These easy Traeger smoked beets use only one ingredient and are SO TASTY. They smoke on the pellet grill in just a couple of hours and require 1 minute of prep time. Let’s cook ‘em up…
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Why is this recipe for smoking beets so good?
- Smoke them SKIN ON. (it’s easier!)
- Beets cooked in a smoker on medium heat (300 degrees F) pick up a TON of smoky flavor.
- See how to serve this dish as a smoked beet salad.
- Use red beets or any variety you’d like.
- New to Traeger recipes? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this smoked beet recipe.
For simple smoked beets
- Fresh beets (about 2-3 inches, skin on)
Also see this recipe for smoked peaches…
Smoked beet salad dressing (optional)
- Dill
- Red wine
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Lemon juice or orange juice
- Garlic salt
- Salt and pepper
Smoked beet salad ingredients for toppings (optional)
- Feta cheese crumbles (or goat cheese)
- Almonds
- Black pepper
- Arugula
Size of beets to use
Root vegetables like beets (and parsnips) are notoriously longer to cook than other vegetables because they are so dense.
The best type of beets to smoke in the pellet grill are on the smaller side, since that will reduce your cook time.
Try beet salad with homemade croutons and pan grilled chicken.
How to smoke beets
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at smoked beets
- Prep beets.
- Smoke beets at 300.
- Remove beets when they reach 205 degrees F internally.
- Let cool, peel, and enjoy.
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 300 degrees F.
- Add beets directly to the smoker grill grates, with some space in between them.
- Smoke beets for about 2 hours. You’re finishing smoking beets when you can easily pierce them with a fork.
- Remove beets from smoker. When the internal temp is about 205 degrees F or higher, as measured with an internal read thermometer, remove beets and let them cool ~10-15 minutes, or until they’re easy to handle with your hands. Use a spoon, knife or fingers (if you want it to look like a crime scene on your cutting board) to remove the beet skins. Dice and serve. (I usually let the beets rest for 25 to 35 minutes before peeling and cutting them).
Beet recipes from Sip Bite Go
FAQs
Beets cooked in a smoker are super simple. Start by preheating your smoker to 300 degrees F. Next, add the beets directly to the grill grates and smoke for two hours until they are tender and can be easily pierced with a knife or fork. The internal temperature should be 205 degrees F when cooked. Remove the beets, cool, then peel. Dice and serve in a beet salad with goat cheese.
You smoke beets for two hours at 300 degrees F. You will know when the smoked beets are done because they will be easily pierced with a fork or knife and the internal temperature will be 205 degrees F.
You know, I don’t. Usually I add dice up, add dressing, and use smoked beets in salad recipes. So they have plenty of flavor for eating them. But you can rub with olive oil and sprinkle beets with sea salt before adding them to the pellet grill.
Serve beets with dinner main dishes like smoked salmon, smoked ribeye steak, this yummy pork belly burnt ends recipe, or tri tip in oven. I also like to make them in a big batch to enjoy chilled or at room temperature throughout the week with easy meals like frozen chicken patties in air fryer, or a homemade hamburger patty.
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Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.
Why I wrote this recipe
I love all the good meats to make on the Traeger, but vegetables are something I try to get creative with as much as possible. Because: nutrition.
Vegetables in season inspire me, and beets have been a particular favorite of mine since my grandma made farm-fresh beets for me as a child.
This recording of smoking beets almost didn’t happen.
I was smoking them the night the electricity kept going out in the Dallas area – we were having a lot of thunderstorms – and so they took forever to finish.
See why I moved to Dallas… (spoiler: family life PLUS there’s good BBQ here)
Luckily, I know my favorite time and temperature and was just getting the recipe recorded, but that’s why you’ll see in the video I finished them when it was very dark out.
The grill kept going on and off (the Traeger is run on pellets but actually powered by electric).
And so they weren’t ready to eat until the next day because I didn’t finish them until 10pm!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about smoker beets.
Soon I’ll have a new recipe for smoked cornbread and smoked baked beans. I’ll also be sharing more grilling recipes, Blackstone griddle recipes, and electric smoker tips.
Until then, check out this smoked mac and cheese and this smoked corn on the cob side dish using the Traeger.
If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Smoked Beets Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Video
Ingredients
For simple smoked beets
- 10 beets fresh, 2-3 inches, red (or yellow or orange), skin on
Smoked beet salad dressing (optional, whisk together)
- 1 tbsp dill fresh
- 1 tbsp red wine
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp lemon juiced (substitute orange juice)
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked beet salad ingredients for toppings (optional)
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles (substitute goat cheese)
- 1 tbsp almonds slivered
- ⅛ tsp black pepper fresh cracked
- 1 cup arugula
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 300 degrees F.
- Add beets directly to the smoker grill grates, with some space in between them.
- Smoke beets for about 2 hours. You’re finishing smoking beets when you can easily pierce them with a fork.
- Remove beets from smoker. When the internal temp is about 205 degrees F or higher, as measured with an internal read thermometer, remove beets and let them cool at least ~10-15 minutes, or until they’re easy to handle with your hands. Use a spoon, knife or fingers (if you want it to look like a crime scene on your cutting board) to remove the beet skins. Dice and serve. (I usually let the beets rest for 25 to 35 minutes before peeling and cutting them).
Notes
Watch the full-length YouTube recipe video for smoked Traeger beets on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube channel.
Holly Ashton says
Can I freeze or preserve the beets in this recipe?