These smoked sweet potatoes have it all -- creamy flesh, crisped edges, and an irresistible smoky, buttery flavor. They're tossed with sage and butter and cooked in a foil pan on your smoker or grill until perfectly tender.
I've tried smoking whole sweet potatoes many times, and although they taste fantastic, they never seem to be smoky enough. Plus, they take forever. These cubed smoked sweet potatoes solved both of those issues, and gave me one added bonus -- crispy edges.
The smaller pieces absorb more smoke as they cook, and they cook faster. As with any type of roasted potato, I love the contrast of crisped edges against the creaminess of the potato, but if you prefer to just have soft, tender, smoky potatoes without any crisping, there are instructions for that, too. It's definitely a choose-your-own-adventure situation.
Serve this satisfying grilled side dish alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, your favorite pork chop recipe, or grilled bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.
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Why You'll Loved This Smoked Sweet Potato Recipe
- Using cubed sweet potatoes means that they cook faster than smoking whole sweet potatoes and take on more smoke flavor.
- You can make them on your smoker or grill.
- It's easy to add crispy edges to your potatoes, if you like.
- Cooking them in a foil pan makes for very easy clean up.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sweet potatoes--You can substitute yams here if you want a starchier, less sweet vegetable. Whatever you use, be sure to cut your potatoes into similar sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
- Oil and butter--I prefer to use both because the butter adds a lot of flavor to the smoked potatoes, while the oil helps it to cook and prevents the butter from burning.
- Sage--This spice pairs beautifully with sweet potatoes and applewood smoke. If you want to use fresh sage, use about 1 tablespoon of minced fresh sage leaves.
- Cayenne (not pictured)--Optional, but highly recommended. The heat of the pepper balances the richness of the butter and the sweetness of the potatoes.
Important Steps
- Whisk the olive oil, sage, and cayenne, if using, in a small bowl.
- Arrange the cubed sweet potatoes in a foil tray. Pour the spiced oil mixture over the potatoes and toss to combine.
- Dot the butter over the potatoes.
- Smoke the sweet potatoes until fork tender, replenishing wood chips as needed.
How to Get Crispy Edges on Your Smoked Potatoes
The key to being able to crisp up the edges of your smoked sweet potatoes is access to direct heat, so this is easiest done if you're making them on a grill with a smoke box or smoking pouch, or another type of smoker that offers direct heat. You can just slide them over the flame for the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking.
If you're using a traditional offset smoker that offers only indirect heat, I recommend moving the potatoes to a direct heat source or a hot oven for the final 15 minutes of cooking, if you're aiming for those crisped edges.
FAQs
I recommend a fruit wood. Apple is my favorite for this recipe, but cherry will work as well.
For these cubed sweet potatoes, it will take about an hour and 15 minutes to cook at 275°F (135°C). If you are cooking whole sweet potatoes, it will take 2 to 2 ½ hours to cook them.
Although the terms sweet potato and yam are often used interchangeably, they are different. Sweet potatoes are orange colored and are commonly available in North American supermarkets. Yams have a darker skin, paler flesh, are more starchy, and less sweet.
Definitely. Once you've smoked them until they are very tender, toss them into a bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until fluffy and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat with crisped edges, warm them in a skillet over medium low heat until crisped and heated through. Alternatively, for uniformly soft sweet potatoes, you can reheat them in the microwave or in a baking dish in a 300°F (150°C) oven. Leftover smoked sweet potatoes also make a great addition to chorizo sweet potato hash.
- Smoking your sweet potatoes at a higher temperature will allow them to cook more quickly, but they will taste less smoky than if cooked at 275°F (135°C).
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
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Recipe
Smoked Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Smoker or grill with smoke box or smoke pouch
- Apple or cherry wood chips or chunks
- 8-by-8-inch foil pan
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (1.5 lbs | 680 g total) peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Prepare a smoker or grill with smoke box or smoke pouch for indirect heat at 275°F (135°C). Get a steady stream of smoke going before you begin to cook your potatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the oil, sage, and cayenne, if using.
- Place the sweet potatoes in the foil pan and drizzle the spiced oil over the top. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
- Dot the cubes of butter over the sweet potatoes.
- Transfer the pan to the smoker or grill and cook at 275°F (135°C) for 45 minutes, replenishing the wood chips as needed.
- If you want crispy edges, move the tray of sweet potatoes over direct heat and increase the heat to 350°F (180°C). Cook until the edges are crispy and the sweet potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.If you want uniformly soft sweet potatoes, continue smoking at 275°F (135°C) until they are very tender, about 40 minutes more.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
Notes
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- Storage--Store leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating--To reheat with crisped edges, warm them in a skillet over medium low heat until crisped and heated through. Alternatively, for uniformly soft sweet potatoes, you can reheat them in the microwave or in a baking dish in a 300°F (150°C) oven.
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- Speed it up--Smoking your sweet potatoes at a higher temperature will allow them to cook more quickly, but they will taste less smoky than if cooked at 275°F (135°C).
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- Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
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