Smoky BBQ potato salad on a kamado
- Prep15 min
- Cook30 min
- Serves8
- DifficultyMedium
- Temperature140°C (285°F) indirect, packet on the deflector
New potatoes cooked in a foil packet of sunflower oil, garlic and herbs at 140°C on the kamado. The oil picks up the smoke, and I make it and the soft garlic into the mayo for this BBQ potato salad.
Ingredients
- For the packet:
- About 2 kg small new potatoes, halved
- About 400 ml sunflower oil
- 2 to 3 heads of garlic, cut in half
- A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme
- For the mayo:
- 2 egg yolks
- A capful of white wine vinegar
- Salt, pepper and a tiny pinch of sugar
- A teaspoon of boiling water
- For the salad:
- A bunch of spring onions, chopped
- A small handful of tarragon, chopped
Equipment
- A barbecue that holds 140°C indirect with the lid down. I use my Big Green Egg Large with the ConvEGGtor (ceramic deflector).
- Foil
- A ceramic dish for the packet to sit in
- A jug for the oil
- A stand mixer with a whisk, or a whisk and a bowl. I use a KitchenAid.
Method
- Make the packet
- Close it loosely
- Set up the barbecue
- Cook it
- Drain it
- Make the mayo
- Mix it through
Key takeaways
- Leave the foil packet a bit open so the smoke can get to the oil.
- 30 minutes is enough for small halved new potatoes. At 35 to 40 mine were slightly overcooked.
- Start whisking as soon as the vinegar goes on the yolks. If it sits there it starts to cook them.
- You won’t need all the oil. Two yolks makes about a jam jar of mayo, and that did 2 kg of potatoes.
The cook, in full
I had a pork loin and a chicken on the Big Green Egg for Sunday lunch on 3 May, and the potatoes went on with them. I cut about 2 kg of small new potatoes in half (I think they were Charlotte) and put them on a sheet of foil with two or three heads of garlic cut in half, some rosemary and thyme from the garden and about 400 ml of sunflower oil. That’s a lot of oil. I brought the foil up so the oil would stay in, but left it a bit open so the smoke could get to it.
The Egg was at 140°C (285°F) indirect, with the ConvEGGtor in. The packet went in a ceramic dish on top of the deflector, under the grate. It was in for 35 to 40 minutes, and that was slightly too long. The potatoes were a bit overcooked, so next time I’d give them 30.
I poured the oil off into a jug and set it aside. The garlic had gone soft, and the oil tasted smoky.
For the mayo I used two egg yolks and a capful of white wine vinegar. Start whisking as soon as the vinegar goes in, because if it sits on the yolks it starts to cook them. Then I drizzled the smoky oil in slowly until I had a jam jar’s worth, which is what I normally make with two yolks. All the confit garlic went in, mashed. It doesn’t taste that strong, and it was good. Then salt, pepper, a tiny pinch of sugar and a teaspoon of boiling water to loosen it.
The potatoes were at room temperature by the time I mixed it all together, with a whole bunch of spring onions (I do like onions) and some tarragon, because it was going with the chicken. There was enough for about eight.
What to serve this potato salad with
It went with the pork loin and a vertical-roaster chicken on 3 May, which is why the tarragon. I make potato salad all the time, and I’ve done it this way again since.
What I learned
Small halved new potatoes only need about 30 minutes in the packet. Mine had longer and were slightly overcooked.
The potatoes were at room temperature when I dressed them. I think it would be good warm too, but I haven’t tried it.
Variations
The quick version is what I make most often. Boil the potatoes, let them cool and make the mayo the normal way, with plain oil and the same other ingredients. It won’t be smoky, but it’s still a good potato salad.
Related
- Big Green Egg Large review — the kamado I cooked it on.
- Vertical-roaster chicken on a kamado — what it went with on 3 May.
- Boneless pork loin on the BGE Large — also on the Egg that day.
FAQ
Why leave the foil packet open?
So the smoke can get to the oil. I bring the foil up so the oil stays in, but I don’t seal it.
What vinegar do you use in the mayo?
White wine vinegar. If I’ve run out I’ll use cider vinegar.
Do I need a stand mixer?
No. A whisk and a bowl works. I use a KitchenAid because it’s easier to drizzle the oil in with both hands free.
Can I make it without a barbecue?
Yes. Boil the potatoes, let them cool and make the mayo with plain oil. It won’t be smoky, but I make it that way a lot.
Do you serve BBQ potato salad warm or cold?
Mine was at room temperature. I think it would be good warm too.
Disclosure and provenance
I cooked this on my own Big Green Egg Large. Smoke and Lump has no commercial relationship with Big Green Egg and earns nothing from this recipe.
Sourced from the 3 May 2026 cook log — the Big Green Egg Large launch cook, with a pork loin and a vertical-roaster chicken.