Now, I’m a Memphis man through and through. If you cut me, I probably bleed BBQ sauce. But even after a long weekend on the competition circuit—surrounded by enough brisket, ribs, and pulled pork to feed a small army—my body starts asking for something from the garden. That’s where these smoked sweet potatoes come in. While I love the best Buddha bowls on the web, sometimes you need a BBQ harvest bowl with a smoky soul.

This recipe is how we do “healthy” down at the pit. We’re treating these sweet potatoes like they’re the stars of the show, giving them the same respect, the same dry rub, and the same low-and-slow love we’d give a prize-winning pork shoulder. My granddaddy used to tuck sweet potatoes right into the dying coals while the main meats were resting, and this recipe is my way of bringing that old tradition into the modern kitchen.

Smoked Sweet Potatoes: The Brisket of the Garden

In the BBQ world, we talk a lot about “bark”—that beautiful, dark, savory crust that forms on the outside of slow-cooked meat. You might not think a vegetable can do that, but the sweet potato is a different breed. Because of its high sugar and moisture content, it’s basically the “brisket of the garden.”

When you hit that skin with a heavy Memphis-style rub and let it bathe in hickory smoke, something magical happens. The skin toughens up into a savory shell, while the inside turns into a creamy, buttery gold. Trust the process and don’t rush it. Just like with my Mississippi Pot Roast, the secret to great flavor is patience.

Mastering the Thin Blue Smoke for Southern Smoked Vegetables

The biggest mistake folks make when they start smoking vegetables is overdoing the wood. Since Southern smoked vegetables are more porous than a thick cut of beef, they absorb smoke 2-3 times faster. You want a “thin blue smoke”—that’s a faint, shimmering whisper of smoke coming out of your stack.

If you see billowing white clouds, your fire isn’t breathing right, and your potatoes are going to taste like a campfire ash tray. Keep your vents open, keep your fire clean, and let that hickory or pecan wood gently kiss the potatoes. That’s where the flavor lives.

The Sweet, The Heat, and The Tang of Carolina Vinegar Sauce

In this bowl, we’re balancing the “holy trinity” of Southern flavor. The sweet potato provides the sugar, the Memphis rub brings the heat, and our Carolina vinegar sauce dressing brings the tang.

I like to use a heritage grain like sorghum for the base. It’s got a great “pop” and chew that stands up to the softness of the potato. This isn’t your average nutritionist’s guide bowl; it’s a pitmaster’s recovery meal. When you drizzle that vinegar dressing over the charred onions and the smoked roots, it cuts right through the starch and wakes up your whole palate.

Pitmaster Tips for Success

• The Mop is Key: Brushing the potatoes with that vinegar mixture halfway through isn’t just for flavor; it helps the smoke stick to the surface and builds that tacky, caramelized bark we’re looking for.
• Don’t Pull ‘Em Early: A lot of folks pull potatoes when they’re “fork tender.” For this recipe, we want them past that. We’re looking for an internal temperature of about 205°F. That’s when the starches have fully converted to sugar.
• The Grilled Red Onions Finish: Don’t forget to char those red onions over the direct heat right at the end. Those grilled red onions with blackened edges are like the “burnt ends” of the vegetable world—pure flavor gold.

This isn’t your standard health-food bowl; it’s one of those pitmaster recipes that celebrates the fire. Serve it up in a wide, shallow bowl, maybe with a glass of ice-cold sweet tea on the side, and you’ll see exactly why the smoke knows best.