Smoked Cornbread? Yep, you can bake on the grill. Chock full of bacon, corn, chipotle peppers and cheddar, Smoked Cornbread has a super crunchy crust, lightly smoky flavor and is really very easy to make.

Because we use our grill almost every night in the summer. I challenged myself to bake right on the grill. I make pizza on the grill all the time. Let’s see what else we can bake on the grill.

I needed a recipe that was sturdy enough to take the heat of the grill and would be enhanced by the smoke flavor. So I turned to one of my favorites, cornbread.

Cornbread can be light and sweet, or savory and hearty. Because I wanted to emphasize the smoky flavor, I went the savory and hearty route with this recipe. This bread would be perfect served along-side smoked ribs, pulled pork or grilled fish.

2 slices of smoked cornbread with bacon on a plate

How to make Smoked Cornbread on the grill

I employed my trusty cast-iron skillet because I knew it could take the heat of the grill.
If you’re using a smoker box or wood chip packet then you should have no problem having smoke during the entire baking process.
Keep the pan on the hot side of the grill and monitor the temperature.

slices of smoked cornbread with chipotle

Watch the recipe video to see how to bake Smoked Cornbread on the grill.

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4.89 from 9 reviews

Smoked Cornbread with Bacon and Chipotle Peppers

By: Eileen Gray

You can bake on the grill. Chock full of bacon, corn, chipotle peppers and cheddar, Smoked Corn Bread has a super crunchy crust, lightly smoky flavor and is really very easy to make.

Prep Time20

Bake Time26

Grill Prep Time20

Total Time1 6

12 servings

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Ingredients

5 oz all-purpose flour (1 cup, see note)
5 oz yellow corn meal (1 cup)
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ oz granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 chipotle pepper (minced (see note 1))
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 scallions (chopped)
4 slices bacon (cooked crisp, chopped into 1/2″ bits)
5 oz cheddar cheese (shredded, separated)
8 oz buttermilk (1 cup, room temperature)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
3 tablespoons bacon fat

Instructions

Prep the Grill

Preheat the grill and set up a smoking packet or box (see note 2).

Batter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 5 oz all-purpose flour, 5 oz yellow corn meal, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ oz granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Add 1 chipotle pepper, 1 cup corn kernels, 2 scallions and 4 slices bacon and mix. Toss in 4 oz of the shredded cheese.
Whisk together 8 oz buttermilk and 2 large eggs. Pour 3 tablespoons bacon fat into a 10" cast iron skillet. Swirl the fat to coat the pan. Pour the fat from the pan into the buttermilk mixture, whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Pour the batter into the skillet and spread with a small spatula. Top the batter with the remaining 1 oz of shredded cheese. Bake the bread on the warm side of the grill until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Monitor the heat of the grill so it doesn’t go much above 450°-500°F. If the grill is getting too hot move the pan to the cool side for a few minutes.
It’s best still warm but will keep several days at room temperature.

Equipment

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Video

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

You can either use a chipotle in adobo or a dried chipotle pepper. Soften the dried pepper in boiling water before mincing.

Make a smoking packet by wrapping soaked wood chips in foil. Cut slits in the packet and heat up on the grill until the chips are smoking.

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