Don’t settle for a plain baked potato when you can pile it high with smoky pulled pork, melty cheese sauce, crispy bacon, lip-smacking BBQ sauce, cool sour cream, and green onions! Forget basic – this is next level eats!
The Best Loaded Baked Potato
This is one of my favorite follow-on recipes. I’ve been making these BBQ pulled pork loaded baked potatoes for easily 40 years. This is true comfort food that checks all the boxes – easy, budget-friendly, and seriously delicious.
It’s the perfect way to stretch ingredients without sacrificing flavor. You can prep everything ahead of time, reheat it, and then load up the taters when you’re ready to serve. From weeknight dinners to game day feasts or build-or-own potato bar, this dish is a no-fuss, flavor-packed solution!
Loaded Baked Potato Ingredients
If you’re like me, you’ve already got everything made ahead of time. I’ll smoke a 20-pound shoulder and then vacuum seal the leftovers just for meals like this. I’ll smoke 8-10 huge russets a week because taters are one of the most versatile veggies ever.
- Smoked Pulled Pork: butterflied method or traditional
- Cheese Sauce: beer cheese or regular
- Crispy Bacon
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream
How to Make Pulled Pork
If you search my site, you’ll see a bunch of recipes for pulled pork. My favorite flavor profile is when it’s made on the smoker. That kiss of smoke is something you can’t get from liquid smoke or in the oven. It’s just not the same.
I’ve said it a million times, folks… out of all the smokers and grills I have, I am OBSESSED with this Yoder Smokers YS640. It’s just so much more than just a smoker. I use my oven from May to October when I live in Arizona. From pizza to wings, breads to desserts, this can do it all!
You have the quicker butterflied method and the traditional competition method. Both are equally amazing. It all comes down to how much time you have to make it.
Butterflied Smoked Pork
- Butterfly the pork, season it, and smoke it until it reaches 165°F.
- Wrap in butcher paper, place back in the smoker, and bump the temp up until it reaches 190°F
- Unwrap, exposing the meat, and bump the temp up again. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 205°F and the meat is tender to the touch.
- Rest it and then wrap it up, letting it rest for at least 2 hours before shredding.
- This takes about 10+ hours.
Traditional Competition Smoked Pork
- Season your pork, and smoke it until it reaches 165°F. Bump the temp up until it reaches 205°F and is probe tender.
- Rest it and then wrap it up, letting it rest for at least an hour before shredding.
- This takes about 20+ hours.
How to Make Baked Potatoes
I’ve given you two ways to make your potatoes: in the oven or on the grill. Either way works here, but make sure you know how to tell when your potatoes are done. Take a minute and read THIS POST!
Chef Lori’s #1 Tip for Baked Potatoes
- Say No To Foil! The foil “steams” the potato, making the inside soft, but it also results in a super soggy exterior.
How to Stuff Baked Potatoes
This is where mise en place matters. You want your potatoes hot, your pulled pork and BBQ sauce heated up, and your cheese sauce all hot, luscious, and gooey.
- Using a sharp knife, cut down the center of the potato vertically, but do not go all the way through.
- Using your fingers, pinch the ends of the potato towards each other, opening up the potato. Use the knife or a fork to fluff up the flesh.
- Top with some of the warmed pulled pork and drizzle on some BBQ sauce.
- Pour over the hot cheese sauce, then sprinkle on the crispy bacon.
- Top with some sour cream, green onions, and another drizzle of BBQ sauce.
Why You’ll Love My Stuffed Potato Recipe
This is one of the easiest recipes, plus it’s perfect for lunch, dinner, game day, or just hanging out with friends.
- Super Easy: There’s no fancy steps here. Just grab the leftovers, warm them up, and stuff the tater.
- Perfect for Leftovers: While I love a killer pulled pork sandwich, sometimes I need to switch it up. This is the ultimate way to repurpose it into something truly crave-worthy.
- Game Day Grub Gold: Loaded, smoky, cheesy, sauce. Seriosuly folks. Every bite screams “SCORE!” and will surely make you the MVP.
- Potato Bar Party: Set up a DIY potato bar with all the toppings and let everyone build their own.
- Budget-Friendly & Comforting: This doesn’t require a million ingredients to have something truly delicious without breaking the bank.
Loaded Pulled Pork Baked Potato FAQs
- What type of potatoes are best to use? Russets are the best choice here. They’re large, have a fluffy inside, and the skin gets super crispy.
- Can I make these ahead of time? Yes and no. It’s assumed you’ve already smoked the pork, the potatoes, and made the cheese sauce. But I would not assemble them ahead of time. They only take about 5 minutes to stuff anyway.
- Can I make these for a crowd? ABSOLUTELY! These are always on my potato bar for games. Set up a DIY Topping bar and let folks load them up however they want!
What to Serve With Loaded Baked Potatoes
For me, these are a meal on their own, but if your taters are smaller or you want finger-type foods to serve with them, try these recipes:
Here’s what I used:
Recommended Products
BBQ Pulled Pork Loaded Baked Potatoes Recipe
Don’t settle for a plain baked potato when you can pile it high with smoky pulled pork, melty cheese sauce, crispy bacon, lip-smacking BBQ sauce, cool sour cream, and green onions! Forget basic – this is next level eats!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: game day food, leftovers, pulled pork, baked potatoes, diy potato bar, football foods
- Method: smoker
- Cuisine: game day food, leftovers, pulled pork, baked potatoes, diy potato bar, football foods
Ingredients
- 6 Baked Russet Potatoes
- 3 cups Smoked Pulled Pork, warmed
- 1–1.5 cups BBQ sauce, warmed
- 2–2.5 cups Cheese Sauce
- 12–16 slices crispy bacon, chopped
- 6–10 green onions, chopped
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut down the center of the potato vertically, but do not go all the way through.
- Using your fingers, pinch the ends of the potato towards each other, opening up the potato. Use the knife or a fork to fluff up the flesh.
- Top with some of the warmed pulled pork and drizzle on some BBQ sauce.
- Pour over the hot cheese sauce, then sprinkle on the crispy bacon.
- Top with some sour cream, green onions, and another drizzle of BBQ sauce.
Leave a Reply