Grilled cheese sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food. There's something incredibly satisfying about biting into a warm, golden brown, chewy sandwich, oozing with melted cheese. In this post, we'll share step-by-step instructions on how to make the Best Smoked Grilled Cheese Sandwich on a griddle in your smoker.
This is definitely an adult grilled cheese sandwich. The mixture of five cheeses adds a slightly nutty flavor and the thick cut sourdough bread grills golden brown and is a bit chewy. The sandwich will pick up a hint of smokiness from cooking on hot griddle over charcoal giving this grilled cheese a real grown-up appeal. You may want to heat up some tomato soup to go with the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. It’s so good!
This recipe was inspired by my recipe for Waffle Maker Grilled Cheese.
Ingredients
- Sourdough bread
- Unsalted Butter
- Beecher's Flagship or other white cheddar
- Gruyere cheese
- Fontina cheese
- Asiago cheese
- Parmesan cheese
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Butter the Bread
Use bread that can stand up to a lot of handling without falling apart. An uncut loaf of good sourdough works well. Use a clean work surface and cut slices of bread about ½" thick.
Cut slices about ½" thick.
Then spread a thin layer of unsalted butter on outside of the bread. Turn it over and butter the second side. Repeat with the other piece of bread. The butter will help keep the inside of the sandwich moist and will help the outside create a buttery crust when grilled. Melting the butter first makes this a bit easier.
Grate the Cheese
There are five different cheese in this smoked grilled cheese sandwich. Four are inside and one is on the outside. Grating the cheese does two things. It allows the flavors to mix better and it allows the cheese to melt sooner. Remember, this sandwich is going to be cooked over a very hot griddle. The cheese needs to melt by the time the bread is toasted. Grated cheese has much more surface area that sliced cheese. All that extra surface area means more contact with hot air and faster melting.
Grate the cheeses and let them rest for 20 minutes before making your sandwiches. Room temperature cheese melts faster. Add the four grated cheeses to one slice of buttered bread.
Next, assemble the sandwich and sprinkle finely grated parmesan cheese on the outside of both sides. Press it down to make it stick. Then turn the sandwich over and repeat on the other side.
Show it Some Heat
Set up your smoker for direct heat using charcoal, medium-low heat is fine, and place a griddle plate directly on the cooking grates. You want to use a griddle plate for two reasons. First, direct heat on a grill is too much for this sandwich. The outside will burn just very quickly. Second, a griddle plate with raised bars (as shown) will give you some really nice grill marks. Place the grilled cheese sandwich in the center to protect the edges from the heat coming up around the sides.
Cook two to three minutes, flip it over and place a cast iron press on the cooked side, then cook for another two to three minutes. This will keep it warm and help that cheese melt faster. Hint: Place the cast iron press directly on the hot grill for a few minutes to warm it up first. There is no point in putting a cold piece of cast iron on your hot grilled cheese sandwich.
Place the sandwich on a griddle inside your smoker.
After 2 - 3 minutes, turn the sandwich over and cover it with a warmed sandwich press.
This smoked grilled cheese is almost read to enjoy.
Once the cheese has melted, carefully remove the sandwich from the griddle and let it cool for a minute before cutting it in half.
For the ultimate comfort food experience, serve your smoked grilled cheese sandwich with a side of hot tomato soup for dipping.
Variations
The grilled cheese sandwich in this recipe was made with thick cut slices of chewy sourdough bread because it makes a great sandwich and it holds up on the hot griddle. Texas toast would work but classic white bread would not. It's too soft.
Get creative by experimenting with different cheese varieties. Other cheese options include American cheese, pepper jack, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, longhorn cheddar and goat cheese.
Equipment
This sandwich was cooked on a hot half-moon griddle, over charcoal, inside a Kamado Joe ceramic cooker. The same result could have been achieved in a Big Green Egg, Traeger pellet grill or charcoal grill using a griddle plate.
Of course, there are more cooking options available if you want to forego the smokiness from cooking over charcoal. A Blackstone griddle would make a terrific grilled cheese sandwich. Other options include a large cast-iron skillet, a panini grill, a grill pan, an electric griddle and a nonstick skillet.
Storage
Store leftover grilled cheese sandwiches in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top Tip
Put a lot of butter on the bread. It will help sear the outside and make a delicious golden brown crust.
Final Thoughts
Crafting the best smoked grilled cheese sandwich is easy with these step-by-step instructions. Bite into that golden brown, buttery crust and perfectly melted cheese. Enjoy!
Related
Looking for other great comfort food recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Smoked Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Butter both sides of two pieces of sourdough.
- Arrange Beecher's, Gruyere, Fontina and Asiago on one piece of bread. Cover with the second piece.
- Sprinkle Parmesan on the outside of the sandwich. Flip and repeat.
- Grill on a hot cast iron grate place over direct heat in a charcoal burning barbecue. Alternatively, place over a gas grill and add a few small wood chips for smoke flavor. Cook 2 - 3 minutes each side.
- Bet you can't eat just one. Enjoy!
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