Maple Bacon Smoked Cinnamon Rolls
On December 05, 2022 (Updated December 13, 2022)
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These maple bacon smoked cinnamon rolls are perfect cinnamon rolls that have been given a little hit of BBQ. Not only are these rolls topped with a maple glaze, but they’re also sprinkled with a sweet bacon sugar topping for the best finishing touch.
Smoked Cinnamon Rolls
The base for these cinnamon rolls comes from my amazing sister, Sarah, from Feeding Your Fam.
I kept her base (because it is so easy and totally perfect), but adapted the recipe a bit for the smoker and topped the fluffy rolls with a maple glaze and brown sugared bacon topping. The sweet, slightly smoky rolls pair perfectly with the salty crunch of the bacon sugar. A culinary classic reinvented for the outdoors.
How to Smoke Cinnamon Rolls
Alright folks, let’s get down to business and stick something sweet on the smoker. Here’s how to smoke cinnamon rolls. This is just a general overview of how to make these cinnamon rolls. Scroll below to the bottom of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Make the dough. Combine 4 cups of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Next, add in softened butter and mix until the butter is broken up into small pieces. Next, add lightly beaten eggs and warm water to the dough. Mix until the dough is sticky. Then add 1/2 cup flour while mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead the dough for 2 minutes.
- Rest. Place the dough on a clean, floured surface. Cover with a towel and rest for 10 minutes.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine dark brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
- Make the rolls. Using a large rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, with the dough 1/2 inch thick. Spread the softened butter on top of the dough then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough on the long edge. Next, slice the rolled dough into individual rolls.
- Rise. Place the rolls on a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and rise for 30-45 minutes.
- Smoke. With the smoker preheated to 400 degrees F, place the cinnamon rolls on the upper rack of the grill with a disposable aluminum pan filled with 1 inch of water on the rack below. Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, then remove the pan of water and smoke for another 5 minutes or until the rolls reach 190 degrees F. Remove the rolls from the smoker and cool for a few minutes.
- Add the bacon sugar and icing. Make the icing and bacon sugar while the rolls are cooling. Drizzle the icing on top of the rolls and then sprinkle the bacon sugar on top.
- Enjoy. Serve the rolls immediately, or serve later cool or warmed.
How Long to Smoke Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls cook really quickly on the smoker. It takes approximately 15 minutes to cook these cinnamon rolls on the smoker. Quick note, this time may vary slightly depending on the consistency of the heat on your smoker.
Rather than use this 15-minute time as a gauge, remove the rolls when they reach 190 degrees F with a thermometer inserted into the middle of the rolls.
Tips for Smoking Cinnamon Rolls
Now that you know all this recipe entails, let me hit you with a bit of BBQ knowledge to help you make the most of this recipe.
- Use a thermometer! Pull out your favorite instant-read thermometer to take the guesswork out of baking. You’ll be able to know the exact temperature of water to activate your yeast as well as the perfect finished temperature for the rolls so they are baked through, but still moist and tender.
- Use floss to slice your rolls. Make sure it isn’t mint-flavored! Sliding the floss under the rolled-up dough, you can cross the strands and gently pull to perfectly split the dough without squishing it flat.
- Crisp that bacon. When preparing the bacon for the sugar topping, cook it extra crispy. It will crunch up better in the sugar and make for a more even consistency to sprinkle on top of the maple frosting.
More Smoked Dessert Recipes
Ready to try your hand at cooking more desserts on the smoker? These recipes are sweet and delicious and completely cooked on your pellet grill or favorite smoker.
- Smoked Brownies with Caramel and Bacon Salt
- Maple Pecan Smoked Ice Cream
- New York Style Smoked Cheesecake
Smoked Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! Hey Grill Hey is here to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero. Head on over to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! for more behind-the-scenes action!
Maple Bacon Smoked Cinnamon Rolls
Video
Ingredients
Roll Dough
- 4 ½ cups flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup warm water 120 degrees F
Cinnamon Sugar
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Maple Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
Bacon Sugar
- 6 slices bacon cooked
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin making the rolls. In a mixing bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Add in the softened butter and mix until the butter is broken up into small pieces evenly throughout the flour mixture.
- Finish mixing the dough. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl and add to the flour mixture, stirring to combine. Slowly pour in the warm water (120 degrees F) and mix until a sticky dough is formed. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour if needed, a little at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and isn't too sticky to handle. Knead the dough for an additional 2 minutes.
- Rest. Remove the dough from the bowl and set it on a clean, lightly floured, surface. Cover with a towel and rest for 10 minutes.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. While the dough rests, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar.
- Form the rolls. After 10 minutes, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Spread the softened butter on top of the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll the long edge of the dough over the cinnamon sugar from one side to the other. Slice the rolled dough into individual cinnamon rolls using unflavored dental floss or a knife.
- Rise. Place the sliced rolls, cut side down, onto a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm area for 30-45 minutes.
- Smoke the rolls. Preheat the smoker to 400 degrees F. Place the cinnamon rolls on the upper rack of the smoker. Fill a disposable aluminum pan with 1 inch of water and set it on the bottom rack of the grill. Close the lid and smoke for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the water pan and continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls read 190 degrees F with an internal thermometer.
- Cool. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the smoker and allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes before frosting.
- Make the icing. Prepare the icing by combining the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and maple extract. Every brand of maple extract varies in strength. Start with 1 teaspoon and feel free to add more as needed to achieve the perfect maple icing flavor. Drizzle across the tops of the warm cinnamon rolls.
- Make the bacon sugar. Combine the cooked bacon and brown sugar in a blender or small food processor. Pulse to finely chop the bacon and reach your desired consistency of bacon pieces in the sugar.
- Enjoy. Sprinkle the bacon sugar on top of the iced cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What if I don’t have two shelves in my smoker?. I guess I have a little one but can’t put the rolls up on there? Would I put the water up on top?
If your smoker has a drip tray, you can place the water there.
These sound incredible! I am trying to make them ahead of time. Would I be able to make these and then put them in the freezer? Thank you so much!
Just freeze them before the baking stage.