Smoked Brie With Cranberry Sauce

The perfect appetizer for the holidays. Smokey and savory brie with a warm, BBQ-inspired cranberry sauce.

Every year, we gather around the table, and there is always some sort of cheese board involved. This smoked brie with cranberry sauce has become a family favorite.

The cheese is rich, smokey, and gooey. It’s topped with a warm, sweet, and spicy cranberry sauce, the perfect addition to any cheese board. 

Smoked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients you’ll need

• Brie Wheel – an 8oz wheel
• Olive Oil
• Cranberries – I prefer fresh, but frozen will work just as well.
• Jalapeños
• Orange juice
• Brown sugar
• BBQ Sauce – I used our Smoke Kitchen Sweet BBQ sauce.
• Crackers – grab your favorite crackers, I recommend something sturdy. 

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker
• Wood
• Cast iron pan – or baking sheet
• Medium size saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Sharp knife – you’ll need a sharp knife to help score the brie. I recommend our boning knife to help with those precise cuts.

Can you eat the rind?

The short answer is yes, it’s totally edible. It really just becomes a question of texture and if you like it.

If you don’t want to eat the rind, I recommend cutting and removing ¼” across the top to expose the cheese, the rind on the side will keep the structure intact. 

How to make Smoked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

1. Fire up the smoker

Fire up the smoker to 250°F.

I used my pellet grill for this recipe. It allows you to melt the cheese slowly, imparting a subtle smoke flavor and reduces any burnt spots or taste that you would get if running at a higher temperature. 

I used Apple wood, which is quite mild, but you can try other woods. Cherry wood, Maple wood, or Hickory wood would all be great options. 

2. Prep

The only prep you really need to do for the brie is to score it. This will help smoke penetrate into the cheese and give it that nice aesthetic cross pattern for presentation.

To score the cheese, I take a boning knife and score about ⅛-¼ inch deep slice across the top of the wheel in a cross-hatch pattern.

3. Cook

Pop the wheel into a small cast iron pan or a baking sheet and place it on the smoker.

It’s going to cook for about 30-35 minutes. To tell when it’s done, stick a butter knife in, and the cheese should be melted but not oozing out. 

4. Cranberry sauce

While the brie is smoking, I make my cranberry sauce. It takes about the same time to make, and that way, when the brie is done, you’re able to serve it warm with the cranberry sauce. 

Start by adding a splash of olive oil to a medium pot over medium-high heat.

Saute the diced jalapeños for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.

Add in the orange juice, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, and water. Bring everything to a light boil, then add the cranberries.

Continue to stir for 10-15 minutes. The cranberries will start to burst, but continue cooking until it reaches your desired thickness. I like mine on the thicker side, so I go the full 15 minutes. 

Keep the sauce warm on low heat until ready to serve with the brie.

5. Serve

Let the brie sit for 5-10 minutes for the skillet to cool slightly.

I like to plate it in the skillet, topped with some cranberry sauce, and garnished with fresh rosemary.

Serve with your favorite crackers, toasted baguettes, and any remaining cranberry sauce on the side.

Looking for some more cheesy appetizers to dip your crackers in?

• Smoked Spinach Dip
• Smoked Jalapeño Popper Dip
• Hot Honey Smoked Cream Cheese
• Smoked Beer Cheese
• Smoked Cream Cheese Four Ways
• Smoked Queso Dip