I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven or
on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes - mushy.
How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you get in a
restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain

jmagerl wrote:
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven or
> on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes - mushy.
> How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you get in a
> restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>
>


For me, I do 'em in the oven set at 500dF for 45 minutes to
an hour depending on the size. I clean them and poke 'em
with a fork (probably not really required), rub 'em with
butter and dust with salt and pepper before throwing them in.

--
Steve

"jmagerl" > wrote in message
...
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain

Poke 'em. Start 'em in the microwave (time depends on how big they are and
how many you are cooking.) Finish in a 400 oven for twenty minutes. It works
for me. Of course you are using Russet potatoes, aren't you?

--Rich

"Rich" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jmagerl" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
>> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
>> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
>> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
>> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>
> Poke 'em. Start 'em in the microwave (time depends on how big they are and
> how many you are cooking.) Finish in a 400 oven for twenty minutes. It
> works for me. Of course you are using Russet potatoes, aren't you?

There you go - the choice of potato makes a big difference. Some are waxy,
and some are floury.

Sticking a metal skewer all the way through them helps sometimes as the
metal conducts more heat to the inside.

"jmagerl" > wrote:
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain

I oil 'em and throw 'em right on the coals' The skin sure is crisp, albeit
charred and the innards sure are good. Split 'em open, fill 'em with
butter, dose 'em with salt & BP, top 'em with sour cream and scallion tops.
Oh, Lawd, I'm getting a GWiv! ;-0

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

Steve Calvin > wrote:
> jmagerl wrote:
> > I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature
> > (250). Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in
> > the oven or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved
> > potatoes - mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like
> > the ones you get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
> >
> For me, I do 'em in the oven set at 500dF for 45 minutes to
> an hour depending on the size. I clean them and poke 'em
> with a fork (probably not really required), rub 'em with
> butter and dust with salt and pepper before throwing them in.

That's about my time, too. I'll hafta try 'em in an <shudder> oven. Thanks!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

"jmagerl" > wrote in message
...
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>

Hmm...its sounding like I need higher temp. 400 to 450. So I guess I'm
forced back to the oven and heating up the house in the summer. I did try
the direct to coals method but half the potatoe was inedible. The other half
was perfect though (again pointing to high temps as the key). I do buy
russets but I get the feeling that not all russets are equal. MAybe I'll
experment with suspending the potato above the coals but below the water pan
but not directly on the coals

jmagerl wrote:
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven or
> on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes - mushy.
> How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you get in a
> restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain

Mine always come out crisp. Not puffing my chest out, it's just one of
the few things I really never had a problem achieving. I rinse them,
dry and poke em' with a fork, rub with olive oil, then salt and pepper.
Grill is already on high, (Weber Gold-C w/ pcci grates). There the
first things I place on the grill cause they take the longest. Place
em' directly on the grates for about 15 minutes, turning over once. I
then lower temp to around 300-400F and turn over every 10-15 minutes
for about an hour, or until the sides when squeezed seem soft, and skin
crisp. The skin comes out really crisp every time.
No real secret on my end, this is just how I do em.

Cheers
Stan

wrote:
> Steve Calvin > wrote:
>
>>jmagerl wrote:
>>
>>>I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature
>>>(250). Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in
>>>the oven or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved
>>>potatoes - mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like
>>>the ones you get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>>>
>>
>>For me, I do 'em in the oven set at 500dF for 45 minutes to
>>an hour depending on the size. I clean them and poke 'em
>>with a fork (probably not really required), rub 'em with
>>butter and dust with salt and pepper before throwing them in.
>
>
> That's about my time, too. I'll hafta try 'em in an <shudder> oven. Thanks!
>
Honestly, at 500dF they come out pretty good. Very crispy
skins.

The reason I went that way with the answer was the WSM.
Usually that means a low grate temp so you aren't really
going to have a large "smokin" coal bed to toss 'em into and
doing them at grate level (unless you're actually grilling)
isn't gonna cut it.

--
Steve

"jmagerl" > wrote in message
...
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>

You need to use baking potatoes, like Russets, and bake them at a HOT DRY
heat. The others have given good suggestions as to temp and time. If I'm
grilling I do them outside, otherwise it's the oven. I knew a guy who'd put
them in rock salt in a pan; they were crisp and nicely done, but I'm not
sure all that was necessary.

Jack

"jmagerl" > wrote in message
...
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
> or on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
> mushy. How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you
> get in a restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>

Absolute best baked potatoes I've ever had were done this way. Cut a small
wedge out of it lengthwise. Drop in a good size glop of butter and a couple
wedges of onion. Double, maybe even triple wrap in good foil, then toss into
a campfire down at the red hot "coals". Cook until the foil's completely
black, usually only takes maybe a half-hour or so actually, the temp's so
high... (maybe longer, most of the time I was pretty well drunk by the time
we started cooking*lol*). Take it out and be careful unwrapping... can get
burned pretty easy, but man is it worth the risk!

