French fries and the grill are not something most people do. But with the right technique, this can be standard with these easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions.
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There are only a few instructions, and they vary a lot. So I always like to experiment, and this is the 5th try in 2 weeks, and I now have it right.
They are not your basic fast food-tasting fry. They are a cross between a fast-food fry and a hash brown. And a great reason to buy that 10 or 12-inch cast iron pan.
Serve grilled fries with Grilled Pineapple making the perfect side dishes for Burgers on the Grill, Juicy Lucy Burgers, Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Grilled Chicken Breasts, or Grilled Drumsticks.
Check out these related potato recipes, like Convection Oven Baked French Fries—frozen or fresh cut, Easiest Stovetop French Fries Ever, Grilled Potato Slices, Grilled Baby Potatoes, and Grilled Baked Potatoes without Foil.
🥔Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
👨🍳How to Cook French Fries on the Grill
- Cut potatoes into ¼ inch fries.
- Wash and soak in cold water for 10-20 minutes, then drain and dry with paper towels.
- Coat fries with oil.
- Coat a grill-safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. A cast iron skillet is preferred.
- Place over direct heat of about 450° grill surface temperature and try to avoid any hot spots.
- Do not touch for 12 minutes, then flip the fries and rotate the pan. Flip and rotates every 4 to 6 minutes.
- Cooking about 30-35 minutes total until well browned. Salt and server hot.
♨️The Grill
The grill should be 450°-500° surface temperature. That is usually a bit above medium on most gas grills. It is also the grill temperature I usually recommend for most chicken and pork recipes.
If you have questions about grill setup, see my discussion about controlling Grill Temperature.
Try to avoid any "hot spots" you have on your grill. A heavier pan like cast iron will help even out any hot spots. The larger the pan, the better.
🥔Potatoes
Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are a good choice, but most potatoes should work. You can leave the skin, but I suggest peeling if using Russets. Other potatoes have thinner skin, and peeling is more of a personal choice.
I suggest ¼ inch fries. The thicker the fries, the longer and harder the cooking. I use a mandolin, but please follow the safety recommendations of the manufacturer if you do. Otherwise, just a good knife will do.
The potatoes need to be soaked for 10-20 minutes in cold water and then dried well before proceeding. If you skip this still, you will have a mushy mess.
✔️Grilling Tips
- Try to avoid any hot spots on your grill.
- Do thin fries-They need to cook entirely on the grill. Thicker than ⅜ inch will not do.
- Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in.
- Keep your hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up.
- A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is almost a must for best results.
It is another KISS recipe that is easily scalable to the size you need, but you will have difficulty doing a large batch. More than 2-3 pounds of potatoes should be a practical limit in a very large pan.
❓FAQs
Yes, they will work. Pick thin fries; they go on frozen and will take longer. Don't forget the oil and do not presoak in cold water.
No. They go on raw, not pre-cooked. I tried to do various precooking, and they became too weak to work. They become mush.
It is important to presoak and dry. The soaking removes starch that will cause the fries to stick, and the drying promotes crispiness.
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Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat grill to 450°-500° grill surface temperature. Scrub the potatoes—about 1 pound for two servings. Cut into ¼ inch fries. I used a mandolin.
Wash the fries in cold water. Soak for 10-20 minutes and drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry.
Add ¼ cup of oil to the fries and mix well. Do not use olive oil.
Coat grill-safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. Cast iron is preferred.
Place over direct heat and try to avoid any hot spots.
Do not touch for 12 minutes, then flip the fries and rotate the pan. Flip every 4 to 6 minutes. Use a shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking, and rotate the pan with every flip.
Cooking about 30-35 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.
📖 Recipe
Grilled French Fries
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Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ¼ pounds potatoes - about two medium
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450°-500° grill surface temperature. Scrub the potatoes. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into ¼ inch fries. I used a mandolin.
- Wash the fries in cold water. Soak for 10-20 minutes and drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry.
- Add ¼ cup of oil to the fries and mix well. Do not use olive oil.
- Coat a grill-safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. Cast iron is preferred.
- Place over direct heat and try to avoid any hot spots.
- Do not touch for 12 minutes, then flip the fries, and rotate the pan. Flip and rotate every 4 to 6 minutes. Use a shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate the pan with every flip.
- Cooking about 30-35 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- I prefer russet potatoes, but others work.
- Try to avoid any hot spots on your grill.
- Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. Thicker than ⅜ inch will not do.
- They go on raw, not pre-cooked. I tried to a varying amount of precooking, and they became too weak to work.
- Wash and soak them after cutting. The starch will stick them together. Then pat dry (important.)
- Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in.
- Keep your hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up.
- A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is almost a must.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's note: Originally published July 3, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Rob says
It seems I'm very late to the party here but I'd like to say that the instructions are good and it worked well for me. Thank you for posting it. I like your no nonsense style.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Rob,
Welcome to the blog.
I do like keeping grill meals entirely on the grill and this works amazingly well.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Sue Pod says
Leave the grill open or closed?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Closed. General rule. Under 1/2 inch thick can be open or closed. 1/2 to 1 inch preferred closed. Over 1 inch is always closed. When in doubt- closed.
Dan
Tom says
Thanks! Easy and delicious.
Jeremy says
If you like burnt fries, this is the recipe. I thought the time was way long compared to other recipes I’ve tried, but I thought “What do I know?”.
Well, I know after 8 minutes, I peeked on them and they were pitch black and burnt on the bottom. These directions are fantasy. Hard skip if I were you.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jeremy,
Sorry you had a problem. Others seem to be having success. Can you tell me the grill surface temperature you used.
Dan
julian says
How can you call this recipe grilled french fries if the potatoes never touch the grill?
Evan says
Julian, Julian, Julian. What are you doing with your life, man? It’s just a recipe; you don’t have to criticize. If you don’t like then it just keep looking until you find the right one. It’s a big world out there.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Evan,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the defense.
I probably should have just deleted the comment but I had the image of him laying his fries across the grill grate and then trying to flip them. So I just let it pass. I find odd things funny.
Dan
Julian is a loser says
I hope you do this in your kitchen and make a terrible oily mess.
Mark says
I only have olive oil can I still make it work if I’m careful?
DrDan says
I don't think it will work well. It needs to get very hot.
Bob Willoughby says
What a great post. I just got a Camp Chef flat top griddle. This looks like a great way to do fries. Have you ever tried peanut oil? Do you know the temperature of the cast iron pan?
Thanks!
DrDan says
Hi Bob,
Peanut oil, of course, would be fine. The grill surface temperature on that grill was probably about 450-500 degrees. The pan temp unknown. But darn hot at the end.
Dan
David says
Thanks for offering the recipe again with some great pictures. I will candidly admit that a picture of the dish surely adds to my interest in making it. And this recipe definitely has a fresh and tempting flavor to it that I loved.
Chris says
I just did this about a week ago and loved them. We did ours indirect at 425f (ish). A cast iron like yours would have been better, we used a 1/4 jelly roll pan.