What temperature for Padrón peppers on a kamado?

Direct, 250-270 °C with a preheated cast-iron skillet. That high heat blisters the skin in 6-8 minutes without drying the inside.

Why are some Padrón peppers hot and some not?

Heat comes from capsaicin, which varies with sun, watering and ripeness of each pepper. So within one batch most are mild and the odd one surprises.

Do Padrón peppers need to be deep-fried in lots of oil?

No. On the kamado they cook almost like a plancha, with just a thread of olive oil in the cast-iron pan. They come out lighter and smoky, not greasy.

When do you salt Padrón peppers?

Always at the end, off the heat and still hot, with flaky salt. Salting early draws out water and stops the skin blistering.

Can I cook Padrón peppers on the grate instead of a skillet?

It's awkward: they're small and slip between the bars. Better a cast-iron skillet or griddle, or a vegetable basket if you'd rather not use the open grate.

Can you cook Padrón peppers without a kamado?

Yes. On a gas grill with a cast-iron pan on full they turn out the same in 6-8 minutes, and at home the same pan over high heat on the hob or in a very hot oven is enough. On a pellet grill at full heat, with the iron well preheated, they take 8-10 minutes.

What do I do with the embers left after making Blistered Padrón Peppers on the Kamado?

After 8 min at 260 °C in a classic kamado about 520 g of live embers remain: 55 min more at 260 °C without touching the vents, 1 h 35 min at 140-200 °C closing the vents or 20 min at over 270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

Blistered Padrón Peppers on the Kamado

Quick answer

Heat a cast-iron skillet on the kamado, direct at 250-270 °C. Add dry Padrón peppers with a thread of olive oil and toss for 6-8 minutes until the skin blisters and chars in spots. Lift off, salt with flaky salt and serve hot. Some are mild, some bite.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 8 min
Servings: 4 servings
Temperature: 260 °C

What time do you want to eat?

Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.

Serving time

13:17
Start the prep
13:22
Light the kamado
13:42
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve

Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.

Fire setupDirect heat

Dome: 260 °C
Deflector: No
Grate: Low
Setup: Cast-iron skillet or griddle

Temperature curve

0:31 h from lighting

Kamado dome

#	From	Phase	Dome
1	0:00	Light the charcoalCast iron pan inside while it heats	20 → 260 °C
2	0:20	Stabilise250-270 °C with the oil shimmering	260 °C
3	0:23	Put the food inPeppers all at once, they should sizzle	260 → 235 °C
4	0:24	Cook6-8 min stirring until the skin blisters	235 → 260 °C
5	0:31	Serve	off

0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner

For this recipe

Ingredients

Servings4

Padrón peppers400 g
extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp
flaky sea salt (Maldon-style)1 handful
coarse salt (optional, to finish)1 pinch
lemon (in wedges, to serve)1
extra olive oil to finish (optional)1 tsp
smoked Spanish paprika (optional, to dust)1 pinch
garlic clove, sliced (optional, to scent the oil)1

Allergens

None of the 14 mandatory-declaration allergens in the ingredients.

Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.

The gear for this recipe

See reviews and prices ↓

Method

01
Light the kamado
Set the kamado up for direct cooking and stabilise it at 250-270 °C, with the grate low and close to the coals. Put a cast-iron skillet or griddle inside while it comes up to temperature so the iron preheats thoroughly.
02
Dry the peppers
Wash the Padrón peppers and dry them thoroughly with a cloth; water spits and cools the iron. Leave them whole, stems on, so you can eat them with your fingers. Don't salt them yet.
03
Oil the iron
With the skillet screaming hot, add the olive oil: it should shimmer and ripple, not smoke aggressively. If you like, drop in the sliced garlic for a few seconds to scent the oil, then lift it out before it burns.
04
Toss over fierce heat
Tip in the peppers all at once; they should crackle instantly. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, shaking the pan or turning with tongs so the skin blisters and chars on several faces. They're ready when soft, glossy and spotted with brown.
05
Salt off the heat
Lift the skillet off the kamado and, while still hot, scatter generously with flaky salt. Toss so the salt clings to the oil. An optional pinch of smoked paprika adds a smoky aroma.
06
Serve at once
Transfer to a plate or board and serve hot, with lemon wedges alongside and a final thread of olive oil if you like. It's finger food: grab by the stem and bite. Remember: some are hot, some are not.

