Peach cobbler is the easiest way to finish a BBQ on a sweet note. Juicy peaches bake under a soft, buttery biscuit topping while the smoker adds a gentle, toasty flavor. Put it on when the meat comes off to rest.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups sliced peaches (about 6–7 ripe peaches, or 2 lb frozen, thawed and drained)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for the topping)
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
- Smoking wood: peach, apple, cherry or pecan (light smoke)
Steps
- Set up your smoker for 350°F with a mild wood like peach, apple, cherry or pecan.
- In a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet, toss the peaches with the brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- For the topping, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size bits.
- Stir in the milk just until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Drop spoonfuls of dough over the peaches, leaving small gaps so steam can escape. Sprinkle the top with 1 tbsp sugar.
- Place the skillet on the smoker, close the lid and bake 45–60 minutes.
- It's done when the filling bubbles thickly around the edges, the topping is deep golden and a toothpick in the center of a biscuit comes out clean.
- Using heat-proof gloves, move the skillet to a heat-safe surface. Let it cool at least 15 minutes so the filling can thicken.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Why this works
Cornstarch thickens the peach juices as they bubble, so the filling turns syrupy instead of watery. Cold butter in the topping melts in the heat and makes steam, which gives you a light, flaky biscuit. Cast iron spreads the smoker's heat evenly, so the bottom cooks as well as the top.
Best wood
Fruit woods are the natural choice for dessert. Peach, apple and cherry add a soft, sweet smoke. Pecan gives a slightly nutty taste. Skip mesquite and heavy hickory, which can overpower fruit. Our wood pairing chart has more ideas.
How to tell it's done
Look for three signs. The filling should bubble thickly at the edges, not just in one spot. The biscuit tops should be deep golden. A toothpick pushed into the middle of a center biscuit should come out clean, with no wet dough. If the top browns too fast before the center is cooked, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.
Handle the hot skillet with care
A cast-iron pan straight off a 350°F smoker stays hot for a long time, and the bubbling sugar can burn. Use good BBQ gloves to move it, and set it on a trivet or board. Warn anyone at the table that the handle is hot.
Fresh, frozen or canned peaches
Fresh ripe peaches taste best in summer. Frozen peaches work all year; thaw and drain them first. For canned peaches, use 3 cans (15 oz each) in juice, drained, and cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup.
Smoker tips
Any smoker that holds 350°F will work. Pellet grills make it simple, and a pellet smoker under $1,000 can bake this as easily as an oven.
Make ahead / storage
Cool leftovers, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. They keep 3–4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave or the whole skillet at 325°F for about 15 minutes.
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