43fan wrote:

Absolute best baked potatoes I've ever had were done this way. Cut a
small
wedge out of it lengthwise. Drop in a good size glop of butter and a
couple
wedges of onion. Double, maybe even triple wrap in good foil, then toss
into
a campfire down at the red hot "coals". Cook until the foil's
completely
black, usually only takes maybe a half-hour or so actually, the temp's
so
high... (maybe longer, most of the time I was pretty well drunk by the
time
we started cooking*lol*). Take it out and be careful unwrapping...
can get
burned pretty easy, but man is it worth the risk!

Similar method both the wife and I really enjoy.
Cut the potatoe in slices about the width of your thumb width wise.
place all potatoe slices on plate and butter, salt and pepper slices.
Put slices back together with a similar cut of onion in between each
slice of potatoe. Wrap the whole thing up in foil and place over coals
or on you grill, turning a few times.
Wonderful stuff.

Stan

wrote:

>
> Similar method both the wife and I really enjoy.
> Cut the potatoe in slices about the width of your thumb width wise.
> place all potatoe slices on plate and butter, salt and pepper slices.
> Put slices back together with a similar cut of onion in between each
> slice of potatoe. Wrap the whole thing up in foil and place over coals
> or on you grill, turning a few times.
> Wonderful stuff.
>
> Stan

Stan,

Another option you might enjoy.

Split potatoes in half, butter and S & P. Place a bay leaf between the
halves, put 'em back together and foil them, cook as your preference
dictates. Nice subtle flavor with the potato, and tasty.

Jason

Jason Tinling wrote:


> Split potatoes in half, butter and S & P. Place a bay leaf between the
> halves, put 'em back together and foil them, cook as your preference
> dictates. Nice subtle flavor with the potato, and tasty.
>
> Jason

Seeing we're talkin about doing potatoes...Came bye this recipe today.
Not tried it yet, but plan on giving it a try this weekend, What's too
loose?
The only thing I would change is insted ot putting the potatoes in the
oven for an hour, I would place them on the grill until done, then
proceed.

Brennan's Stuffed Baked Potatoes





Notes: Brennan's is located in New Orleans





2 large Idaho potatoes

4 strips of bacon, cut into quarters (I use more and cut into half
inch
pieces before frying)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (I use a handful of grated cheddar
instead)
1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper (use the white! It is essential for the taste!)

1/4 cup (half stick) butter

paprika





Scrub potatoes and bake 1 hour at 400 F. Don't wrap them in foil or
the
skins will get too moist. Cook backon pieces until crisp. Drain off
bacon
fat except for 3 Tbsp. Add green onions and saute slowly. Put in food

processor. Add the salt and pepper, cheese, and sour cream. Zing it

together in the processor. Now cut the baked potatoes in half length
and
scoop the insides out and put the insides of the potatoes in the food

processor. Zing again. Keep the shells intact. Stuff mixture into
potato
skins. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 15
to 20
minutes at 350 F.

Cheers
Stan

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> jmagerl wrote:
>> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
>> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
>> or
>> on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes -
>> mushy.
>> How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you get in
>> a
>> restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>
> Mine always come out crisp. Not puffing my chest out, it's just one of
> the few things I really never had a problem achieving. I rinse them,
> dry and poke em' with a fork, rub with olive oil, then salt and pepper.
> Grill is already on high, (Weber Gold-C w/ pcci grates). There the
> first things I place on the grill cause they take the longest. Place
> em' directly on the grates for about 15 minutes, turning over once. I
> then lower temp to around 300-400F and turn over every 10-15 minutes
> for about an hour, or until the sides when squeezed seem soft, and skin
> crisp. The skin comes out really crisp every time.
> No real secret on my end, this is just how I do em.

Someone told me recently to cut the top off of a beer can (unfortunately,
you need to drink the beer first - one beer per potato). Then put the spud
into the beer can (of course it needs to be a size that fits....), then put
the can standing up directly onto the coal bed itself and let it cook for 45
minutes or so.

I haven't tried this myself, but it seems it would work.....the can keeps
the direct heat from actually burning the spud too much, plus the hot air
circulates between can and spud. I find that if you foil wrap them, they
don't get crisp on the outside, and if you just put them directly on the
coals, you end up with lumps of charcoal. It should also work well on a
smoker as you will get the hotter temperature directly a t the coals vs the
lower grate temps.

Might give it a go over the weekend.

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:16:17 +0100, adm wrote:
>
>> Someone told me recently to cut the top off of a beer can...
>
> I knew I shouldn't have thrown out my Ginsu knife. What happened
> to the good 'ol days when beer came in steel. You could just use
> a an-opener. Great for making polish cannons, too.
>
> -sw

polish cannons.... about 5 cans strapped together end to end, tops and
bottoms cut out except the bottom one... but it has a small hole at the
side... put gas in the bottom, drop in a tennis ball and light the gas????

