Smoked baked potatoes make an easy side dish that cooks alongside your main course on the grill or smoker and you’ll have a classic and filling smoked side dish!
With just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, you get fluffy potatoes with crispy, seasoned skin and that extra smoky flavor. They’re perfect for cookouts, weeknight dinners, or game day parties, and you can top them however you like.
Table of contents
Easy Pit Boss Baked Potato
These potatoes require almost no prep work but deliver big flavor. The smoking process gives the skin a nice crispy texture while keeping the inside fluffy and tender. Since they cook alongside your meat, you’ll have a complete meal without much extra effort. Plus, the topping possibilities are endless – from classic butter and sour cream to loaded with bacon and cheese.
What You Need to Make Pit Boss Baked Potatoes
- Potatoes – Russet is my default. The thick skin holds up to 90 minutes at 400°F and crisps properly when unwrapped. Yukon Gold works too, but the skin is thinner and softer. Avoid red potatoes — they’re too waxy, and the thin skin won’t hold toppings.
- Butter: I use salted butter for the skin coating. Melted and brushed on before the salt and pepper go on. The butter helps the skin crisp up and carries the seasoning into it as it cooks.
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Sea salt
- BBQ Rub: optional but worth it if you have it. Whatever rub you’re using on your main cook works here — no need to switch pellets or seasonings.
How to Make Pitboss Smoked Baked Potatoes
Step 1: Pick Your Potatoes
You need to pick your potatoes first. I would recommend Yukon Gold, Russet, or even sweet potatoes. I have listed all my favorite varieties below so that you can try.
Step 2: Cleaning the Potato
Take your chosen potatoes and give them a thorough scrub with a brush under cold water. Do this to wash off any dirt, grime, and contaminants. Bacteria get destroyed in the cooking process. But bits of dirt and grit in your meal are not ideal, so cleaning the potato skin is necessary.
Step 3: Preheat The Grill
Preheat the grill to medium heat of 400°F, then load the hopper with the wood chip of choice – any flavor works well with potatoes. So, there is no need to switch if you have your meat smoking already.
Step 4: Season Your Spuds
Pierce each potato 8–10 times all over with a fork — this lets steam escape and allows the smoky flavor to get into the flesh. Brush generously with melted butter on all sides then season with salt, pepper, and BBQ rub if using.
The butter coating is what gives the skin that slightly crispy, seasoned finish. If you want softer skin, wrap in foil now. If you want crispy skin, leave them unwrapped — they’ll take a little longer but the skin is noticeably better.
Step 5: Place in The Smoker and Cook
Once the Pit Boss has reached 400°F place the potatoes on the grill grate. Cook for 60–90 minutes. After 90 minutes, pierce with a fork — if it goes in with almost no resistance, they’re done. If there’s any firmness, give them another 10–15 minutes. If you left them unwrapped, the skin will be crispy and slightly browned by this point. If wrapped in foil, unwrap for the last 15 minutes if you want more skin texture.
Step 6: Add Your Toppings
Once the Pit Boss has reached 400°F place the potatoes on the grill grate. Cook for 60–90 minutes. After 90 minutes, pierce with a fork — if it goes in with almost no resistance, they’re done. If there’s any firmness, give them another 10–15 minutes. If you left them unwrapped, the skin will be crispy and slightly browned by this point. If wrapped in foil, unwrap for the last 15 minutes if you want more skin texture.
Choosing the Right Potato
There are hundreds of types of potatoes, but below I discuss my five favorite varieties :
Russet
Classic Russet potatoes are a starchy type of potato that is most popular for baking and smoking.
Their thicker skin holds up well to prolonged smoking. In addition, it helps keep the toppings together. This makes them ideal for the pellet grill. They are also great for salads and fries, and they hold their shape during cooking.
Red
Red potatoes are waxy potatoes known for their easy-to-peel, thin, paper-like skins. They are best for soups and potato salads. But don’t use them for baked potatoes, as they need thicker skin to hold toppings intact.
Yellow and White
These are versatile all-purpose potatoes favored for soups, stews, roasting, and sautéing. Similar to a russet but with pale yellow or white flesh and a more rounded shape. Gold potatoes are an excellent substitute for russets for baking.
Sweet Potato:
You can smoke sweet potatoes. They work perfectly! See my recipe for smoked sweet potatoes here.
