If you love to cook on your Traeger Grill, I think you're going to love these easy Traeger twice smoked potatoes. If we are already cooking a fabulous main dish out on the pellet smoker, why not get the rest of our meal out there too?
When you are in the mood for a cheesy comfort food side dish, nothing beats a great twice smoked potato. Lets get into this next level recipe and make dinner special tonight.
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The Flavors of Twice Smoked Potatoes
There is nothing better than delicious and comforting stuffed potatoes. We are combining bacon, your favorite grated cheese, and a barbecue seasoning in a creamy potato mixture that is sure to please everyone!
I like to it as a whole meal on the smoker and serve these potatoes with a slow cooked main dish and a crisp green salad. Best of all, the prep time is pretty casual so I'm sure this is going to be your go-to side dish for entertaining this season.
Twice Smoked Potatoes Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes- medium sized potatoes are best for individual serving and cook time.
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheese- cheddar cheese or another favorite melting cheese
- crumbled bacon bits - 4 slices of bacon
- salt and black pepper OR ¼ teaspoon of your favorite BBQ rub for more smokey flavor
Optional garnishes:
- fresh chives
- green onions
- more sour cream for topping
Helpful Supplies for Twice Smoked Potatoes
- Pellet Grill
- Stand Mixer (OR electric mixer / potato masher)
- Baking Sheet
- Cutting board and knife
If you want, you can use a large bowl and a potato masher instead of an electric mixer. You may want to go this route if you prefer a chunkier potato with more texture. If you want a smooth, mashed potato feel, a stand mixer is better.
Tips and Considerations for Twice Smoked Potatoes
If you are cooking the potatoes while smoking a main dish, the cook time will vary. On the bright side, it's unlikely to overcook the potatoes. Just get them prepared on the top shelf of the smoker and let them cook until they are fork tender. You can also use a temperature probe to let you know when they reach 180˚F internally.
Do you like your twice smoked potatoes smooth or chunky? This is your meal, so I want you to make it how you like it. I prefer a smoother filling, so I use my stand mixer to whip the potato. If you like more texture a hand masher is perfect for making the filling.
The size of the potatoes matters. If I have larger russets, I will cut them in half through the center and serve each potato half as a serving. These will also take longer to cook all of the way through during the first smoke. No big deal. Just make smart adjustments as needed.
How to Make Twice Smoked Potatoes on a Traeger
Here in the instructions, I am giving you the cook time based on a higher temperature. If you are smoking a main dish at a lower temperature, adjust for a longer cook time.
- Start by preheating your Traeger or other pellet smoker to 400˚F.
- Get the russet potatoes ready by washing them under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Poke holes into the potatoes so they can release steam during the smoking process and don't explode.
- Drizzle vegetable oil on the potatoes and rub it around. Sprinkle the potatoes on all sides with your favorite BBQ rub. (Traeger Anything Rub)
- Once the smoker has reached your desired temperature, place the potatoes on the top smoker rack. Cook like this with the lid closed.
- While the potatoes are on the smoker, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- After the potatoes have cooked for about an hour and 15 minutes, they should be fork tender.
- After the initial cooking process, remove the potatoes to a sheet pan while you work on the potato filling. *Please don't burn yourself handling hot potatoes.*
- Cut off the top ⅓ of the potato if you are using medium sized potatoes. For larger potatoes, cut them in half and refill both sides.
- Scoop the potato flesh into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer or a hand masher if preparing in a mixing bowl, smash the potatoes until they are your desired texture.
- Now you can add in the butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, seasoning. Note: taste the filling before seasoning because the bacon and cheese will already add a lot of salt.
- Fold the ingredients to combine them completely. Fill each potato shell with the potato filling. Top them with a thin slice of butter and more shredded cheese.
- Return the potatoes to the Traeger for another 15-20 minutes and cook with the lid closed or until the cheese is a beautiful golden brown.
Recipe Modifications and Substitutions
Here are a few variations and additional ingredients you can try to turn up the flavor:
- cream cheese- if you are looking for an even creamier consistency and that tasty cream cheese flavor
- white cheddar- love the flavor and its fun to change it up
- smoked gouda or smoked cheddar- when I am craving extra smoke flavor, I will use good smoked gouda or smoked cheddar to turn up the smoky flavor.
- If you don't have sour cream or don't love the flavor, use heavy cream instead. It will give the potatoes that creamy texture and loosen up the filling just enough.
Saving and Reheating Instructions
You can easily save leftover potatoes OR make these ahead of time and reheat them before dinner.
To save leftover potatoes, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. The next time you are ready to eat, place them in the microwave- one minute per potato or heat them in the smoker or oven at 350˚F 20 minutes.
These also freeze really well if you want to make extra and save some for a busy day. I save them in a vacuum sealed bag. You can either thaw them out in the fridge the night before you want to eat them. Or, reheat them straight out of the freezer at 350˚F for 30 minutes.
More Smoker Recipes
This is the perfect side dish for these favorite main dishes:
For a similar side dish, check out the Traeger Baked Potato Post.
Printable Traeger Twice Smoked Potato Recipe Card
Loaded Traeger Twice Smoked Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer *can use large bowl and potato masher
Ingredients
- 4 russet potato medium sized
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup sour cream plus more for serving
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 4 slices bacon cooked until crispy and crumbled
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- chives optional garnish
Instructions
- Set your Traeger or pellet grill to 400F
- Wash the potatoes well. Use a fork to poke holes a couple times in each potato. Rub the outside of each potato with a small amount of vegetable oil and season with Traeger Rub.
- Once the Traeger has preheated with the lid closed for 15 minutes, place the potatoes directly on the grill grates for 1 hour or until they reach an internal temperature of 180F.
- While the potatoes cook, prepare the bacon and shred the cheese.
- After the potatoes have cooked for an hour, check to see if they are fork tender. Depending on the size of the potato, they may need more time.
- Remove the potatoes to a baking sheet or cutting board. Give the, a few minutes to cool off before handling.
- Cut off the top ⅓ of the potato and scoop the white potato flesh into the bowl of your stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Leave a ¼ inch around the edge of the potato peel so it doesn't fall apart.
- Add the butter, sour cream, shredded cheese and bacon bits to the potato and mix to combine. Taste the potato filling and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Fill each potato shell with the filling and top with extra shredded cheese.
- Return the potatoes to the smoker and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted on top.
- Remove from the smoker and serve with sour cream and diced chives if desired.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.
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