Pulled Pork Potato Skins
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Potato skins roasted cut-side down until tender. Scooped with a bit of flesh left for structure. Butter-brushed then baked upright to firm up edges. Stuffed with savory pulled pork, sprinkled cheese melted under heat. Finished with tangy barbecue sauce, sour cream dollop, and fresh green onions. Slightly adjusted timings, olive oil for coating, and swapped cheddar for smoked gouda for a deeper flavor. Focus on texture cues over clocks. Scoring edges before scooping makes life easier. Salt is king throughout. Visual doneness and knife tests guide perfectly cooked spuds.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
50 min
Total:
65 min
Servings:
4 servings
#American BBQ
#potato recipes
#comfort food
#smoked cheese
#pulled pork
Roasting potatoes cut-side down makes their flesh steam tender inside thick skins. No need for clocks here—listen to the sizzle quiet and peek for that gentle pull of a skewer. I’ve learned to boost salt early and often; it punches up that bland potato base. Butter gets things crisp but not greasy. Pulled pork stuffing is a late-stage thrill—warm, smoky, fatty. Gouda swapped for cheddar in my experiments here: more smoke, melts cleaner. Sour cream cools heat, green onions freshen the bite. Bake too little and skins fall apart under weight; too long, and potatoes dry out. Scoring before scooping saves injury and heartbreak.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- Olive oil for brushing
- Kosher salt to taste
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 cups pulled pork
- 1 cup smoked gouda shredded
- Stubb's Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q Sauce or favorite
- Sour cream for topping
- 2 green onions chopped
About the ingredients
Russet potatoes pick up crisp edges and hold heat well. Olive oil for all-over coating; brush liberally or parts dry out and peel tips burn. Salt early ensures seasoning deep inside. Butter post-scoop adds flavor and firmness—don’t skip. Pulled pork can be leftover or prepped fresh, do warm but not hot to avoid soggy skins. Smoked gouda replaces cheddar for richer melt and flavor twist; try pepper jack for spice alternative. Stubb’s sauces add balanced sweet heat but any BBQ sauce works — adjust to taste. Sour cream provides cooling contrast and green onions add bite and fresh aroma. Score edges when scooping especially if potatoes are thick or dense—prevents user frustration. Bake times are guides; textures and knife tests trump clocks.
Method
Potatoes softened cut-side down
- Set oven to 410F; line pan with parchment. Slice potatoes lengthwise, brush with olive oil all sides. Lay cut-side down on pan. Sprinkle kosher salt generously. Bake 27 to 32 minutes. Test by stabbing with sharp knife; it should glide cleanly with no fight. Cool enough to handle but still warm.
Scoop with structure left intact
- Scoop out flesh leaving about 0.35 inches. Half-cut sometimes means tough scooping; if potato skin resists, score edges with knife first, gently but all around. Keeps shape; avoids tearing. Don't peel skin off—this holds your cargo.
Firm up and prep skins upright
- Raise oven heat to 480F. Return potato shells cut-side up; brush insides with melted butter. Salt lightly. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until skins start crisping on edges, interiors firm but not rock-hard. Look for slight browning—helps them hold pulled pork without collapsing.
Stuff, cheese melt, finish
- Fill skins with warm pulled pork, pile up. Sprinkle smoked gouda on top. Slide back into oven ~6 minutes until cheese bubbles, pools nicely but not burnt. Pull out, drizzle Stubb's Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q or your fave. Add dollop sour cream, scatter green onions. Eat immediately raw heat pops, sharp cheese aroma, soft pulled pork texture with crisp skin underneath.
Cooking tips
Oven temp tweaks important—start at 410F to get gentle steaming inside skins. They must be tender but not mushy. Test knives glide to judge doneness. Scooping leaves a thin wall so skins hold shape—don’t strip too much or filling falls through. Scoring edges with a shallow cut before scooping loosens flesh for user ease preventing messy rips. Butter brushed in after scooping firms skins when baked further; look for light bronzing along edges as a crispness sign. Stuff with warm pulled pork to prevent cooling down skins. Cheese sprinkled on top rapidly melts in 5-6 minutes; watch carefully to avoid burning. Final saucing, sour cream, scallions added last for balanced flavors and textures. Serve hot immediately or skins soften. Smoke in cheese and pork balance fatty potato; texture is key—crisp outside, tender interior, creamy topping.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Cut potatoes lengthwise, brush all sides with olive oil not just tops. Brushing liberally keeps skins crisp, prevents dry, burnt tips. Salting early- stage, really rub it in under and on skin. This penetrates deep. Bake cut-side down to steam flesh tender inside thick skins. Use knife test—not timer—to judge doneness. Knife should glide, no resistance. 27-32 mins typical but adjust for big spuds.
- 💡 Scoop leaving thin wall about ⅓ inch thick. Too thin and filling falls, too thick skins stay soft inside. If scooping feels tough, first score edges with shallow cuts all around. This loosens flesh, keeps skin intact—avoids tears and peeling. Don’t peel skin off—holds filling, shape. Leaving some flesh helps support pulled pork weight later. Half-cut potatoes make scooping tricky; patience helps.
- 💡 After scooping, brush insides with melted butter and salt lightly again. Butter firms edges on second bake at higher temp, 480F. Look for light browning on edges, skins should crisp but interiors still slightly tender. Too long and edges get brittle, shells crack. Too short and skins collapse once filled. This stage critical for holding texture under pork and cheese mound.
- 💡 Stuff warm pork, pile generously. Sprinkle smoked gouda evenly on top. Cheese melts fast, 5-6 mins; watch for bubbling and pooling but no burn. If oven runs hot, pull early. Drizzle BBQ sauce last, then add sour cream dollop and green onions. Adding sauce too early makes skins soggy. Warm pulled pork helps maintain hot pockets inside skins, no cold fillings here.
- 💡 Times are guides—watch, feel, smell. Hear sizzle soften to quiet. Smoked gouda aroma sharpens. Pulled pork fat renders with heat, smells rich but not greasy. Crisp exterior snaps under fork. Texture jump from tender flesh, creamy cheese, smoky pork to buttery crisp skin is the goal. Salt is king—no skimping at any stage or potatoes taste flat, boring.
Common questions
How to know when potatoes are done baking cut-side down?
Knife test. No force needed, just smooth glide. Sizzle quiets, steam slows. Timer helps but feel, sight matter more. Bigger ones need longer. Watch edges lightly brown. If skin feels rubbery or tough, longer bake or higher temp after scooping to crisp.
Can I use cheddar instead of smoked gouda?
Yes, cheddar works but melts differently—less creamy, sharper bite. Smoked gouda adds depth and cleaner melt. Pepper jack is good if want spice but cheese must melt well not stay crumbly. Watch cheese closely to avoid burning or drying out.
What causes skins to collapse after filling?
Usually scooped too thin or underbaked second time—edges soft, no crisp. Also using cold filling chills skins. Scoop enough flesh left, bake skins upright longer at 480F for firming. Warm pulled pork before stuffing keeps skins stable. Avoid soggy sauces before second bake.
How best to store leftovers?
Cool completely. Store in airtight container in fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in oven at 350F 10-15 mins to re-crisp skins, avoid microwave—skins get soggy fast. Can freeze cooked skins separately, thaw in fridge overnight before reheating. Avoid adding sour cream ahead, add fresh on serving.
