How much wood should I use so the brownie gets smoke without turning bitter?

Very little: a small handful of apple-wood chips, around 30-40 grams, on the coals at the start of the bake. Chocolate absorbs smoke extremely easily, and overdoing it turns it bitter within minutes with phenolic notes that bury the cocoa. The rule is counterintuitive: for a dessert you want a fraction of the smoke you'd use on a rack of ribs. Add the wood only at the start, in the first 10-12 minutes, while the batter is still wet and locks in the aroma; after that the surface sets and absorbs nothing useful, only soot. When in doubt, go short: a fruity veil you can just sense always beats a brownie that tastes of chimney.

How do I get the fudgy, not dry, point in the brownie?

Three keys. First, the ratio: more chocolate and fat (butter and olive oil) than flour, with cocoa for depth; a fudgy brownie has little flour. Second, don't overbeat after adding the flour, only until combined, because excess gluten and air dry the crumb. And third, the pull point, which is what most often goes wrong: take the skillet out when the crust is crackled but the centre still wobbles and the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs clinging, never clean. The cast-iron skillet keeps cooking by inertia for 15-20 minutes off the kamado, so the centre finishes setting during the rest. Wait for a dry toothpick over the fire and the rest turns it into cake.

Which sweet wood pairs better with chocolate: apple or cherry?

For a brownie I'd go with apple. It's the mildest, sweetest fruit wood, with a light smoke that settles as a fruity background behind the cocoa without competing with it. Cherry is excellent and very popular, but it's a touch deeper and slightly tannic, and over chocolate it tends to pull towards a bitterness that fights the cocoa instead of accompanying it, especially if you go heavy. If cherry is all you have, use an even smaller dose than apple and only at the start. What you must avoid in baking are the strong woods —mesquite, hickory, holm oak, oak—: superb for meat but they steamroll a delicate dessert, leaving it smoky and bitter.

How do I season and grease the cast-iron skillet so the brownie doesn't stick?

Start from a well-seasoned skillet: if it's new, rub it with the thinnest film of oil and bake it in the kamado at 200°C for about 40 minutes to set the patina, repeating two or three times until it's dark and satin. For this recipe specifically, just before pouring the batter, grease the whole surface and walls generously with soft butter and then dust with cocoa powder (instead of flour, which would leave white streaks), shaking off the excess. That layer of fat and cocoa creates a non-stick barrier perfect for baking and blends into the flavour. After turning it out, don't wash the skillet with soap or leave it to soak: clean it hot with water and a brush, dry it over the fire and wipe it with oil to keep the patina.

Can I freeze the brownie and reheat it keeping the centre creamy?

Yes, and it freezes surprisingly well thanks to its high fat and chocolate content, which stops it crystallising and drying out. Let it cool completely, cut it into portions and wrap each in cling film and then foil or a freezer bag; it keeps for up to 3 months. To reheat while keeping the centre fudgy, thaw at room temperature and give it gentle, short heat: in the kamado or oven at 150°C for about 5-6 minutes, just enough for the centre to soften again without the edges drying out. The microwave works in a pinch, 15-20 seconds per portion, but it dries the crackled crust and kills the charm. A trick: serve the reheated portion warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the hot-cold contrast hides any loss of texture.

Can you make a smoked brownie without a kamado?

In the oven at 175 °C for 30-35 minutes you get a perfect fudgy brownie, just without smoke. To keep the apple wood, use a gas grill with a smoker box or a pellet grill at the same temperature.

What do I do with the embers left after making Smoked skillet brownie on the kamado, fudgy centre?

After 35 min at 175 °C in a classic kamado about 380 g of live embers remain: 1 h 20 min more at 175 °C without touching the vents, 2 h 25 min at 100-130 °C closing the vents or 30 min at 210-270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

Recipe · Indirect · Medium

Smoked skillet brownie on the kamado, fudgy centre

Chocolate brownie baked in a cast-iron skillet over indirect heat, with a veil of apple-wood smoke. Crackled crust, fudgy centre and a hint of orange. Serves 10.

