Smoked Baked Potatoes: The Side Dish You Didn't Know You Needed

I threw some potatoes into the smoker as an experiment one weekend because I had empty rack space during a pork butt cook. That was five years ago, and I haven't baked a potato in an oven since. Once you taste a potato that's been slow-smoked for two hours, the regular oven version feels like it's missing something. Because it is.

Why Smoked Potatoes Are Different

The skin absorbs smoke flavor directly, and the inside develops this creamy, almost buttery texture from the low, steady heat. Plus, the skin gets crispy in a way that's hard to replicate in a standard oven. It's a texture-and-flavor upgrade across the board.

The Method

This couldn't be simpler:

1. Scrub your potatoes clean. Don't peel them.
2. Poke each potato 6-8 times with a fork. This lets steam escape and prevents blowouts.
3. Rub each potato with olive oil and sprinkle generously with coarse salt.
4. Place them directly on the smoker grate at 225-250 degrees F.

That's it. No foil wrapping. Wrapping blocks the smoke from reaching the skin, and the whole point is that smoky exterior. Let the smoker do its thing.

Timing and Temperature

At 225-250 degrees, medium potatoes take about 2 to 2.5 hours. Large potatoes can run 3 hours. They're done when a knife slides through the center with zero resistance. The internal temperature should hit around 205-210 degrees F for that perfect fluffy texture.

Use our meat temperature guide to check other foods you might be cooking alongside them.

Loading Them Up

Once they come off the smoker, slice them open and give them a squeeze to fluff the inside. Then go wild with toppings:

• Classic: Butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits
• BBQ loaded: Pulled pork, BBQ sauce, pickled jalapenos, and cheddar
• Tex-Mex: Chili, cheese sauce, diced onions, and hot sauce
• Simple: Just butter, salt, and pepper. The smoke does the heavy lifting.

Next time you fire up the smoker, throw some potatoes on there. You have the rack space. Use it.