About this recipe

Few starters set a summer table like a handful of glossy Padrón peppers scattered with flaky salt. The charm is homely and a touch treacherous: in any batch most are sweet and grassy, but one or two will genuinely bite. The kamado makes them better, because cast iron holds a heat a home hob rarely sustains.

In 30 seconds

Screaming-hot cast-iron skillet on the kamado, direct at 250-270 °C, dry peppers with a thread of olive oil, 6-8 minutes tossing until the skin blisters, then off with flaky salt. An eight-minute starter.

Padróns are small and would roll between the bars. A cast-iron skillet or griddle keeps them in full contact with a searing surface, so the skin blisters and chars in spots without drying the inside. Cast iron carries thermal inertia: drop the handful in and the temperature barely dips, so the sauté starts immediately.

This is not an oil-bath dish. The peppers go in dry, with only a thread of olive oil in the pan, cooked almost like a plancha. Toss them often so they blister on several faces; the minimal oil stops sticking and drives Maillard browning without scorching the skin too soon.

Flaky salt goes on off the heat, straight from the pan, so it clings to the oil and adds that saline crunch. Salting early only draws out moisture and hinders blistering. Serve at once: they lose their magic the moment they cool.

Will it fit your kamado?

Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Tight
A 35 cm skillet won't fit; with a smaller one, the 400 g go in two batches.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Fits
The 35 cm skillet fits and the 400 g are cooked in one go.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
Fits comfortably; the quantity can be doubled in the large skillet.

What to serve with it

Sides

Rustic bread with tomato
Grilled bacon-wrapped dates

Wine: Albariño white from Rías Baixas or a Ribeiro white
Beer: Golden lager or a cold pilsner
Alcohol-free: Lemonade with a hint of ginger

Leftovers and storage

In the fridge: Refrigerate within 2 h, airtight; 3-4 days, though they lose their glossy skin.
Freezing: They do not freeze well: they go limp and watery when thawed.
Reheating: Very hot cast-iron pan for 1-2 min with a few drops of olive oil; salt again at the end.
Using them up: Chopped into a potato omelette or scrambled eggs.

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.

Leftover embers

You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat

For 8 min at 260 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 300 g: when you serve, about 520 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:

Without touching the vents
260 °Cgrilled vegetables
55 minof embers
- Costa Blanca grilled seasonal vegetables on the kamado35 min · 220 °C
- Grilled peaches with honey and vanilla ice cream on the kamado8 min · 210 °C
- Charcoal-Roasted Baba Ganoush on the Kamado, with Tahini and Pita45 min · 260 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)
Closing the vents halfway and waiting for it to drop
140-200 °Cdessert while you eat
1 h 35 minof embers
- Kamado-roasted figs with goat cheese and honey7 min · 200 °C
- Brioche Burger Buns on the Kamado18 min · 190 °C
- Kamado-Roasted Squash with Honey and Pimentón de la Vera45 min · 200 °C
No recipe needed
- Yesterday's bread with oil and garlic, on the grate (10 min)
- Corn cobs in their husks (30 min)
- Whole apples with a slit in the skin (45 min)
Opening the vents fully
over 270 °Cfull heat, direct
20 minof embers
- Sesame-Crusted Seared Bluefin Tuna on the Kamado (Tataki)4 min · 280 °C
- Iberian pork tenderloin grilled with Pedro Ximénez glaze8 min · 280 °C
- Red prawns over live fire on the kamado in 6 minutes6 min · 280 °C
No recipe needed
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (2 min each)
- Whole peppers until the skin blackens, for peeling (8 min)
- Pineapple or peach slices, char-marked (3 min)

Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 520 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 30 min of fire, lighting included.

No kamado?

How to make it without a kamado: oven, gas grill or pellets

Padrón peppers need very hot iron and 6-8 minutes of tossing. Without a kamado you only lose the ember aroma; the pan does the rest.