Updated 12 September 2026

Season:All yearCuisine:American

Quick answer

Smoked brownie bakes in a cast-iron skillet at 175 °C indirect with a deflector, 30-35 minutes, with a small handful of apple wood at the start only. Pull it when the crust is crackled and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, never clean: the hot skillet keeps setting the centre for 15-20 minutes off the heat, leaving it fudgy.

Brownie de chocolate en sartén de hierro con helado y caramelo

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One big step at a time, screen kept on and built-in timers.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Servings: 10 servings
Temperature: 175 °C

What time do you want to eat?

Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.

Serving time

12:25
Start the prep
12:45
Light the kamado
13:15
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve

Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.

Fire setupIndirect

Dome: 175 °C
Deflector: Yes
Grate: Standard height
Fuel: Charcoal
Wood: A small handful of apple wood chips
Setup: Deflector; cast-iron pan

Temperature curve

1:25 h from lighting

Kamado dome

#	From	Phase	Dome
1	0:00	Light the charcoalCharcoal lit, deflector in, reliable chamber probe	20 → 175 °C
2	0:25	StabiliseHold a dead-steady 175 °C for 10 min before the batter goes in	175 °C
3	0:35	Put the food inA small handful of apple chips, pan in the centre	175 → 150 °C
4	0:36	BakeDo not open; at 30 min a pick comes out with wet crumbs	150 → 175 °C
5	1:10	RestRest in the pan with flaky salt until it sets	175 → 140 °C
6	1:25	Serve	off

0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner

For this recipe

Ingredients

Servings10

dark chocolate 70%, chopped200 g
unsalted butter120 g
mild extra-virgin olive oil (replaces part of the butter)60 ml
brown sugar220 g
large eggs, room temperature4
plain (cake) flour110 g
unsweetened cocoa powder (+ extra to flour the skillet)35 g
orange (the zest)1
dark or milk chocolate in big chunks (for the molten pockets)100 g
vanilla extract1 tsp
flaky sea salt, Maldon-style (to finish, balances the sweetness)1 pinch

Allergens

Gluten
Eggs
Milk

The chocolate may contain soy lecithin or traces of tree nuts: check the label.

Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.

The gear for this recipe

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Method

01
Set the deflector and stabilise 175°C
Light the charcoal, set the deflector to block direct heat and stabilise the chamber at 175°C with a reliable chamber probe, not the dome thermometer. It takes 20-25 minutes to settle. Do not load the batter until the temperature holds steady at 175°C for 10 minutes.
02
Melt chocolate, butter and olive oil
Over low heat or a bain-marie, melt the 70% chocolate, the butter and the olive oil into a smooth, glossy cream; take it off and let it cool five minutes. The oil keeps the centre fudgy for longer and brings a clean richness that butter alone won't.
03
Whisk eggs and sugar, then fold
Whisk the eggs with the brown sugar for 3-4 minutes until foamy and pale; that's where the crackled crust is born. Fold in the cooled chocolate and the vanilla, then sift in flour and cocoa and mix only until combined. Don't overbeat: too much air dries the brownie out.
04
Grease and cocoa-flour the skillet
Grease the cast-iron skillet well with butter, dust with cocoa powder and shake off the excess: it won't stick and you avoid white streaks of flour. Pour in the batter, scatter the big chocolate chunks and the orange zest over the top, and level it without pressing down.
05
Bake indirect with apple smoke
Toss a small handful of apple-wood chips on the coals and set the skillet in the centre of the grate, over the deflector. Close the lid. After 10-12 minutes, once the batter has set, the smoke has done its job: don't add more wood or open the lid out of curiosity.
06
Watch the fudgy point, 30-35 min
At 30 minutes, check: the crust should be crackled and, when you pierce the centre with a toothpick, it should come out with moist crumbs clinging to it, never clean. If it comes out clean, you've gone too far. Between 30 and 35 minutes depending on the skillet. Pull it with gloves while the centre still wobbles slightly.
07
Rest in the skillet and cut
Sprinkle flaky salt over the top and let the brownie rest in the skillet itself for 15-20 minutes: the residual heat sets the centre, turning it from liquid to fudgy. Cut into 10 portions in the skillet with a serrated knife, without scratching the iron. Serve warm.