How to Store Leftover Baked Potatoes
Store leftover baked potatoes in the fridge for up to 4 days, wrapped in foil or in an airtight container. To reheat, place in a 400°F oven for 15–20 minutes until the skin re-crisps. An air fryer at 400°F for 8–10 minutes gives the best result — the skin comes back close to fresh. Avoid the microwave if you care about the skin — it goes soft immediately.
What about the Fillings?
The fillings for your baked potatoes are entirely down to your imagination. So experiment and perfect your recipes!
Sour cream, garlic powder with bacon bits, and shredded cheddar cheese are favorites. But equally as good are black beans and garlic butter, topped with tomato salsa.
You can also add veggies like fresh chopped cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or avocado.
How about grated parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and cream cheese? Or some spring onions, ground garlic, and sour cream
They all work deliciously as baked potato fillings. Options are endless!
Should You Wrap in Aluminum Foil?
Wrapping in foil is a matter of personal preference. The aluminum foil conducts heat so that baking potatoes have a faster cooking time.
However, the skin will remain soft. The foil also keeps the seasoning on the skin and holds all the fillings intact. It also helps prevent the outside from burning on the grill. So it’s down to whether you want to cook the potatoes faster or prefer to take a little longer and enjoy a crispier skin.
| Foil-Wrapped | Unwrapped | |
|---|---|---|
| Cook time | Faster — 60–75 min | Slower — 75–90 min |
| Skin | Soft | Crispy |
| Smoke flavor | Milder | Stronger |
| Best for | Toppings-heavy loaded potato | Classic crispy skin |
What Temperature Do You Bake Potatoes On A Pellet Grill?
I recommend cooking your potatoes at 400°F. This takes around 1.5 hours. Generally, smoking baked potatoes takes approximately 1.5 hours. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the potatoes and the smoker’s temperature.
To ensure even cooking, it is advisable to wrap the potatoes in foil and place them directly on the smoker’s rack. Remember to maintain a consistent temperature of 400°F throughout the smoking process for tender, flavorful smoked baked potatoes.
The easiest way to tell if the potatoes are cooked is to pierce them with a fork. If the fork goes in easily, they are done. Another way is to use a temperature probe. When the temperature reaches 210-220F, they are ready.
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Looking for Some More Side Dishes?
Sometimes the sides are my favorite part of a cookout! Some of our family’s most popular dishes include;
- Smoked Mac and Cheese with a Crispy Top
- Smoked Jalapeño Poppers
- Smoked Corn on the Cob with Extra Butter
- Smoked Sweet Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
Mains to Serve with a Baked Potato 🥔🔥
🥩 Smoked Sirloin Steak
🍗 Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
🥩 Grilled Tri-Tip
🍔 Smoked Lamb Burgers
🐟 Grilled Salmon
🥩 Grilled Pork Chops
Pit Boss Baked Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Smoker
Ingredients
- 4 whole potatoes
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp. barbeque rub seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- You need to pick your potatoes first, I would recommend Yukon Gold, Russet or even sweet potatoes. I have listed all my favorite varieties below you can try.
- Give your potatoes a wash to remove any dirt or grime.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat of 400°F, then load the hopper with the wood chip of choice – any flavor works well with potatoes. So, there is no need to switch if you have your meat smoking already.
- Take the potato, pierce it several times with a fork, then cover it with melted butter and top with salt and pepper. Then wrap it in foil if using it, and place it on the grill grate. Close the lid and let them do their thing.
- Once your Pit Boss has reached 400°F put your foil wrapped spuds on the grill grate. Cook for 60–90 minutes. After 90 minutes, pierce with a fork — if it goes in with almost no resistance they are done. If there is any firmness give them another 10–15 minutes.
- Make sure you have all your favorite toppings ready. Butter first while the potato is still steaming hot, then sour cream, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar, and chives.
Baked potatoes make a hearty and filling side to any barbecue meal or are a fantastic meal on their own. This side dish will have the whole family coming back for more!
Smoke On!
Charlie
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
Hungry For More?
These potatoes came out sooooo good!! I had never tried smoking potatoes before but it will so simple to throw them on the smoker with the brisket and ribs we were doing for our Memorial day bbq, it is ok to use margarine instead of butter?
So glad you enjoyed them!! I like to use butter but you can sub for margarine if you like! Also how did the brisket and ribs come out??