Home oven

Temp.: Maximum, 250-275 °C, with the cast-iron pan inside
Time: 8-10 min, tossing once

Preheat the cast-iron pan in the oven for 15 minutes before adding oil and peppers
Grill for the last 2 minutes to blister the skin
Quicker still: the same pan on the hob over high heat, 6-8 minutes

SmokeBarkJuicinessGood, a little less blistered than over coals

Gas grill

Temp.: Burners on high, cast-iron pan at 260-280 °C
Time: 6-8 min, same as on the kamado

Cast-iron pan or griddle on the grate, 10-15 minutes with the lid closed
Toss with the lid open so you can move the peppers
For a hint of char, finish them loose on the grate for 1 minute

SmokeBarkJuicinessPractically the same

Pellet grill or electric smoker

Temp.: Pellet grill at maximum, 260-290 °C, with a cast-iron pan
Time: 8-10 min, after 20 min heating the iron inside

Pellet grill only: an electric smoker tops out at 135 °C
Cast-iron pan inside from start-up, at least 20 minutes before the oil goes in
Open the lid only to toss; the chamber loses heat much faster than a kamado

SmokeBarkJuicinessGood, a little less blistered than over coals

Temperatures and times are a guide; the original recipe is the kamado one. Tempted? which kamado to choose for what you cook

Editor's tips

The iron must be genuinely hot before the peppers go in: a lukewarm pan steams them instead of blistering, and they turn leathery.
Don't crowd the pan. A handful per batch lets each pepper touch the iron; piled up, they steam. Cook in two rounds if needed.
Drop the kamado lid between batches to hold the temperature; the iron recovers heat faster with the dome trapping the coals' radiance.

Gear for this recipe

As an Amazon Associate, mikamado.es earns from qualifying purchases. At no extra cost to you.

Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large is the heart of this recipe: its thick ceramic holds a steady heat and runs direct at 250-270 °C, exactly the fierce fire that blisters Padrón skins in minutes. The Large size leaves plenty of room for a 35 cm cast-iron skillet and recovers temperature fast even when you lift the lid to toss between batches.
€2,099
See alternatives on Amazon Read review
Kamado Joe Big Block XL lump charcoal 9.1 kg
The fierce fire of this starter calls for good large-lump oak charcoal. Kamado Joe's Big Block XL lump reaches high temperature quickly and holds it steadily, ideal for keeping the cast-iron skillet at 250-270 °C batch after batch. Being clean lump, it lends a subtle ember note without resinous flavours that would mask the olive oil and flaky salt.
€67
See alternatives on Amazon Read review
Petromax FP35 Cast Iron Fire Skillet 35 cm with Handles
A cast-iron skillet is essential here, because the peppers are small and would slip between the grate bars. The Petromax FP35 is 35 cm with two handles, so it holds a generous handful and you can shake it over the coals to blister the Padróns on several faces. Cast iron carries thermal inertia and barely loses heat when the peppers go in, so the sauté starts immediately.
€70
View on Amazon Read review
WMF BBQ Grill Tongs 44 cm with Lock, Cromargan Steel
€27
View on Amazon Read review

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FAQ

What temperature for Padrón peppers on a kamado?
Direct, 250-270 °C with a preheated cast-iron skillet. That high heat blisters the skin in 6-8 minutes without drying the inside.
Why are some Padrón peppers hot and some not?
Heat comes from capsaicin, which varies with sun, watering and ripeness of each pepper. So within one batch most are mild and the odd one surprises.
Do Padrón peppers need to be deep-fried in lots of oil?
No. On the kamado they cook almost like a plancha, with just a thread of olive oil in the cast-iron pan. They come out lighter and smoky, not greasy.
When do you salt Padrón peppers?
Always at the end, off the heat and still hot, with flaky salt. Salting early draws out water and stops the skin blistering.
Can I cook Padrón peppers on the grate instead of a skillet?
It's awkward: they're small and slip between the bars. Better a cast-iron skillet or griddle, or a vegetable basket if you'd rather not use the open grate.
Can you cook Padrón peppers without a kamado?
Yes. On a gas grill with a cast-iron pan on full they turn out the same in 6-8 minutes, and at home the same pan over high heat on the hob or in a very hot oven is enough. On a pellet grill at full heat, with the iron well preheated, they take 8-10 minutes.
What do I do with the embers left after making Blistered Padrón Peppers on the Kamado?
After 8 min at 260 °C in a classic kamado about 520 g of live embers remain: 55 min more at 260 °C without touching the vents, 1 h 35 min at 140-200 °C closing the vents or 20 min at over 270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

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