We all love potatoes in every shape and form – there are no two ways about it. And they are extremely nutritious for us as well.
Fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, a well-cooked baked potato is something we all love to dig into. Whether you prefer it as a side to accompany your protein or you’d just have it as your main entrée, the only thing that matters to you is that you cook them to perfection every single time.
We know that running around from the grill in your yard to your kitchen to just to check on your crispy little snacks could be a bit of a hassle. It’s better if you just make the baked potato on a pellet grill right there – less hassle, and much more flavor.
Let us guide you on how you can cook the perfect baked potato on a pellet grill with a crispy fantastic skin.
Ingredients Needed to Make Grilled Baked Potatoes
When you plan on baking some potatoes, make sure you’re prepared beforehand. Luckily, the ingredients you’ll need are some of the most basic ones that you’ll find in your pantry.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Potatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil (we like avocado oil)
- Cooking Foil
What Kind of Potatoes Are Best for Grilling?
Before you get started on your grilled baked potatoes, let first talk about which potato is the ideal type.
Well, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to baked potatoes. You can pick the type you prefer, but there are a few options that, according to some, taste better.
- Russet – This would be a good choice if you want a huge filling baked potato. It has a gritty texture and is ideal for making baked potato on a pellet grill.
- Red potatoes – These could be extremely flavorful, but can turn out to be slightly stiff for baking.
- Gold potatoes – It is a good pick for baking that gives you a smoother texture. They could work as a great replacement to russet.
You’re free to choose the ones you like, but we recommend you go for russet potatoes. After all they are available just about anywhere and make a perfect classic baked potato!
Preparing the Potatoes Before the Grilling
Now that you’ve made up your mind about the choice of potato, it’s important that you prepare them well before you cook that beautiful baked potato on the pellet grill.
1. Wash and Dry the Potatoes
The first step would be to place them under the tap and wipe off all the dirt from the skin. Then let them dry up on their own. You must not skip this step because we know you would end up gobbling it down along with the crisp skin.
2. Pierce the Skin with a Fork
Make sure that you pierce each potato a few times on each side with the help of a fork. Doing so would allow the steam to escape during cooking and give you an evenly cooked baked potato.
3. Oil and Season the Potato
Begin with rubbing olive oil or avocado oil on each potato. Give all the sides a coat with kosher salt and sprinkle pepper along with it. The oil helps the seasoning to stick up to the skin of the potato.
4. Wrap up the Potatoes in Foil
Warp each potato separately in foil. The foil helps to retain the oil and seasoning on the potatoes and keeps them from getting charred. It also speeds up the cooking process due to the steam trapped inside.
Don’t forget to pierce the wrapped potatoes a couple of more times using a fork, this gives the grilled baked potatoes a smoky flavor that you will absolutely love.
Let’s Get down to Grilling
Grilling them up isn’t such a difficult task. You’ve to ensure that the grill is pre-heated. Place your potatoes on the grill over medium heat. We’d advise you to shut the lid and let the heat and smoke do their magic. Let them cook for a good 1 hour and keep turning them from time to time. Keep cooking until they are fork tender.
It would be a smart move if you use up the leftover seasoned oil on the plate you prepared them on and drizzle it over them to give it an added flavor.
How to Know When the Baked Potatoes Are Done?
Wondering how to figure out if they’ve achieved that soft and velvety inside yet? It basically depends on the size of the taters and the temperatures.
To check if they are ready, you can stick a fork in it. If you can do so without any struggle, they are ready to serve!
How Much Time Do They Need to Spend on the Grill?
Like we mentioned before, some spuds might take longer than the others if they’re bigger in size. You can let them cool up if you get done with them early, or it might cook them slowly along with your meat.
When you’re grilling a baked potato on a pellet grill the temperatures will also affect its cooking time. Around an hour or an additional thirty minutes would be a good enough time.
Some of the “Don’ts” to Consider If You Want to Get a Perfect Grilled Baked Potato
It’s hard to mess up a baked potato being cooked on a grill. Nevertheless, some people do run into some common mistakes when they take on a grilled baked potato.
If you keep these tips in mind, we assure you that you won’t run into the same fate as them and they will be cooked to perfection.
Don’t Rush the Process
When making baked potatoes on the grill, make sure to keep it slow. You’ll need to be a little patient as it can turn out to be a little time consuming to hit that perfection level.
Don’t Keep Peeking Inside the Grill
We’d advise you to keep the lid closed and not to check them as frequently as you would like to. Keeping it closed will maintain the temperature inside the grill and as a result you will get evenly cooked potatoes. Just let it spend some time in the dark and trust the process.
Don’t Put the Protein and Potato Together
Unless the meat has the same cooking time as the potato, it would not be a very bright idea to place them together. You can always start to grill your potatoes first and then you can add the meat later on when you’re about to finish up. This usually works for most of the grilled meat and you always end up with your whole meal piping hot!
What to Put on Your Crispy Grilled Baked Potato?
Now that you’ve those gorgeous baked potatoes right in front of you, you can always spice them up a bit with some toppings to go along. After all, they not only make it look good but also help to take the flavor a step up. You can top them up with just about anything you like, but if you’re out of ideas we’ve prepared a little list of our own.
- Salt & Pepper
- Butter
- Sour Cream
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Chives
- Garlic
- Chili
- Shredded Cheese
- Scallion
- Salsa
- Ranch Dressing
- Bacon
Alright, alright, we do admit that the list is too long but you know it too, that there are endless possibilities. It’s not our fault that they go well with nearly everything. We bet you’ll struggle to stop once you’re set on to the task yourself.
Our Final Thoughts
We know that while you will be reading this sentence you must be craving those grilled baked potatoes just as much as we are. Now, all you have to do is to get hold of clean potatoes, oil and season them well and just wrap them up and set them to grill.
Do keep in mind everything that you’ve learned along the way. Serve them with hot with your mains and let people become a fan of your amazing grilled baked potatoes.
Extremely easy to cook and enjoyed by everyone, these grilled baked potatoes will easily become your all-time favorite as they come with a hint of smoke. You know that you’re just a few steps away from becoming the most famous person in the hood to cook the best baked potato on a pellet grill.
