Smoked Baked Potatoes

Learn everything you need to know about how to make smoked baked potatoes! 

Whether you've got a gas grill, a Traeger or Pit Boss pellet grill, or even a Masterbuilt electric smoker, we've got you covered!

Potatoes taste great when made on the smoker.

Whether it's our famous smoked potato salad, smoked mashed potatoes, smoked sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar, or the classic smoked twice baked potatoes, they almost always come out great!

And the best part is they are super easy to make, especially these smoked baked potatoes.

You can throw them on the grill or smoker right alongside your chicken, smoked rump roast, or even some baby back ribs.

Jump to:

• Cleaning and Prepping the Potatoes
• Seasoning and Toppings
• Smoking Temperature
• Cooking Time
• Target Internal Temperature
• Setting up your Grill or Smoker
• Pellet Grill
• Gas or Charcoal Grill
• Serving Suggestions
• 📖 Recipe

Cleaning and Prepping the Potatoes

Make sure to buy whole Russet Potatoes.

Give them each a good scrubbing and then dry them.

After all, these things grow in the ground and there's a lot of little nooks and crannies where dirt can hang out.

Next, pierce each potato with a fork in multiple places.

This will let out steam as they cook and also let some smokey flavor into the potatoes as they cook.

Seasoning and Toppings

Rub the potatoes with some olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Don't worry about the smoke point of whatever oil you use as we are going to cook these low and slow to get maximum smokey flavor.

You'll want to also think about what toppings you'll like on your smoked baked potatoes when they are finished.

For a classic LOADED smoked baked potato, get yourself the following for toppings later:

• Butter
• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheese
• Cooked Bacon (Crumbled)
• Chives

You can also have some fun topping your smoked baked potatoes with chili or jalapenos if you want some bigger and bolder flavors or to make a whole meal out them.

Smoking Temperature

We recommend cooking your smoked baked potatoes at the classic low and slow BBQ temperature of 225°F.

This allows the smoked potatoes plenty of time to absorb some nice smokey flavor while they cook

However, if you are crunched for time, there is nothing wrong with turning the heat up on your grill or smoker as high as 350*F and finishing them faster.

Just keep in mind you might not get much of a "smoked" flavor if you do this so plan ahead to give them time to cook.

Cooking Time

If you are using a grill, make sure to set it up for INDIRECT cooking with all the charcoal or burners lit on the opposite side of the raw potatoes.

Safety Tip: Make to sure to never position your smoked vegetables and side dishes UNDER any meat you are cooking in order to avoid dripping and possible salmonella contamination.

If you set up your grill or smoker for indirect heat at 225°F, expect the smoked baked potatoes to take about 2 to 2.5 hours to cook.

You can always turn the heat up if needed towards the end if needed but start them low and slow so they get plenty of smoke.

Target Internal Temperature

After about 2 hours, check them for doneness by piercing one of the smoked baked potatoes with a fork and seeing if it slides through easily.

You can also use a good instant thermometer like our favorite from ThermoPro to check the internal temperature just like you would a roast.

Once the internal temperature of your smoked baked potatoes hits 205-210°F you can take them off the grill or smoker.

Setting up your Grill or Smoker

New to smoking?

Check out our Complete List of the Best Entry Level Smokers for Beginners Here.

Remember, no matter what type of grill or smoker you are using, the goal is to set it up for INDIRECT cooking at 225°F and to add smoke flavor.

Vertical or Offset Charcoal Smoker

Fill your firebox or lower charcoal basin with about two chimneys worth of unlit charcoal and create a small hollowed out depression in the center where you can add your lit briquets.

If your smoker comes with a water pan, like the Weber Smokey Mountain, go ahead and fill it to keep the air in the cooking chamber nice and moist.

Light a charcoal chimney ¼ with charcoal and wait about 20 minutes for it to fully ignite.

Once lit, add the lit briquets to the center depression you created.

Keep the dampers about ½ way to ¾ open until the temperature is around 200°F.

Add 1 chunk of smoking wood once the smoker is up to temperature, oil the grill grates, and put your oiled and seasoned whole raw potatoes on.

Then slowly close down the top and bottom dampers to about ⅓- ¼ open until you are maintaining a temperature of 225°F.

Propane or Electric Smoker

Propane and electric options are some of the easiest smokers for beginners to start with.

Debating whether to buy a propane or electric smoker? Check out our COMPLETE Comparison Guide HERE.

For Propane: Open your gas valve and light the bottom burner. Adjust it to keep the temperature constant at 225°F.

Need a refresher? Check our our Complete Guide to How to Use a Propane Smoker HERE.

For Electric: Plug your electric smoker in, open the vents, and turn the temperature to 225°F.

While it comes up to temperature, add smoking wood chips, not pellets, to the smoking wood tray.

Fill the water tray if there is one.

Place your oiled and seasoned raw potatoes directly on the oiled racks and close the door.

Refilling wood chips is one of the major drawbacks, besides tray size, of electric smokers compared to pellet grills like Traegers and Pit Bosses.

However, we recently found a great solution.

If you are tired of having to reload fresh wood chips into your electric smoker, especially on longer cooks like pork butt and brisket, then check out this Masterbuilt Automatic Slow Smoker Attachment.

It basically burns new fresh wood chips at a constant rate, much like how a pellet grill works, freeing you up to do other things while getting your food nice and smokey!

Pellet Grill

Check out Traeger Pellet Grills on Amazon

Fill the pellet hopper with your choice of smoking wood pellets, preferably apple or hickory.

Plug in the pellet grill and turn the temperature to 225°F.  Make sure you have the pellet grill set up for INDIRECT cooking.

Let the pellet grill run through its start up process. When the pellet grill has come up to temperature, place your oiled and seasoned raw potatoes on the oiled grill grates and close the lid.

Never used a pellet grill before? Read our Ultimate Guide to Pellet Grills to learn why they are so easy and how to set one up for success every time.

Gas or Charcoal Grill

On a gas or charcoal grill you will likely need to use a smoker box filled with wood chips, or a pellet tube smoker filled with wood pellets.

Think you need a fancy smoker to smoke food at home? 

Think again.

Great smoked food can be made right on your current gas or charcoal grill.

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Smoking on a Gas Grill HERE.

If you are unfamiliar with these gas grill smoking devices mentioned above, no worries, we have you covered!

Read Everything You Need to Know about how to use Smoker Boxes here, and see a selection of our Favorite Pellet Tube Smokers here.

Or check out this handy comparison between smoker boxes and pellet tube smokers if you can't decide which is right for you.

In the case of smoked baked potatoes, we would opt for the pellet tube smoker since we are going to need smoke for a couple of hours.

Set up your gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking with the burners or a small amount of lit briquets on one side and plan for your potatoes to be on the other side.

Remember, we are smoking the "baked" potatoes INDIRECTLY, like an oven, not DIRECTLY over the burners or coals.

Once the temperature of your grill is around 200°F, place your smoker box or pellet tube smoker over the lit burners or charcoal and once smoke begins coming out, place your oiled and seasoned raw potatoes on the oiled grates on the opposite side.

Continue bringing the temperature up to 225°F.

Check out our Favorite AFFORDABLE Gas Grills Here.

Serving Suggestions

You can eat your smoked baked potatoes simply with a little salt, pepper, and butter, or LOAD them up with sour cream, cheese, chili, bacon, queso, you name it!

You can also easily take it to the next step by following our recipe for smoked twice baked potatoes!

Or, make a whole meal out of your smoked baked potatoes by topping them with some delicious pulled pork, pulled beef chuck roast, or sliced beef brisket and some BBQ sauce!

📖 Recipe