Best Ever Brisket Baked Potato Skins

If you’ve ever tried the potato skins at TGI Friday’s and thought they were good, I’m about to blow your mind with a brisket baked potato recipe that takes potato skins to a whole new level. Perfect for heading to a tailgate or making the most of a pile of leftover brisket. You cannot go wrong!

I’ve always been a fan of potato skins, but after trying this brisket recipe, I can honestly say that these brisket potato skins are way better than the ones you’ll find at TGI Friday’s, or anywhere else for that matter.

The combination of tender, smoky brisket, and crispy potato skins, topped with melty cheese and tangy BBQ sauce, is simply unbeatable.

This brisket loaded potato boat is not only the perfect use for leftover brisket, but it also combines the smoky, savory flavor of brisket with the crispy, cheesy goodness of potato skins. Whether you’re hosting a party, planning a cookout, heading to a tailgate, or just looking for a fun family night snack, these brisket potato skins are the answer!

Equipment

To make these loaded brisket potato skins, you’ll need:

• Smoker or oven
• Fork and spoon 
• Sharp knife 
• Grater for cheese
• Aluminum foil

Ingredients

Before we dive into making the best brisket leftover recipe you’ve ever tasted, we need to gather our ingredients and get everything prepped.

The key to this brisket recipe is using high-quality ingredients, especially when it comes to the brisket and cheese. If you have leftover beef brisket, this is the perfect opportunity to use it. If not, you can easily find a brisket recipe online and make a batch specifically for these delicious potato skins.

• Baking potatoes: I usually like to use Russet potatoes for this recipe because they're so fluffy and starchy. 
• Olive oil: To help crisp out the outside of the potato skins for the best texture.
• Jack of All Rubs BBQ Seasoning: The sweet and smoky flavors in this rub are truly perfect for brisket and take this recipe over the top. You can use other brands, but I highly recommend adding this one to your spice stash.
• Cheddar Cheese: You can use other types of cheese but classic shredded cheddar works great here. If you’re able to shred your own cheese, it will melt the best and taste better than pre-shredded cheese. 
• Leftover Brisket: Although there are lots of recipes out there, this smoked beef brisket is pretty phenomenal and works great for this recipe.

Optional Garnishes:

In addition to the cheese and brisket, your brisket loaded baked potato would also be great with all of your favorite toppings, like:

• Extra barbecue sauce
• Chopped green onions
• Chopped pickles
• Minced red onion
• Pickled jalapenos
• Leftover coleslaw
• Sour cream

How to Make Brisket Baked Potato Skins

Prep the potatoes

• The first step in this brisket recipe is to wash your potatoes well. 
• Once your potatoes are clean, grab a fork and poke about four holes on each side of the potato. This helps prevent the potatoes from bursting open while they cook.
• Preheat your smoker or oven to 400°F. One of the great things about this brisket recipe is that using an oven at this step won’t change the flavor or length of the cook, so feel free to use whichever method you prefer, you obviously just won’t have the smoky flavor of cooking the potato skins on the smoker.
• Wrap each potato individually in aluminum foil. This helps them cook evenly and keeps the moisture inside, resulting in perfectly cooked potatoes for our brisket potato skins.

Smoke or bake

• Place the wrapped potatoes into your preheated smoker or oven and let them cook for about one hour. While the potatoes are cooking, you can take this time to prepare your brisket. If you’re using leftover brisket, make sure it’s chopped into small pieces that will fit nicely inside the potato skins.
• After about an hour, check your potatoes. They should be cooked through by this point. Remove them from the smoker or oven and let them cool for a few minutes until you can handle them comfortably. 

Slice and season

• Slice each potato lengthwise to split them into two parts.
• Using a spoon, scoop out the middle of each potato. You can save the scooped-out potato for another use or discard it if you prefer. The goal here is to create a little canoe shape out of the potato skins that we can fill with all the delicious ingredients in this brisket recipe.
• Once your potato canoes are ready, liberally apply olive oil to the entire potato, making sure to coat both the inside and outside of the skin. Then, season the potatoes with Jack of All Rubs BBQ seasoning. (discount link) This adds a nice smoky flavor to the potato skins and complements the brisket perfectly.
• Place the seasoned potato skins back in the smoker or oven for another 15-20 minutes. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect texture in our brisket potato skins. You want the skins to become lightly crispy but not burned, so keep an eye on them as they cook.

Load the potato skins

• Place the cheddar cheese inside each potato canoe. 
• Next, add about one tablespoon of chopped brisket to each potato skin.
• Once your potato skins are filled, place them back in the oven or smoker for another 5-7 minutes.
• After the cheese has melted and the brisket potato skins are ready, remove them from the oven or smoker and let them cool for about 10 minutes. This gives the cheese a chance to set and makes the potato skins easier to handle.

Garnish and serve

• Now it’s time to add your favorite BBQ sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over each potato skin, then top with chopped pickles and red onions. 
• Serve and enjoy!

Storing Suggestions

Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, either microwave or bake the potatoes and warm the leftover brisket on the smoker or a hot skillet. Assemble and serve.

Tips & Variations

• Use different meats. Smoky, meaty brisket is perfect with baked potatoes, but you can also use leftover pulled pork, chopped rib meat, and more. 
• Try different toppings. I've provided a bunch of topping ideas above, but there are so many options. Think about adding different textures and flavors to balance it out. Use different cheeses, sauces, and more. The sky's the limit here!

How to Serve

These brisket baked potato skins are a great appetizer or side dish for literally any gathering. To make them more interactive, you can prep them with the brisket and cheese, then set up a potato bar with all the different toppings.

If you want to put together a menu for a party, try offering them with baked beans, coleslaw, brisket, ribs, mac and cheese and all the fixings. There are so many options, but I especially like serving them with these Bourbon Brown Sugar Glazed Ribs and some grilled veggies.

FAQs

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