Looking for a crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer? Try this smoked cranberry brie puff pastry with creamy cheese and crunchy pistachios.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Puff Pastry: I like the store-bought puff pastry you find in the refrigerator section, but you can also find puff pastry in the freezer section.
- Brie: Look for a wheel of brie in the deli.
- Cranberry Sauce: You can use homemade cranberry sauce or the canned kind. If you use canned cranberry sauce, use the kind with whole berries.
- Pistachios: Buy the unshelled kind and chop them a bit.
- Egg: This is for the egg wash.
- Lemon Pepper and Kosher Salt: To add flavor and color to the top of the pastry.
Substitutions: You can replace the cranberry sauce with virtually any kind of jam or jelly. And you can swap out the pistachios and use any type of nuts.
Other great flavor combinations
- Jalapeno Whiskey Bacon Jam and pecans
- Homemade Red Pepper Jelly and almonds
- Fig jam and walnuts
See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to bake puff pastry on the grill
Set your smoker up to 425F degrees with an indirect heat zone. If your grill has an elevated rack, install that. The pastry will cook best when it’s further from the fire.
Cherry wood and pecan wood are great choices for mild smoke flavor.
- STEP ONE: Unroll the puff pastry sheet. Place it on a sheet of parchment paper and cut into a 10 by 10-inch square. Add the wheel of brie on top. Use a knife to shave off the top layer of the rind on the brie. Then, spoon the cranberry sauce on top. Top with pistachios.
- STEP TWO: Use a knife to cut eight slits into the puff pastry.
- STEP THREE: Pull each section of pastry up and over the brie, making sure the sides are fully covered. I like twisting the pastry on top for a little decoration.
- STEP FOUR: Beat the egg in a small bowl. Then, brush the egg wash onto the pastry. Sprinkle lemon pepper and kosher salt on top.
- STEP FIVE: Place the parchment paper and wrapped tart in a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Smoke at 425F degrees for 35-40 minutes.
PRO TIP: Check on the pastry every 10-15 minutes to make sure it's baking evenly. Rotate the pan if you grill is hotter on one side.
- STEP SIX: Once the pastry is cooked through and golden brown, remove it from the grill.
How to serve cranberry brie puff pastry
Transfer the skillet to a large platter with a trivet underneath. Add crackers, chips or sliced fruit like apples around the skillet.
For a touch of heat, you can drizzle the brie with hot honey.
Place a spoon in the skillet, so people can scoop out the melted cheese.
The cast iron skillet will help keep the creamy brie cheese warm. If it starts to cool too much, you can pop the skillet back in a 350-degree oven or smoker to remelt.
Storage
Store leftover baked brie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can reheat it in a microwave. This brie recipe doesn’t freeze well.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Use thawed, pre-made puff pastry dough and cut it into a square
- Remove the rind from the top of the brie
- Add a combination of jams or jellies with nuts
- Keep an eye on the pastry as it cooks so it doesn’t burn
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Smoked Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 8 ozs brie cheese wheel
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat Grill: Heat your smoked to 425F degrees with an indirect heat zone. If you have an elevated rack, insert that into the grill.
- Prep: Cut the pastry into a 10×10-inch square and lay it on a sheet of parchment paper.. Use a knife to shave the top layer of the rind off of the wheel of brie.
- Top: Place the wheel of brie in the center of the puff pastry. Spoon the cranberry sauce on top. Add the nuts on top of the sauce.
- Cut: Use a knife to cut 8 slits into the pastry from the outer edge toward the center. (see the picture above)
- Wrap: Pull each section of pastry up and over the brie, making sure the sides are fully covered. For added decoration, twist the pastry on top and press to seal.
- Brush: Beat the egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash onto the pastry. Sprinkle the top with lemon pepper and salt.
- Pan: Place the parchment paper and prepared brie into a cast iron skillet.
- Smoke: Place the cast iron skillet in the heated smoker on the elevated rack. Smoke for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown. Check the pastry every 15 minutes and rotate the pan, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
