Potatoes go well with any grilled meat, but many people struggle to get the perfect baked potato on the grill.
We have all the information right here to help you perfect baking potatoes every time you grill.
Our expert tips will show you how easy it is to achieve a soft potato on the grill and enjoying the additional flavors imparted to the potato in the process!
Quick Summary
- Cooking a great baked potato on the grill is easy once you know how to adjust your timing and temperatures.
- Potatoes are a magnificent accompaniment to meat cooked on the grill.
- Baking your potatoes on the grill makes more sense than baking them in the oven while you are standing outside at your grill.
Baking Potatoes On The Grill
Do your baked potatoes on the grill turn out to be a charred, blackened lump and the inside powdery and dry?
Don’t feel alone in this predicament; cooking baked potatoes on the grill is a hit-and-miss affair for many people.
If you are planning a grill cookout but have never quite mastered the perfect baked potato on the grill, try our methods detailed here to turn out great-tasting baked potatoes that are light, fluffy, and delicious!
Potatoes are not only delicious, but they have some health benefits too.
As quoted from WebMd, “Potatoes have lots of carbs. But they also have loads of nutrients, like potassium and magnesium” [1].
Cooking baked potatoes on the grill to perfection requires a little planning and watching your timing to ensure they are not cooked for too long.
Once you become familiar with the process, you will be able to cook baked potatoes on the grill without thinking about it, but until you get to that point, there is one kitchen tool that can help.
A meat thermometer is a great tool to use to check your temperatures until you perfect your process.
Preparation
One of the main causes for baked potatoes turning out less than perfect on the grill is that they are placed on the grill as an after-thought, and the process is rushed, and the grill is not ready for the potatoes.
This results in undercooked potatoes, or scorched to the point where they look like a lump of charcoal!
Baked potatoes take time to cook correctly on the grill, which requires putting them on at the right time in your grilling process.
Many people prepare the potatoes and then place them on the grill as soon as it is lit. This is too early and can result in the potatoes overcooking.
The grill must be pre-heated to a temperature of between 345°F and 360°F, which should take about 15-minutes.
The 15-minutes it takes for the grill to heat up will give you time to prepare the potatoes.
- Wash the potatoes. Wash the potatoes in clean water to ensure no soil is on the skin. The skin of a baked potato is tasty to eat, but not if you are crunching soil! Pat the potatoes dry after washing.
- Pierce the potatoes. Use a fork to pierce the potatoes 3 or 4 times on each side. This prevents the potato from bursting and also stops the potato from over-cooking inside.
- Cut aluminum foil to wrap the potatoes. You will need 2 aluminum sheets for each potato. Spread the foil sheets on your countertop, ready to receive the potatoes.
- Brush the potatoes with a high smoke point oil. Place the potatoes on the foil sheets and baste each potato liberally on all sides with a high smoke point oil. A good alternative oil to use is ghee since it is a high smoke point oil and will not burn easily.
- Season the potatoes. You have some choices here. You can keep it simple and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or include some crushed chili or other dried herbs of your choice.
- Seal up the potatoes. Wrap the potato in the first layer of foil, then turn it over and wrap it in the second layer to ensure an even thickness of foil around the potato.
Your potatoes are now prepped and ready to onto the grill.
How To Grill Your Baked Potatoes?
Now we are getting to the actual cooking part of the process for your baked potato.
The key elements for this part are timing and temperature.
Planning when to put the potatoes on the grill and when to put other parts of the meal on the grill is important to ensure that the food is all ready at a similar time.
The potatoes are going to take at least 45-minutes to an hour to cook, so plan around this time frame for putting your meat and other vegetables on the grill [2].
Place the potatoes on the grill and close the lid to retain the heat. Leave the potatoes in this position for at least 30-minutes.
At the 30-minute mark, before you turn your potatoes, you can check the internal temperature with the meat thermometer.
The internal temperature you are shooting for is between 200°F and 210°F.
Turn the potatoes and give them another 20-minutes on the grill before checking if they are soft inside.
The best way to check this is to pierce the foil and the thickest part of the potato with a pointed, sharp knife.
Once you penetrate the foil and the potato skin, there will be very little resistance in the potato itself.
This indicates the potato is cooked and ready to be taken off the grill. If it is still a little hard, give the potato another 5 to 8-minutes on the grill [3].
The next step is another reason to get your timing right and have all the food ready at the same time.
The cooked potatoes should be taken off the grill, and the foil opened immediately to stop the cooking process.
Leaving them wrapped in foil will allow the stored heat to continue cooking the potato and drying it out.
Open the foil, cut the potato open and mush the inside of the potato a little with a form.
Place some herb butter on the potato to melt into the still warm spud. Serve while still warm!
Great Steaks for Your Grilled Baked Potatoes:
- What Cut Is a Tomahawk Steak?
- Perfect NY Steak With Cilantro Onion Dredge Recipe
- Best Pork Shoulder Steaks Cooking Recipes
Conclusion
Cooking a baked potato on the grill expands your repertoire of foods you can grill and, when cooked correctly, will quickly become a firm family favorite with your meals cooked on the grill. You can get great results from doing this on a stainless steel grill.
Once the potato is baked, get creative with some of the toppings that you put on the hot potato, sour cream, and chives, garlic butter, or simply some salt and cracked black pepper can further enhance a well-cooked baked potato on the grill!
References:
- https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/ss/slideshow-health-benefits-potatoes
- https://40aprons.com/baked-potatoes-on-the-grill/
- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143230/quick-and-easy-grilled-potatoes/