About this recipe

A smoked barbecue brownie works because the kamado, with a deflector in place, is a better oven than most kitchen ones: stable, enveloping, and able to add a veil of apple-wood smoke that pairs with chocolate the way coffee or caramel do. The secret isn't the brownie recipe —that part is textbook— it's treating the kamado as what it is here, a convection oven at 175°C indirect, and pulling the skillet while the centre still wobbles. That pull point is the difference between a fudgy brownie and a dry chocolate cake.

The kamado as an oven: deflector, 175°C and no rushing

Kamado baking is oven baking with one extra variable: the ceramic's radiant heat. You set the deflector to block direct heat from the coals and stabilise the chamber at 175°C, the baking temperature of a classic brownie. Not a degree of improvisation: a reliable chamber probe is mandatory, because the dome thermometer lies thanks to the cupola. The cast-iron skillet goes in the centre of the grate, over the deflector, never at the edge where the ceramic radiates hardest. At 175°C the brownie rises slowly, the crust crackles and the centre stays fudgy, not raw: we're talking about a point of doneness, not liquid batter.

The apple smoke: light, sweet and early

Here's the nuance that separates a kamado brownie from an oven one: a small handful of apple-wood chips on the coals, no more. Chocolate drinks in smoke greedily, and overdoing it turns it bitter in seconds. We want a sweet, fruity background you can sense, not a brownie that tastes of chimney. The wood goes on early, in the first 10-12 minutes, while the batter is still wet and locks the aroma in; after that you don't need it. Apple beats cherry here because it's milder: cherry, deeper and more tannic, pulls against the cocoa instead of accompanying it.

The Mediterranean touch: orange, olive oil and a pinch of salt

In Torrevieja oranges are at hand all winter, and a generous zest in the batter lifts the chocolate and talks to the apple smoke beautifully. I swap part of the butter for mild extra-virgin olive oil: it brings a clean richness, keeps the centre fudgy for longer and is an honest nod to the baking of this coast. A pinch of flaky salt on top as the skillet comes out balances the sweetness and makes the cocoa flavour pop. No filler: real chocolate (70%), good eggs, just enough sugar and a hit of Costa Blanca citrus.

In 30 seconds

Kamado with deflector at 175°C indirect, reliable chamber probe. A small handful of apple-wood chips on the coals, early only. Brownie batter with 70% chocolate, part of the fat as olive oil, orange zest. Greased, cocoa-floured cast-iron skillet in the centre of the grate over the deflector. 30-35 min until the crust crackles and the centre still wobbles (toothpick with moist crumbs, not clean). Flaky salt on the way out. Rest 15-20 min in the skillet before cutting. Serves 10.

Will it fit your kamado?

Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Won't fit
The 35 cm pan with handles won't fit; with a ~25 cm pan, half the recipe.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Tight
The 35 cm pan with handles is probably tight; a 30 cm pan fits easily.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
The 35 cm pan fits comfortably.

What to serve with it

Sides

Vanilla ice cream
Fresh red berries

Wine: Pedro Ximénez from Montilla-Moriles
Beer: Stout or porter with cocoa notes
Alcohol-free: Cold brew coffee or cold milk with cinnamon

Leftovers and storage

In the fridge: Barely set centre: covered in the fridge within 2 hours, 2-3 days.
Freezing: Freezes well in wrapped portions, 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge; do not refreeze.
Reheating: 150 °C oven for 5-6 minutes to bring back the molten centre; or cold, denser.
Using them up: In chunks over ice cream, or layered in glasses with cream and berries.

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.

