Grilled Hasselback Potatoes with BBQ Garlic Butter and Bacon

Go ahead. Give your potatoes a good rubdown.

These grilled Hasselback potatoes get Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub and fresh garlic mixed right into the butter, where all that flavor can work its way between the slices. They cook over indirect charcoal heat, get a second helping of melted BBQ garlic butter partway through, and finish with crispy bacon and fresh chives.

They look like you put some effort into the side dish. You mostly just found another way to get butter and bacon onto a potato. Everybody wins.

Get the Butter Between the Slices

The Hasselback cut leaves the bottom of the potato intact while creating thin slices across the top. Those cuts give the seasoned butter somewhere to go.

Start with softened BBQ garlic butter, gently working it into the cuts you can reach. As the potatoes cook, the slices begin to separate, making it easier to brush melted butter farther down between them.

The foil helps the potatoes cook through and keeps the butter contained. Opening it toward the end lets the exposed edges dry out and lightly brown. The bacon brings the crunch.

Grilled Hasselback Potatoes Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep Time: Approximately 20 minutes
Estimated Cook Time: 60–75 minutes
Grill Temperature: 400–425°F
Cooking Method: Charcoal grill, indirect heat

Allow additional time to light the charcoal. Cooking time will vary with potato size and grill temperature. Check the thickest part for tenderness before taking them off.

Ingredients

For the Potatoes and Toppings

• 4 medium russet potatoes, approximately 8–10 ounces each
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

For the Rub Yer Meat Garlic Butter

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated

How to Make Grilled Hasselback Potatoes

1. Set Up the Charcoal Grill

Light the charcoal and bank the hot coals on one side of the grill, leaving the other side clear for indirect cooking. Close the lid and bring the grill to 400–425°F.

The potatoes will stay on the side without coals directly underneath them throughout the cook.

2. Mix the BBQ Garlic Butter

Stir together the softened butter, Rub Yer Meat BBQ Rub, and garlic until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture in half. Use the first half while it’s soft and spreadable, and reserve the other half to melt for basting during the cook.

3. Slice the Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes and dry them thoroughly. Place one potato between two wooden spoon handles or chopsticks.

Cut crosswise into approximately ⅛-inch slices, leaving about ¼ inch intact at the bottom so the potato stays together. The handles help stop the knife, but watch the tapered ends, where the blade can miss them.

Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Take your time here. Butter can fix a lot of things, but it won’t glue your potato back together.

4. Butter Them Up and Wrap

Set each potato on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Divide the first half of the BBQ garlic butter among the potatoes, using approximately 1 tablespoon per potato.

Spread it over the tops and gently work some into the accessible cuts. Don’t force the slices apart; the melted butter will get another shot at them later.

Wrap each potato tightly, keeping the foil seam above the sliced top.

5. Start Grilling and Cook the Bacon

Place the wrapped potatoes on the indirect side of the grill with the sliced sides facing up. Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, rotating their positions once to help them cook evenly.

While the potatoes cook, fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain, chop, and set it aside for topping.

6. Brush on the Melted Butter

Gently melt the reserved BBQ garlic butter over low heat, stirring to distribute the garlic and seasoning.

Carefully open the foil packets, watching for escaping steam. Brush the melted butter over the potatoes and down between the slices, which should be starting to separate. Divide it evenly among all four potatoes and stir the butter between applications.

Reseal the packets and continue cooking over indirect heat for 15–30 minutes, until the potatoes are nearly tender. If the thick bases are still firm, give them more time wrapped.

7. Open the Foil and Finish

Fold the foil down around each potato to form a shallow tray. Leave the tops exposed and keep the butter contained underneath.

Close the grill lid and cook for approximately 10–15 minutes more, staying over indirect heat, until the exposed edges begin to brown and a thin knife or skewer slides easily into the thickest part.

8. Add the Bacon and Chives

Transfer the potatoes to plates and spoon any buttery juices from the foil over the tops.

Finish with the crispy bacon and fresh chives, then serve hot. Those chives go on after grilling so they stay fresh and bright.

Give the Potatoes Time to Finish

A little color on top doesn’t tell you whether the thick base is cooked. Check it before serving, and give larger potatoes extra time if they need it.

Have the bacon chopped and the chives ready so you can finish the potatoes as soon as they come off the grill. Spoon that last bit of butter over them, pile on the toppings, and get them on the table.

Rub Yer Meat. Butter yer potatoes. Everybody gets some attention.