This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This smoked blackberry cobbler is full of fresh blackberries and topped with homemade sugary biscuits, all baked on the pellet grill or smoker for the perfect hint of smoke flavor. The perfect late summer smoked dessert recipe for your bounty of berries!
If you’ve watched any of the my pellet grilling and smoking YouTube videos, then you know that I’ve said many times, “A pellet grill is just an oven with flavor.” And just like a traditional oven, you can use your pellet grill or smoker for much more than just cooking meats.
In fact, many dessert recipes, like this grilled peach cobbler, can benefit from a hint of smoke flavor, too!
Our Southern-style blackberry cobbler features loads of fresh ripe blackberries, homemade drop biscuits as the “crust”, and a simple sugar crust – all smoked on the Traeger pellet grill for that extra rustic flavor. My wife calls the hint of smoke the “je ne sais quoi” of this dish – that little bit of extra deliciousness that you know is there, but you can’t quite describe it. If you’re a cobbler fan, you’ll love this recipe, too!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Smoked Dessert Recipe
- Kiss of smoke flavor – By smoking the cobbler on the Traeger pellet grill or other smoker, you get a warm dessert with a subtle kiss of smoky flavor. That extra pop of flavor that you can’t get in a traditional oven.
- Great for fresh berries – If you have a bunch of berries that you need to put to good use, this recipe is for you. With 8 cups of fresh berries, it’s the perfect cobbler recipe for summer!
- Balanced sweetness – This grilled dessert recipe isn’t overly sweet. Fresh blackberries have a natural tartness, and the biscuit topping isn’t loaded with sugar. In fact, my wife commented that this blackberry cobbler would be perfectly acceptable for breakfast – like eating buttermilk biscuits with jam!
Preparing the Blackberries
The first step to the best smoked berry cobbler is to wash, rinse, and thoroughly drain your blackberries. You want to start with berries that are completely dry so that your finished dessert doesn’t end up too watery.
Add the washed berries to a large mixing bowl, and mix in sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and vanilla extract. Mix very carefully to avoid bruising or breaking the berries. They’ll soften and break down as they cook.
Making the Biscuit Cobbler Topping
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients including flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then use a cheese grater to grate a very cold stick of butter directly into the flour mixture. This helps distribute the butter evenly, creating a tender biscuit topping.
Use a fork to blend the grated butter with the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs – similar to the texture and shape of Rice Krispies cereal.
Pour in ice-cold buttermilk, folding gently just until a dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, or the dough will become tough.
Assembling the Cobbler
Use softened butter to thoroughly grease your casserole or cast iron dish, all around the bottom and sides, to prevent your cobbler from sticking to the pan. Then pour the sugared blackberries evenly across the bottom of the buttered dish.
Next, use a spoon to drop small mounds of biscuit dough onto the berry mixture, leaving gaps so some fruit peeks through. These exposed spots do a few things – they help allow steam to come up and cook the biscuit dough, the berries caramelize a bit, and it lets everyone see the beautiful fresh berries.
Use a pastry brush to brush a bit of buttermilk over the tops of the drop biscuits, and then generously sprinkle with sugar for a crunchy, sweet crust. We prefer coarse sugar for this, but regular table sugar works also.
Smoking the Blackberry Cobbler
Place the prepared cobbler directly on the grill grate of your pellet grill or smoker. Close the grill lid, and “bake” at 350°F for about 50-55 minutes, rotating halfway through to ensure even cooking.
You can start checking for doneness on the biscuits at about 45 minutes into the cooking time, but our smoked cobbler took a full 55 minutes to finish. The biscuit topping should be golden, and the berries will be bubbling.
Allow the cobbler to rest for about 15-20 minutes, before dishing it out. This allows the juices to thicken a bit, creating a perfect blackberry syrup in the bottom of your cobbler.
Serve the smoked dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and spoon those glorious blackberry juices over top for a sweet treat that’s as beautiful as it is delicious!
