Steam them first, then finish on the grill.

Steam or parboil the artichokes before they ever hit the grill. That’s the trick.

Raw artichokes take forever to cook through, and direct heat will dry them out and char the leaves before the heart gets tender. You end up with something that looks done but tastes like burnt cardboard. Not good.

Here’s what works: trim the artichokes (cut the top inch, snip the spiky leaf tips, peel the stem). Drop them into salted boiling water with a lemon half for 15-20 minutes, until a knife slides into the base easily. Then drain, let them cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the fuzzy choke, and brush the cut sides with olive oil. Throw them cut-side down on a medium-hot grill for 3-4 minutes until you get nice char marks. Flip and give the other side a minute. Done.

The parboil does the heavy lifting. The grill just adds smoke and color.

The grill is for flavor, not for cooking them through.