This smoked cherry cobbler is the perfect summer dessert. Combining classic cherry cobbler taste and texture with the deep, complex flavor you get from smoking, this is the ultimate warm-weather dessert.
If you couldn’t tell by the dozens of cobbler recipes I have on the site, I’ll clue you in to something. I LOVE cobbler. Any kind of cobbler is always a good one, in my book. I routinely make classics like blackberry cobbler, but I also love getting creative, with flavors like pear pecan cobbler.
I’m also a big fan of smoking anything I possibly can. I love a good smoked tri tip, and sides like smoked mac and cheese make any cookout so much better.
Now, I’ve combined these two loves into this smoked cherry cobbler. It combines classic cherry cobbler with smoking, rather than baking, to create a fruity, smoky, deeply flavored dessert that’s perfect for cookouts and potlucks of all kinds.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Basic Ingredients: This cobbler features a classic filling and topping, so you can find all the necessary ingredients in your kitchen or at your local grocery store.
- Easy: Making the filling and topping is simple, as is the smoking process.
- Deep Flavor: Smoking the cobbler imparts its classic flavor with a deep, complex twist, featuring notes of the woodsmoke used in its preparation.
- Customizable: It’s easy to change things up by using different fruits for the filling and different wood for smoking the cobbler.
- Versatile: This cobbler is equally at home on the dinner table as it is at any cookout or potluck.
- Excellent for Meal Prepping: This is a freezer-friendly recipe, so you can make a cobbler and save it for later.
Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Variations
- Filling: Use your favorite berries or sliced fruits to make different fruit fillings for the cobbler.
- Add Some Sweet Crunch: For more flavor and texture, top the cobbler with the brown sugar pecan crust featured in my best peach cobbler recipe before baking it.
- Wood: Use your favorite wood to smoke the cobbler. Any fruitwood will work wonderfully.
Instructions
- Combine the cherry filling ingredients in a large bowl and let them sit for at least 5 minutes. Then, pour it into a prepared 12-inch cast-iron skillet.
- Whisk the dry cobbler topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, use a pastry cutter or fork to mix the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly.
- Pour boiling water into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Spoon the mixture over the cherry filling evenly.
- Smoke at 300 degrees until the topping is golden. Serve warm with ice cream.
Tips
- I prefer to use nonstick spray instead of butter or shortening for this recipe. It ensures an even thin coat that doesn’t pool at the bottom of the skillet or infiltrate the cobbler filling.
- Allow your filling to sit for at least 5 minutes to initiate the maceration process, resulting in a sweet and juicy filling.
- Cut your butter into cubes and then chill them before using them. This ensures the butter is as cold as possible when it’s cut into the flour, creating the best texture for the topping.
- Ensure your water comes to a full boil before adding it to the dry topping ingredients. This helps everything mix evenly and quickly, allowing the baking powder to activate fully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fruitwoods like apple, cherry, peach, and pecan are generally recommended. They have a sweet, fruity profile and aren’t so strong that they overpower the flavor of the cobbler.
When smoking recipes, it’s important to adequately soak your wood chips. If they don’t absorb enough water, they’ll burn rather than smoke, creating an uneven smoking process.
The best cherries for any cobbler are sweet varieties like Bing or Rainier or a mix of sweet and sour cherries like Montmorency.
More Cobbler Recipes
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Smoked Cherry Cobbler
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 8 cups fresh cherries pitted
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Zest from large lemon
Cobbler Topping
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter cut into small pieces
- ⅓ cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 300 degrees and spray a 12-inch cast iron pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Cherry Filling
- Add cherries, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest to a large bowl. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes, stir and pour into the prepared baking dish.
Cobbler Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together.
- Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
- Pour boiling water into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Spoon mixture over cherries and spread evenly making sure to cover all the cherries.
- Place the cast iron pan directly on the grate and smoke cobbler for 1 hour and 30 minutes – 2 hours, or until the cobbler topping is golden.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- To reheat, defrost if frozen. Then, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals.
- I prefer to use nonstick spray instead of butter or shortening for this recipe. It ensures an even thin coat that doesn’t pool at the bottom of the skillet or infiltrate the cobbler filling.
- Allow your filling to sit for at least 5 minutes to initiate the maceration process, resulting in a sweet and juicy filling.
- Cut your butter into cubes and then chill them before using them. This ensures the butter is as cold as possible when it’s cut into the flour, creating the best texture for the topping.
- Ensure your water comes to a full boil before adding it to the dry topping ingredients. This helps everything mix evenly and quickly, allowing the baking powder to activate fully.
Nutrition
