Smoked Bacon and Brioche Stuffing

This smoked bacon and brioche stuffing pairs perfectly with our Turkey on a Pellet Smoker recipe. It’s made with simple and fresh ingredients, including homemade turkey stock and rub. 

This stuffing is so good it might become the star of the show at your holiday dinner. 

Smoked bacon and brioche stuffing

Stuffing has been my favorite Thanksgiving side since I was a little kid. Luckily, I graduated from the store-bought stuffing mix of my youth and have created a variety of stuffing recipes over the years.

This is hands down my favorite recipe. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory. It’s fairly easy to make and uses many similar ingredients to traditional holiday recipes, so why not give it a try?

Ingredients you’ll need

• Brioche bread – I toast the brioche bread on the smoker before making the stuffing. This allows the bread to get a nice and crispy texture while picking up that smokey flavor. I also love to use brioche bread or Hawaiian rolls to balance perfectly with the fresh herbs. 
• Maple bacon – bacon makes everything better. A maple smoked bacon will take this stuffing to the next level. 
• Homemade turkey broth – our homemade turkey broth is simple, and a great way to use the neck of the turkey. 
• Homemade turkey rub – our homemade turkey rub uses simple ingredients yet produces amazing flavor. However, feel free to use your favorite store-bought turkey rub. 
• Butter – I love to use salted, grass-fed butter for this recipe.
• Egg – the egg will hold the stuffing together perfectly. 
• Fresh herbs – rosemary, and thyme make this recipe pop. These warm and savory herbs produce the traditional stuffing flavor.
• Trinity – you know a recipe is going to be good when it starts by browning onions, celery, and carrots to create a base of flavor. 
• Garlic and shallot – most of my holiday recipes include garlic, as they should! We also introduce garlic’s cousin, the shallot. This isn’t completely necessary, but will definitely enhance the flavor.

Equipment you’ll need

• Pellet smoker – I used my Traeger Grills Timberline XL, but any pellet grill will work for this recipe. 
• Stove – to brown the vegetables and herbs, you will need direct heat. You can use your stove for this part. I used the induction on my Traeger Timberline.
• Pellets – I suggest using hickory, oak, and mesquite pellets.
• Cast iron skillet – or frying pan. 
• Casserole dish – or cast iron skillet for baking and serving.
• Stockpot – If you make a homemade stock, then you will need at least a 5 qt stockpot.

How to make smoked bacon and brioche stuffing

1. Turkey stock

I love making homemade stock because it’s a great way to use the turkey’s neck. I do recommend you make this the day before. However, you can skip this step and use store-bought turkey stock if you prefer. 

Season the turkey neck with our homemade turkey rub and place it into a large stock pot. Over medium heat, brown the turkey neck.

Add roughly chopped celery, carrots, garlic and onion. Cook until browned then add water.

Boil for one hour and then simmer for a minimum of one hour and a maximum of 12 hours. The longer it simmers the more it will reduce, so you will need to add water as you go. 

You can also smoke the stock at 265°F for a minimum of one hour. In three hours, the stock will reduce to eight cups.

Strain when ready to use. 

2. Fire up the smoker 

Preheat your pellet smoker to 265°F, using hickory, oak, mesquite pellets, or a pellet blend. 

3. Prep the stuffing

Slice two loaves of brioche bread into 1” cubes. Lay out on a baking sheet and season with our homemade or store-bought turkey rub. 

Smoke the bread for 1 hour or until crispy. 

Prepare the stuffing mix by dicing onion, shallots, celery, carrots, and bacon, and mincing garlic, rosemary, and thyme. 

Add the chopped bacon to a skillet on medium heat. Begin to cook and add the onion, celery, carrot, shallot, and garlic.

Once it begins to brown, add butter. Reduce the heat to low and add turkey stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.

After simmering, remove from heat and let cool, then add an egg and whisk thoroughly. 

4. Put it together

Place the brioche cubes into a grill-safe casserole dish and pour the stuffing mixture over the top. I recommend pouring a little at a time and mixing together as you go.

Lightly mix, leaving some full-size brioche cubes while also mixing some of the cubes into the stuffing mix. 

5. Smoke it

Bake on the smoker at 325°F for 45 minutes to one hour or until golden brown. 

Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with our Turkey on a Pellet Smoker.

Smoked Stuffing Recipe

Once you try this smoked stuffing recipe I guarantee it will become a mainstay on your holiday menu. For the best results, make your own turkey stock the day before, but if you need to use store bought it will still taste great. Drop a 5-star review if you enjoy this, and let us know if you have any questions in the comments.

If you want to try something different we also have a tasty smoked sausage stuffing you can try.