Leftover embers

You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat

For 35 min at 175 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 400 g: when you serve, about 380 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:

Without touching the vents
175 °Cdessert while you eat
1 h 20 minof embers
- Apple crumble on the kamado in a dutch oven40 min · 190 °C
- Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado12 min · 185 °C
- Reina Pepiada Arepas on a Budare in the Kamado, Crisp Outside1 h · 200 °C
No recipe needed
- Yesterday's bread with oil and garlic, on the grate (10 min)
- Corn cobs in their husks (30 min)
- Whole apples with a slit in the skin (45 min)
Closing the vents almost fully and waiting for it to drop
100-130 °Ca short smoke
2 h 25 minof embers
- Hot-Smoked Whole Mackerel on the Kamado45 min · 120 °C
No recipe needed
- Coarse salt on a tray, with a wood chunk: smoked salt for months (1-2 h)
- Almonds or walnuts on a rack (45 min)
- Whole heads of garlic, for spreading (1 h)
Opening the vents almost fully
210-270 °Cgrilled vegetables
30 minof embers
- Grilled peaches with honey and vanilla ice cream on the kamado8 min · 210 °C
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates on the Grill14 min · 210 °C
- Olive Oil Ciabatta on the Kamado25 min · 245 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)

Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 380 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 1 h 30 min of fire, lighting included.

No kamado?

How to make it without a kamado: oven, gas grill or pellets

The brownie bakes for 30-35 minutes at 175 °C with a handful of apple wood. The oven makes a perfect fudgy brownie; only the smoke is lost.

Home oven

Temp.: 175 °C conventional (160-165 °C fan)
Time: 30-35 min, same as on the kamado

The cast-iron pan on the middle rack, top and bottom heat
No smoke: a pinch of smoked salt instead of the flakes echoes the apple wood
Same doneness cue: pull it when the skewer comes out with moist crumbs

SmokeBarkJuicinessA perfect fudgy brownie, minus the apple wood note

Gas grill

Temp.: 175 °C indirect: one burner low, pan on the unlit side
Time: 32-40 min; one-sided heat sets it more slowly

A box with a handful of apple chips for the first 10-12 min only
Turn the pan 180° once, at 20 min; the lit side sets first
Slip a tray or stone under the pan if the base darkens

SmokeBarkJuicinessVery good with gentle smoke; keep the base from overbaking

Pellet grill or electric smoker

Temp.: 175 °C on a pellet grill
Time: 30-35 min, same as on the kamado

Pellet grill only; at an electric smoker's 135 °C the crackly top never forms
Apple pellets; the smoke runs the whole bake, so it comes through more than the kamado handful
Pan in the centre of the grate, away from the firepot

SmokeBarkJuicinessVery close, a little smokier; an electric smoker will not do

Temperatures and times are a guide; the original recipe is the kamado one. Tempted? which kamado to choose for what you cook

Editor's tips

The pull point is the whole dish. A fudgy brownie comes out while the centre still wobbles and the toothpick shows moist crumbs, because the cast iron's residual heat keeps setting it for 15 minutes off the fire. Wait for a clean toothpick inside the kamado and the rest dries it into a cake. The hot skillet cooks by inertia: count on it and pull earlier.
With chocolate, less smoke is more. A small handful of apple-wood chips at the start is plenty for a fruity background; a big handful or wood throughout the bake leaves a phenolic bitterness that buries the cocoa. Chocolate is a sponge for aromas: treat it like a delicate white fish, not a rack of ribs that takes hours of smoke.
Trust the chamber probe, not the dome thermometer. In a kamado the cupola holds more heat than the grate, so the dome gauge can read 175°C while the skillet sits at 190°C, and a brownie at 190°C dries at the edges before the centre sets. Sink a probe at grate level and govern the vents by that reading.

