Smoked Sweet Potatoes

Elevate your side dish game with these smoked sweet potatoes, perfectly tender and infused with a rich, smoky flavor. Finished with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon or some toasted marshmallows, these sweet potatoes offer a delightful balance of sweetness and savory depth, making them an irresistible addition to any meal.

Why This Recipe Works

Take Sweet Potatoes to a New Level: I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love sweet potatoes! They are flavorful, packed with nutrients, and so easy to make. After learning how to smoke sweet potatoes, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to baked sweet potatoes! They get perfectly infused with a smoky flavor which goes well with so many different meals, and adds a unique flavor that pairs with the natural sweetness of the potato.

Versatile Side Dish: This side dish is a great addition to your weekly meal rotation (it pairs so well with these smoked chicken thighs or even with a perfect reverse seared steak). I believe this would also be a super simple way to make a killer holiday side dish as well to serve up with my champagne brined turkey recipe or this double smoked ham as well. You can serve these up with a little butter, chives, or go with a full on stuffed sweet potato (like I did here) with some gooey toasted marshmallows and some easy air fried pork belly over the top (because I am EXTRA). I like to whip up some of these sweet potatoes and keep them in the fridge for easy meal prep!

Supplies Needed

Butcher Paper
Fork
Tongs
Oven Mitts
Pairing Knife
Meat Thermometer

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes: Use similar sized sweet potatoes for this recipe (this helps with even cooking)
Olive Oil: I use this on the outside skin. It just helps get it a little crispier and allows the rub to adhere.
BBQ Seasoning: I love adding some seasoning to the outside skin, simply for some added smoky flavor. I like this sugar free all purpose BBQ rub or this Cajun BBQ dry rub. Simply adding a little smoked paprika, salt, and pepper works great too.
Optional Toppings: Besides some basic butter and a few chives, I added some pork belly (you can use my air fryer method or my smoked pork belly method if you prefer) and some marshmallows.

How to Grill Sweet Potatoes

I approached this recipe in a similar way that I would if I were baking in a traditional oven. In order to do this, you need to set your charcoal smoker or pellet grill up for indirect heat. Use a lighter to medium bodied wood chip.

Preheat & Prep: I preheated my Big Green Egg to 350 degrees F. Prep your potatoes by making sure they’re clean and dry. Add a little olive oil to each of your potatoes and season the outside skin with the BBQ seasoning.
Wrap & Smoke: Wrap each potato tightly in butcher paper. Place them onto the grill grates with the end of the paper side down to keep it in place. Allow them to smoke and cook for about 45-60 minutes.
Check for Doneness: Check your potatoes by poking them with the end of your thermometer probe to check tenderness. At this point, I like to unwrap the potatoes and allow the skin to crisp up at this point while they finish cooking (about another 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the potato).
Remove & Rest: When they are tender and cooked through, remove the potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Allow them to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into them for serving.

Wrapping the sweet potatoes in butcher paper.

What to Serve with Smoked Sweet Potatoes

One of my favorite ways to serve my smoked sweet potato recipe is with bacon or pork belly and marshmallows for a sweet and savory flavor combination! Start by slicing into your potatoes and fluffing the inside with a fork. Place some marshmallows inside with bacon or the pork belly and place back on the grill for 5-10 minutes to allow the marshmallows to melt and brown! If you prefer, you can opt for brown sugar instead of marshmallows.

If you prefer to top your sweet potatoes off with savory toppings, butter, and roasted garlic would be absolutely delicious!

You can also serve your sweet potatoes plain with just a little bit of butter and salt alongside all of your favorite proteins. Here are some of my favorites to pair with them:

Placing the sweet potatoes on the smoker

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need butcher paper for this recipe?

Butcher paper is a great way to speed up the cooking process of your potatoes, but still allowing for the smoke to penetrate into your potatoes.

Traditionally, whenever we wrap meat in butcher paper it’s done to create an environment that traps moisture to essentially steam the meat and get it through a stall process. While this isn’t a brisket, potatoes are dense root vegetables that take a long time to cook through.

While foil would give you the same outcome, you should avoid using it with this recipe because it may not allow as much of the smoke flavor to pass through to the potato while cooking. Butcher paper will also add a nice flavor too!

How do I know when my smoked sweet potatoes are cooked?

Testing for doneness is best done by using a fork, thermometer probe, or sharp knife. Insert the sharper ends into the potatoes center, they should slide in easily so the inside feels like softened butter.

While this is a useful method, I like to also check for an internal temperature. According to several culinary texts, potatoes are cooked and tender when they hit a temperature between 205 F. – 212 F.

How should I store leftover smoked sweet potatoes?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days! You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven or air fryer until heated through.

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