New York Style Smoked Cheesecake with Brandied Peaches

5 from 3 votes

New York Style Smoked Cheesecake with Brandied Peaches

It doesn't get much better than this New York-style smoked cheesecake. Topped with warm brandied peaches and cooked on the smoker, be prepared to adjust your waistband for this delicious and decadent dessert.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Chill Time4 40

Total Time6 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Smoked Cheesecake

Servings: people

Author: Taylor Shulman

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds cream cheese room temperature
16 ounces sour cream room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups crushed graham crackers
½ cup butter melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

Brandied Peaches

4 cups water
4 cups sugar
4 peaches
1 cup brandy, bourbon, or whiskey
½ cup brown sugar
8 Tablespoons butter divided
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees F. This recipe is best tackled with a grill that can maintain fairly consistent, indirect heat. Not too much smoke will flavor the cheesecake, but I like to choose light woods like apple, cherry, maple, or pecan for desserts like cheesecake.
Prepare the crust. Crush the graham crackers to a pretty fine crumb, either with a food processor or place them in a zip-top gallon bag and crush them using a rolling pin. In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar then slowly pour in the butter, mixing well to evenly distribute. Line your 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. To cut it perfectly to size, place your pan on top of the parchment sheet and trace then cut. Using the back of a small measuring cup, evenly press the graham mixture across the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. The crust should be about 1/4 inch thick and rise up the sides of the pan almost to the top, at least 3 inches high. Place the pan on the grill grates, close the lid, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the crust and set aside to cool slightly.
Make the batter. Reduce the heat on the grill to 325 degrees F and prepare the cheesecake batter. In a mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating until there are no lumps in the batter at all. Add the eggs to the batter one at a time, waiting for the previous egg to incorporate before adding the next. Then, add the flour. Once the batter is completely smooth, pour the batter into the prebaked crust.
Prepare your springform pan. Lay down two vertical pieces of foil then place two additional pieces of foil horizontally across the center of the vertical pieces. Put the cheesecake in the center of the foil and wrap the ends of the foil pieces tightly around the pan. The idea is to keep water out, so you want to make it seamless.
Make a water bath. Put a casserole dish or roasting pan on the grill to use as a water bath, place the cheesecake in the center, and then add enough boiling water to come halfway up your springform pan- DO NOT SKIP!! This is how you create the perfect texture and keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking.
Smoke. Close the lid on the grill and bake for 50 minutes, the cheesecake should have a SLIGHT jiggle, but be set in the center. If it is not, add 5 minutes at a time until done. You're looking for a target temperature of 145 degrees F.
Chill. Remove the cheesecake from the grill and let it cool on the counter for 40 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Prep the peaches. Before serving your cheesecake, prepare the brandied peaches. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peaches and boil for about a minute to loosen the skin. Put the peaches in an ice bath and then peel the skin. Using a paring knife, quarter the peaches to remove the pit, then cut into eighths.
Cook the peaches. Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat, place 2 Tablespoons of butter and the peach sections followed by the brown sugar and ¼ cup of the poaching liquid in the pan and cook over direct heat until the peaches soften, about 6 minutes.
Add the liquor. Remove the pan from the fire and add the liquor, carefully tip it towards the fire while you place it back on the grill to flambe, if you need to put the fire out, place a lid on top of the pan. Once the liquor has cooked off remove the pan from heat and stir in the vanilla, butter, and cinnamon.
Serve and enjoy. Spoon the brandied peaches over your finished cheesecake and enjoy!

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