Smoked Cornbread

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This smoked cornbread should be a staple at your cookouts. It is a delicious and fluffy side dish known for its golden crust and crumbly texture. I like making cornbread in my smoker because it’s quick and tasty. You can serve it with your entree, as an appetizer, or for dipping into soup. 

I’ve had friends who’ve tried recipes, and theirs have come out dry. I’ve worked on this recipe to ensure it comes out crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Smoked Cornbread Recipe

You’ll love this cornbread because it only takes about half an hour to cook it in the smoker and is versatile. You can have it with soups, as sandwiches, or hot with butter, and if you stick to this recipe, it shouldn’t dry out.

The ingredients are nothing extra fancy. Most of the ingredients I use for this recipe are already in my pantry, and you don’t need to use yeast or any active ingredients as you would with sourdough.

I enjoy eating it fresh with butter, beans, or other preserves in my pantry.

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All-Purpose Flour
Cornmeal
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Milk
Eggs, Whisked
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
Honey
Melted Butter, Cooled Slightly
Cast-iron skillet (you can probably use an 8, you may just need to cook longer)

Smoked Cornbread Recipe

Step 1: Preheating Your Smoker and Cast-Iron Skillet

Preheat the smoker to 350F. Once the smoker has preheated, place the cast-iron skillet on the grates and let it get hot for about 10 minutes while you mix the batter.

I recommend using sweeter, lighter woods like apple, cedar, pecan, or maple.

You can use a combination of both, but I avoid heavier woods like Hickory because they overpower the bread’s flavor, and it doesn’t take much to make this bread taste smokey.

Step 2: Making the Cornbread Dough

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk the milk, eggs, yogurt/sour cream, honey, and melted butter in a separate smaller bowl. Then add this to the large bowl and mix everything well until it’s mostly smooth.

When mixed, the consistency of your dough should be smooth and runny with no lumps. Don’t worry about using a beater: the contents should be wet enough that the ingredients combine smoothly with just a spatula or wooden spoon; mixing with a fork helps to get out all the lumps. 

Step 3: Cooking

Give the cast-iron pan a quick cooking oil spray (you can also use bacon fat), then pour the batter directly into the hot cast-iron pan.

Close the smoker and let it cook for 30 minutes until it’s set and golden brown on top.

Step 4: Final Touches

The cornbread bakes quickly—about 30 minutes. Check it after about 20 minutes to see how it’s going.

You’ll know it’s done if you can poke a knife through it, and the knife comes out clean or it reaches 190°F-200°F

Cool for at least 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with chili beans or hot with butter!

Bread can go stale if it’s not wrapped up, so store your cornbread in a plastic bag or airtight container. Treat it like bread — it can be stored in the freezer too.

What to Serve With It

Cornbread is super versatile. You can serve it with your main meal, or you can use it as toast, sandwich, or dipping bread.

• Whole Smoked Chicken
• Steaks From The Smoker
• Pit Boss Beef Brisket
• Chicken Quarters
• Traeger Smoked Tuna

Topping Ideas

The toppings that you can add to your cornbread are endless. This just depends on what you like. Heck, you could spread jam and ricotta, Nutella, hundreds and thousands… the options never end.

Has Your Cornbread Come Out Dry?

Cornbread is already a dry bread, but if it’s extra dry to a point where it isn’t pleasant to eat, there are several reasons your cornbread is dry. Some of them are:

• You left it in the smoker after it was done cooking. This is a big no-no when baking. Always take the bread out to cool for at least 10 minutes to set and be ready to eat.
• It’s overcooked or smoked for too long.
• The smoker was set at too high a temperature.
• The dry-to-wet ingredient ratio was off-kilter. If there’s more flour than milk, the result will be drier than usual. 

Smoke On!

Charlie

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