sprouts

Name: Cast-Iron Charred Brussels Sprouts
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 as a side
Cuisine: Scottish-Australian
Ingredients: 600 g Brussels sprouts (trimmed, halved); 120 g Guanciale (diced (or pancetta — see swaps)); 2 tbsp Olive oil (to finish, only if needed); 1 Lemon (zest + juice); 40 g Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan, finely grated); 30 g Toasted hazelnuts (roughly chopped); Pinch Sea salt + black pepper

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Ingredients

Method

Step 1
Cast iron on the hottest burner, no oil. Five full minutes. It should be smoking. If it isn't smoking, it isn't ready.
Step 2
Guanciale into the dry pan. It'll release fat fast. Cook 2–3 minutes until the edges are crisp. Lift out, leave the fat behind.
Step 3
Tip sprouts in cut-side down. Press down. DO NOT TOUCH. Three full minutes. They need to char — moving them = steaming them.
Step 4
Toss once, cook 2 more minutes. They should be deeply charred, soft inside. Off the heat, scatter guanciale back in, add lemon zest, juice, hazelnuts and a flurry of pecorino. Toss.

Tips & Tricks

Edit tip 1
Halve the sprouts, don't quarter them. You want one big flat face for caramelisation.
Edit tip 2
Dry the sprouts properly after washing. Wet sprouts steam, they don't char.
Edit tip 3
If it smokes, you're doing it right. Open a window, don't lower the heat.
Edit tip 4
Salt at the end, not the start — early salt pulls water out and kills the char.

Flavour Twists

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No guanciale? Pancetta works (slightly less fat). Streaky bacon works (smokier). Lardons of speck if you're showing off.
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Pecorino for sharp punch. Parmesan for nuttier. A blue (Stichelton, Gorgonzola dolce) crumbled at the end is unhinged in the best way.
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Hazelnuts are classic. Toasted almonds work. Pine nuts if you've got them. Walnuts if you want it more autumnal.
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Drizzle with a teaspoon of honey or maple at the end — bridges the bitterness of the char.

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