Tips for the Best Smoked Blackberry Cobbler
- Use fresh blackberries – Fresh berries are best for this recipe, and you’ll need a lot of them – about 8 cups. I prefer not to substitute with frozen blackberries, because they tend to get more soggy when cooked, and your smoked cobbler will be more watery.
- Cook enough to soften the seeds in the berries – Raw blackberries have hard seeds that are unpleasant for some, but baking the berries in a cobbler softens the seeds so you can’t taste them. Be sure that the internal temperature of your cobbler reaches 200°F to ensure the berries are fully cooked.
Serving Suggestions
This smoked blackberry cobbler is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can, of course, eat it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or with a dollop of whipped cream.
Storage and Reheating
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or you can freeze the baked cobbler for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then cover with aluminum foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until warm.
If you don’t have a 13×9-inch baking dish or 12″ cast iron skillet, you can substitute with other pans that hold around 3 quarts (12 cups). A standard 3-quart casserole dish, round or square, also works fine.
An 11×7-inch pan can work too, but your cobbler will be a bit thicker, so you may need to increase the baking time slightly. Two 8×8 pans also work if you’re okay dividing the batter—a good choice if you are freezing half.
Cobblers have a soft, biscuit or cake-like topping. Crisps have a crunchy oat-based topping. Crumbles are like a crisp but without oats — just a buttery streusel. There is also a version of blackberry cobbler where melted butter and cake batter are poured into the pan, and then the berries are added to the top. The cake batter rises and covers most of the berries.
Yes, you can use any berries you like. You can even do a mixed berry cobbler with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc. Strawberries and raspberries are juicier, and you may need to add a bit extra cornstarch to ensure that the filling thickens.
Smoked Blackberry Cobbler with Biscuit Topping
Equipment
- 3 quart casserole dish or cast iron pan *About 12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For the blackberry filling:
- 8 cups blackberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the biscuit topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons more for sprinkling on top
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
- ⅔ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon for the biscuit tops
- butter, for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Prepare the baking dish and the grill: Use softened butter to thoroughly grease a large casserole or cast iron dish, all around the bottom and sides. Heat a pellet grill or smoker to 350℉ with your choice of wood or pellets.
- For the blackberry filling: Add the blackberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Gently fold the berry mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread filling evenly into the prepared pan. Set aside as you make the biscuit topping.
- For the biscuit topping: Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Grate the cold butter on the largest holes of a box grater. Add the cold grated butter to the flour mixture. Use two forks or a pastry cutter to combine the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs (similar to the size and shape of rice cereal).
- Slowly drizzle the buttermilk into the dough mixture while stirring. Mix until the dough just sticks together. Do not overmix or the biscuits will be tougher.
- Assemble the cobbler: Drop dollops of the biscuit dough over the berries, leaving gaps to allow the steam to escape and the beautiful berries to show. Then brush one tablespoon of buttermilk over the biscuit topping, and sprinkle the biscuits with coarse sugar (or table sugar).
- Smoke the cobbler: Cook the cobbler on the smoker for 45-55 minutes at 350°F or until the biscuit topping is golden brown and the cobbler registers at least 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. This ensures the blackberries are fully cooked, soft, and juicy, and that the juices have thickened. It also confirms the biscuit topping is cooked through and not doughy in the middle. *If the topping gets too brown, loosely tent the baking dish with foil.
- Rest and serve: Remove from the grill and cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes for the juices to thicken a bit. Then serve warm with vanilla ice cream. *You can also serve the cobbler room temperature or cold if you prefer.
Notes
- Blackberries – Use fresh blackberries if they are available. You can use frozen blackberries, but do not thaw them first. Frozen berries contain more liquid, so increase the cornstarch to 2 1/2 tablespoons instead of 2 tablespoons.
- Buttermilk – If you do not have buttermilk, pour 2/3 cup of whole milk into a small bowl. Using measuring spoons, remove 1 1/4 teaspoons of milk and replace it with 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice. Stir it gently and let it sit in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes until it thickens and slightly curdles. Use this DIY “buttermilk” in place of real buttermilk.
- Storage – Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can freeze the baked cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. Cover with aluminum foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
