Grilled sweet potato on the BBQ

Grilled sweet potato on the BBQ makes a side dish with a soft centre and roasted edges. This recipe starts with indirect heat, followed by an optional brief direct finish for colour. Thickness and actual BBQ temperature determine the timing; grill marks alone do not tell you whether the centre is tender.

Ingredients and planning

Serves 4 as a side dish. With an already heated BBQ, allow roughly 25 minutes for preparing and cooking the slices, but plan extra time if the centre remains firm. Heating the BBQ and the whole-potato variation are not included in that indication. Difficulty: easy.

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, about 800 g in total
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp Memphis BBQ rub or Toscana Fire rub
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Optional: butter, honey, fresh thyme, crème fraîche

The oil and rub quantities remain the starting point for this recipe. Add extra salt to taste, accounting for salt already in the blend. A thick seasoning layer is not needed. Memphis and Toscana Fire remain the two base options; choose for your taste.

Cooking the slices

  1. Wash the sweet potatoes under running water and peel them. Cut evenly into 1.5 cm slices on a clean board.
  2. Mix with the olive oil and chosen rub. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Prepare the BBQ around 180°C with an indirect zone and a direct zone. Measure near the food where possible; a lid thermometer does not show the exact surface temperature.
  4. Arrange the slices in one layer over indirect heat and close the lid. Use 12–15 minutes as the first checking point, not a guaranteed cooking time. Cook indirectly for longer if the centre is still hard.
  5. Once almost as tender as you like, optionally colour them briefly over the direct zone. The guide is up to roughly 3–4 minutes per side, but turn or move them sooner if oil, sugar or spices colour too fast. A direct finish is not compulsory, and flames should not lick the food.
  6. Test the thickest slice with a fork or thin knife. Serve at your preferred tenderness, optionally adding butter and a little honey after grilling.

Tenderness and grill marks

A fork or thin knife should enter the thickest part easily. If the centre is too firm, return it to indirect heat and check again after, for example, another 5 minutes; that does not guarantee every slice will then be done. Let the centre cook gently rather than blackening the outside. The slices do not need to become mushy. Dark grill marks are a presentation choice, not proof of safety or doneness.

Starting indirectly is a useful approach for this recipe, not a universal requirement for every sweet-potato preparation. With sugary rubs, watch the hot grate contact points; honey is added only after grilling here. A smoky flavour is not automatic on every BBQ.

Variations for your main course

  • With ribs: Memphis rub with honey and butter after grilling. Ribs
  • With pulled pork: Carolina Gold rub with crème fraîche and chives. Pulled pork
  • With Jamaican Jerk chicken: a pinch of cayenne, lime butter and coriander. Jamaican Jerk chicken

Whole sweet potatoes and storage

For the whole variation, wash and dry the sweet potato, pierce the skin in a few places and cook indirectly around 200°C. Foil is optional and gives a more steamed rather than dry-roasted surface. Start checking after roughly 45 minutes; large potatoes can take considerably longer. Test the thickest part with a skewer. Wear heat-resistant gloves and watch for hot steam when opening.

Serve immediately or cool leftovers quickly in small shallow containers. Loosen or remove foil before cooling; do not leave a cooked foil-wrapped potato at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers covered around 4°C within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when it is above about 32°C outdoors. Use within 2 days or freeze sooner. Reheat thoroughly until steaming hot. Store perishable toppings separately and respect their shortest applicable storage period.

Do not use a board, plate or tongs carrying raw meat juices for cooked sweet potato. Check the rub and toppings for vegetarian or vegan meals; butter and crème fraîche are dairy, and honey is not a vegan topping.

More BBQ side dishes

Choosing rubs and sources

The Starter Pack contains three 100 g bags of your choice. Choose a blend for the dish and account for total salt and any sugar.

Shipping costs and any free shipping depend on the destination and order value.

Voedingscentrum: storing cooked vegetables

FDA: preparing produce safely

Sweet potato in the air fryer with BBQ rub

This separate method uses thin fries about 0.5 cm thick, not the 1.5 cm BBQ slices or whole potatoes. Good Food provides the starting point for the cut and temperature; this combination with our rubs is not an appliance setting tested by The Rub Kitchen.

For this variation: 2 large sweet potatoes, about 800 g in total, 1 tsp olive oil to start with and 1 tsp Memphis BBQ Rub or Toscana Fire. The oil quantity differs from the BBQ method: aim for a thin coating rather than soaking the fries.

  1. Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, cut into even fries about 0.5 cm thick and pat dry.
  2. Toss with the oil and rub until thinly and evenly coated. Do not automatically add salt; taste after cooking.
  3. Follow the appliance manual for preheating and loading. Use 180°C as a starting setting and arrange in a single layer. Cook this quantity in batches if needed.
  4. Use approximately 10–15 minutes per batch as a guide. Shake after about 5 minutes and check the colour and tenderness before the end. Adjust to your appliance and cut; later batches can finish sooner.
  5. Continue cooking if the centre is firm. Check regularly and lower the temperature if the spices darken too quickly. Serve when cooked and coloured to your liking.

The total time for all batches is longer than the guide time for one basket. Do not expect guaranteed deep-fried crispness. Add honey or another sweet finish only after cooking.

More dishes: air fryer recipes with BBQ rub. Technical help: using rub in the air fryer.

Published preparation reference, not a test of The Rub Kitchen rubs: Good Food.

Which rub should you choose for sweet potato?

Memphis BBQ Rub

Memphis BBQ Rub is the sweet-smoky base option in this recipe. Its brown sugar can darken quickly: apply a thin coating and check early. Check the packaging for mustard.

Toscana Fire

Toscana Fire is the second base option. Choose it instead of Memphis, not as another full coating on top. Fresh thyme and crème fraîche from the ingredients list are optional finishes after cooking. Start with the stated amount of rub and account for salt in the blend.