Gear for this recipe

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Big Green Egg Large
The Large holds a steady 175 °C indirect to bake the skillet brownie for 10.
€2,099
See alternatives on Amazon Read review
Kamado Joe Big Block XL lump charcoal 9.1 kg
€67
See alternatives on Amazon Read review
Onlyfire GCG-8552 Cooking System (2 grates + rack + 2 deflectors) for Large Kamado
€95
View on Amazon Read review
Petromax FP35 Cast Iron Fire Skillet 35 cm with Handles
Cast-iron skillet for the crackled top and the molten centre.
€70
View on Amazon Read review
Inkbird IBT-4XS Bluetooth thermometer
Make sure the chamber stays locked at 175 °C throughout the bake.
€72
View on Amazon Read review

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FAQ

How much wood should I use so the brownie gets smoke without turning bitter?
Very little: a small handful of apple-wood chips, around 30-40 grams, on the coals at the start of the bake. Chocolate absorbs smoke extremely easily, and overdoing it turns it bitter within minutes with phenolic notes that bury the cocoa. The rule is counterintuitive: for a dessert you want a fraction of the smoke you'd use on a rack of ribs. Add the wood only at the start, in the first 10-12 minutes, while the batter is still wet and locks in the aroma; after that the surface sets and absorbs nothing useful, only soot. When in doubt, go short: a fruity veil you can just sense always beats a brownie that tastes of chimney.
How do I get the fudgy, not dry, point in the brownie?
Three keys. First, the ratio: more chocolate and fat (butter and olive oil) than flour, with cocoa for depth; a fudgy brownie has little flour. Second, don't overbeat after adding the flour, only until combined, because excess gluten and air dry the crumb. And third, the pull point, which is what most often goes wrong: take the skillet out when the crust is crackled but the centre still wobbles and the toothpick comes out with moist crumbs clinging, never clean. The cast-iron skillet keeps cooking by inertia for 15-20 minutes off the kamado, so the centre finishes setting during the rest. Wait for a dry toothpick over the fire and the rest turns it into cake.
Which sweet wood pairs better with chocolate: apple or cherry?
For a brownie I'd go with apple. It's the mildest, sweetest fruit wood, with a light smoke that settles as a fruity background behind the cocoa without competing with it. Cherry is excellent and very popular, but it's a touch deeper and slightly tannic, and over chocolate it tends to pull towards a bitterness that fights the cocoa instead of accompanying it, especially if you go heavy. If cherry is all you have, use an even smaller dose than apple and only at the start. What you must avoid in baking are the strong woods —mesquite, hickory, holm oak, oak—: superb for meat but they steamroll a delicate dessert, leaving it smoky and bitter.
How do I season and grease the cast-iron skillet so the brownie doesn't stick?
Start from a well-seasoned skillet: if it's new, rub it with the thinnest film of oil and bake it in the kamado at 200°C for about 40 minutes to set the patina, repeating two or three times until it's dark and satin. For this recipe specifically, just before pouring the batter, grease the whole surface and walls generously with soft butter and then dust with cocoa powder (instead of flour, which would leave white streaks), shaking off the excess. That layer of fat and cocoa creates a non-stick barrier perfect for baking and blends into the flavour. After turning it out, don't wash the skillet with soap or leave it to soak: clean it hot with water and a brush, dry it over the fire and wipe it with oil to keep the patina.
Can I freeze the brownie and reheat it keeping the centre creamy?
Yes, and it freezes surprisingly well thanks to its high fat and chocolate content, which stops it crystallising and drying out. Let it cool completely, cut it into portions and wrap each in cling film and then foil or a freezer bag; it keeps for up to 3 months. To reheat while keeping the centre fudgy, thaw at room temperature and give it gentle, short heat: in the kamado or oven at 150°C for about 5-6 minutes, just enough for the centre to soften again without the edges drying out. The microwave works in a pinch, 15-20 seconds per portion, but it dries the crackled crust and kills the charm. A trick: serve the reheated portion warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the hot-cold contrast hides any loss of texture.
Can you make a smoked brownie without a kamado?
In the oven at 175 °C for 30-35 minutes you get a perfect fudgy brownie, just without smoke. To keep the apple wood, use a gas grill with a smoker box or a pellet grill at the same temperature.
What do I do with the embers left after making Smoked skillet brownie on the kamado, fudgy centre?
After 35 min at 175 °C in a classic kamado about 380 g of live embers remain: 1 h 20 min more at 175 °C without touching the vents, 2 h 25 min at 100-130 °C closing the vents or 30 min at 210-270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

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