Sinfully delicious, Smoked Sweet Potatoes topped with Maple Bourbon Butter will rock your world with their sweet and savory smoked potato goodness. The light, smoky flavor goes beautifully with the delicate sweetness of the potato, and this incredible side dish is super easy to make.
The maple bourbon butter features sweet maple syrup, the rich, subtle taste of bourbon, nutty pecans, and chives. While the smoked sweet potatoes are delicious on their own, the butter kicks them up a notch.
Jump to:
Why I love this recipe, and you will too!
- It’s easy, with simple ingredients, and perfect for novice cooks!
- The Maple Bourbon Butter is so good that you might want to make a double batch! While it’s terrific on sweet potatoes, it’s also delightful slathered on biscuits, cornbread, roasted or steamed vegetables, steaks, pork chops, chicken, or fish.
- These Smoked Sweet Potatoes are the perfect side dish to pair with my Grilled Vegetable Kabobs and a grilled entree or serve at a backyard barbecue.
Ingredient notes:
- Sweet potatoes – are often called nature’s candy and are full of vitamins and minerals. They are a true family favorite and are the star of this show.
- Butter – with its buttery richness, forms the base of the indulgent compound butter that adds a wow factor to the smoked sweet potatoes.
- Maple syrup – use pure maple syrup for the best flavor.
- Bourbon – compliments the rest of the flavors with its own taste of pure sweet, smoky deliciousness.
- Pecans – adds a layer of sweet, nutty buttery flavor.
- Chives – besides adding a nice pop of color, they bring their mild onion and garlic flavor to the party.
- Olive oil and salt – coat the sweet potatoes before they are smoked. You can also use vegetable oil.
Complete measurements are listed below in the recipe card.
How to make smoked sweet potatoes:
- For a Big Green Egg or Kamado-type grill, soak one cup of wood chips in water for one hour. Light the charcoal and when it comes up to 250°., scatter the drained wood chips over the fire. Add the grill grate. You do not need to use the plate setter for this recipe.
- For any other type of grill or smoker, follow the manufacturer’s directions to prepare it for smoking and preheat it to 250°F.
- Scrub your potatoes and dry them. Then, using a knife or fork, pierce the top a few times.
- Use a pastry brush or your hands and coat them lightly on all sides with olive oil. Top each with a generous amount of kosher salt.
- Place the potatoes in the smoker and close the lid—smoke for approximately two hours.
- While the potatoes are smoking, make the maple bourbon butter by combining the butter, maple syrup, bourbon, pecans, and chives in a small bowl.
- Place the butter mixture on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and roll up tightly in a cylinder. Twist the ends and store the package in the refrigerator to firm up.
- Test the potatoes for doneness by gently squeezing them with a potholder or barbecue mitt. They should give easily and feel soft, somewhat like an overripe avocado or tomato. You can also pierce them with a fork; the fork should glide in easily with no resistance.
- When the potatoes are done, remove them from the grill, split them open with a sharp knife, and gently push the ends toward the center to open them up.
- Top with a generous amount of maple bourbon butter and serve immediately.
Serving suggestions:
When we grill, I like the grill or smoker to do double duty, so I always try to grill or smoke an entree at the same time and then add my Classic House Salad or American Coleslaw.
Grilled or smoked entrees such as Grilled Ham Steak, Smoked Burgers, Smoked Ribeye Steak, Smoked Chicken Thighs, and Smoked Spatchcock Chicken are great pairings. My Smoked Turkey with Herb and Garlic Butter is an excellent choice for Thanksgiving.
How long does it take to smoke sweet potatoes?
How long it takes depends on the size of the sweet potatoes and the smoker or grill temperature. In general, you can plan on the following times for medium-sized potatoes:
- 250°F. – 2 to 2.5 hours
- 300°F. – 1.5 to 2 hours
- 350°F. – 1 to 1.5 hours
- 400°F. – 45 minutes to 1 hour
You are looking for a final internal temperature of 210°F. in the sweet potato as measured by an instant-read meat thermometer.
How to store and reheat leftovers.
Leftover potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days. They are still tasty, but their texture will be less soft and fluffy. I like to reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, but you can also microwave them for a minute or so.
Recipe FAQs:
Of course! If it’s too hot or rainy to cook the potatoes outside, place them on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven. They will not have a smoky taste but will still be delicious. You can add some smoked salt to give them a slightly smoky taste.
You can use pretty much any smoking wood you have on hand or prefer. Even mesquite and hickory, which have a much stronger flavor than oak or fruitwoods, work with this recipe.
In addition to sweet potatoes, regular Idaho or Russet potatoes, large red potatoes and yams are also great smoked. The most important thing is a consistent size so they all are done at the same time.
Sharon’s tips:
- The Maple Bourbon Butter makes a unique hostess or holiday gift when packed in a cute jar.
- If you really want to live on the wild side, use bacon grease instead of olive oil to coat your potatoes. It adds another flavor element.
- If you don’t have maple syrup, you can substitute honey.
- Remember, the size of your potatoes will affect your cooking time. Try and use potatoes that are all about the same size to cook in the same amount of time.
- You can make the butter several days ahead and store it in the refrigerator until it’s time to use it.
- I only pierce my potatoes on the top to let out steam before I put them on the grill. If you pierce them on the bottom, they will leak all over your fire as they are cooking and could cause a flare-up.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the maple butter mixture.
More sweet potato recipes:
If you like sweet potatoes as we do, you might also like these popular recipes on my blog:
If you are looking for menu ideas, check out my Southern Sweet Potato Bread, Sweet Potato Carrot Soup, and Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie. They are also quick and easy sweet potato recipes that your family will love.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon.
📋 Recipe:
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Grits and Pinecones.
Smoked Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- smoker or grill with cover
- wood for smoking, charcoal
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Instructions
- For a Big Green Egg or Kamado type grill, soak one cup of wood chips in water for one hour. Light the charcoal and when it comes up to 250°F., scatter the drained wood chips over the fire. Add the grill grate. You do not need to use the plate setter for this recipe.
- For any other type of grill or smoker, follow the manufacturer’s directions to prepare it for smoking and preheat it to 250°F.
- Scrub your potatoes and dry them. Then, using a knife or fork, pierce the top a few times.
- Use a pastry brush or your hands and coat them lightly on all sides with olive oil. Top each with a generous amount of kosher salt.
- Place the potatoes in the smoker and close the lid—smoke for approximately two hours.
- While the potatoes are smoking, make the maple bourbon butter by combining the butter, maple syrup, bourbon, pecans, and chives in a small bowl.
- Place the butter mixture on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and roll up tightly in a cylinder. Twist the ends and store the package in the refrigerator to firm up.
- Test the potatoes for doneness by gently squeezing them with a potholder or barbecue mitt. They should give easily and feel soft, somewhat like an overripe avocado or tomato. You can also pierce them with a fork; the fork should glide in easily with no resistance.
- When the potatoes are done, remove them from the grill, split them open with a sharp knife, and gently push the ends toward the center to open them up.
- Top with a generous amount of maple bourbon butter and serve immediately.
Leave a Reply