Just curious if that's what you're referring to. Never heard them called
that, and haven't seen someone do it in years! But man, would that tennis
ball go outta sight! *laffin*

43fan wrote:
> "Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:16:17 +0100, adm wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Someone told me recently to cut the top off of a beer can...
>>
>>I knew I shouldn't have thrown out my Ginsu knife. What happened
>>to the good 'ol days when beer came in steel. You could just use
>>a an-opener. Great for making polish cannons, too.
>>
>>-sw
>
>
> polish cannons.... about 5 cans strapped together end to end, tops and
> bottoms cut out except the bottom one... but it has a small hole at the
> side... put gas in the bottom, drop in a tennis ball and light the gas????
>
> Just curious if that's what you're referring to. Never heard them called
> that, and haven't seen someone do it in years! But man, would that tennis
> ball go outta sight! *laffin*
>
>
That's what we called 'em when I was young too. Get that
sucker "primed" up just right and catch some one square in
the back and you can lay 'em out flat on the ground. :-D
(Don't ask how I know that.... <lol> )

--
Steve

There is a trick used by some upscale resturants. Bake a potato, scoop
out the insides and whip ( like mashed potatoes) put back into potato
and add toppings.


wrote:
> Jason Tinling wrote:
>
>
>
>>Split potatoes in half, butter and S & P. Place a bay leaf between the
>>halves, put 'em back together and foil them, cook as your preference
>>dictates. Nice subtle flavor with the potato, and tasty.
>>
>>Jason
>
>
> Seeing we're talkin about doing potatoes...Came bye this recipe today.
> Not tried it yet, but plan on giving it a try this weekend, What's too
> loose?
> The only thing I would change is insted ot putting the potatoes in the
> oven for an hour, I would place them on the grill until done, then
> proceed.
>
> Brennan's Stuffed Baked Potatoes
>
>
>
>
>
> Notes: Brennan's is located in New Orleans
>
>
>
>
>
> 2 large Idaho potatoes
>
> 4 strips of bacon, cut into quarters (I use more and cut into half
> inch
> pieces before frying)
>
> 1/2 cup chopped green onions
>
> 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (I use a handful of grated cheddar
> instead)
> 1/2 cup sour cream
>
> 1/2 tsp salt
>
> 1/2 tsp white pepper (use the white! It is essential for the taste!)
>
> 1/4 cup (half stick) butter
>
> paprika
>
>
>
>
>
> Scrub potatoes and bake 1 hour at 400 F. Don't wrap them in foil or
> the
> skins will get too moist. Cook backon pieces until crisp. Drain off
> bacon
> fat except for 3 Tbsp. Add green onions and saute slowly. Put in food
>
> processor. Add the salt and pepper, cheese, and sour cream. Zing it
>
> together in the processor. Now cut the baked potatoes in half length
> and
> scoop the insides out and put the insides of the potatoes in the food
>
> processor. Zing again. Keep the shells intact. Stuff mixture into
> potato
> skins. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 15
> to 20
> minutes at 350 F.
>
> Cheers
> Stan
>

Glenn wrote:
> There is a trick used by some upscale resturants. Bake a potato, scoop
> out the insides and whip ( like mashed potatoes) put back into potato
> and add toppings.
>
What he said...And add in what I said. Sound's the same to me however,
it's the results that count...Try it, you'll like it.

Stan

wrote:
> Glenn wrote:
>
>>There is a trick used by some upscale resturants. Bake a potato, scoop
>>out the insides and whip ( like mashed potatoes) put back into potato
>>and add toppings.
>>
>
> What he said...And add in what I said. Sound's the same to me however,
> it's the results that count...Try it, you'll like it.
>
> Stan
>
Commonly known as a twice baked potato. After it's mashed
and refilled, typically it's put into either a very high
oven or under the broiler.

While technically I suppose it's a "baked potato", it's
certainly not what I'd expect to get if I asked for a baked
potato. Totally different animal.

--
Steve

wrote:

>
> Glenn wrote:
> > There is a trick used by some upscale resturants. Bake a potato,
> > scoop out the insides and whip ( like mashed potatoes) put back
> > into potato and add toppings.
> >
> What he said...And add in what I said. Sound's the same to me
> however, it's the results that count...Try it, you'll like it.

I have tried them, they're so-so. No matter what, they aren't baked
potatoes.



Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

"jmagerl" > wrote in message
...
> I've tried cooking them at hi temperature (350) and lo temperature (250).
> Poked and unpoked, foiled and not foiled, oiled and unoiled, in the oven
or
> on the grill and they always come out like....microwaved potatoes - mushy.
> How do I get the fluffy potatoes with crisp skin like the ones you get in
a
> restaurant? I use a Weber Smokey Mountain
>
>
> Get some good old grease, bacon grease is fine, give it a good rub,punch
some holes with a fork,
wrap it up in aluminum foil, put right on top of the coals,about 30 to 45
minutes. good eating !!

In article . com>, scoogle
says...
>Serve them up with yourfavorite toppings. The taste was fantastic ... >they
>even had a little bit of smoke flavor to them. Next time I grill some >steaks,
>this is how I'll make the potatoes. I'll just throw the steaks on towards the
>end of the potatoes' baking time.
>
I had baked potatoes a different way at the Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, NV
last Labor Day:

Take the baked potato, and open it up.
Add shredded cheese, pulled pork and your favorite BBQ sauce.
Top with Sour Cream.

When I cook a shoulder or butt to get pulled pork, this meal always seems to
work it's way into preparing leftovers.

Mark
"I love cats. I just can't eat a whole one by myself."