Smoked Apple-Stuffed Poutine à Trou

If you haven’t tried baking on your grill or pellet smoker, here is the perfect dessert recipe to WOW your family.

During our BBQ’n Across Canada recipe tour, in November we celebrate Atlantic Canada’s cozy, homespun comfort with a twist — a smoked Poutine à Trou, the traditional New Brunswick apple-stuffed pastry.

Traditionally baked in the oven, this version is elevated on the Yoder Smoker, kissed with a subtle hint of cherry wood smoke that perfectly complements the natural sweetness of Canadian Honeycrisp apples.

The dough, tender and buttery, is rolled thin and filled with a simple yet rich apple mixture — diced Honeycrisps, brown sugar, cinnamon, cherry BBQ seasoning to add warmth and depth.

The pastry is molded into rustic pockets (“Trou”, meaning “holes” or openings), allowing the steam and juices to caramelize as it bakes slowly on the smoker.

The cherry wood’s delicate aroma infuses the dough while keeping the filling vibrant and aromatic — the perfect marriage of sweet and smoke.

This dish blends traditional Acadian heritage with modern barbecue finesse — a nostalgic nod to Canada’s East Coast wrapped in the soul of outdoor cooking. Perfect for cool November evenings around the smoker, sharing warmth, flavour, and family tradition.

RECIPE - DOUBLE ACE’S INSPIRED POUTINE À TROU

LINK: Learn more about Pitmaster Andrew Plaza.

INGREDIENTS - DOUGH 

• 2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
• 4 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Prairie Smoke and Spice Maple Candy
• ¼ Cup Butter (room temperature)
• ¾ Cup Milk

INGREDIENTS - FILLING

• 4 Honey Crisp Apples (peeled, cored and diced)
• ½ Cup Raisins
• ½ Cup Cranberries
• 2 Tbsp Heath Riles Cherry Rub
• 2 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar

INGREDIENTS - SYRUP

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Prairie Smoke and Spice Maple Candy
• ¾ Cup Water

DIRECTIONS - DOUGH 

1. Pre-heat your smoker or grill to 375°F
2. Sift and mix flour, baking powder, salt and Prairie Smoke and Spice Maple Candy in a medium bowl, stir until combined.
3. Mix in Butter until smooth
4. Slowly pour in milk, while slowly mixing until a dough ball is formed, knead thoroughly.
5. Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and roll out into a round patty {Roll dough out to roughly 12 to 15cm (5 to 6 inches)}
6. Place and mold into a muffin tin

DIRECTIONS - FILLING

1. Peel and core apples, then cut into small pieces, place into a medium bowl
2. Add raisins, cranberries, Heath Riles Cherry Rub, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar, toss to coat well.

DIRECTIONS - MAIN

1. Place a scoop of the filling into the center of each dough patty inside the muffin tin
2. Start to crimp upwards, but don’t close, leave open like a bloomed flower
3. Bake your poutine a trou for 30 minutes
4. While baking, start your syrup
5. Once poutines are done, remove from the grill or smoker and pour syrup into the hole,
6. Serve hot or cold

DIRECTIONS - SYRUP 

1. Pour the water into a small pot add in brown sugar and Prairie Smoke and Spice Maple Candy, and cook until thickened (5-10mins)

NOTES AND KEY LEARNINGS: 

I didn’t use a muffin tin to start, and they opened up like a cookie, learn from my mistake*

Poutine A Trou - means “pudding with a hole” — poutine being an old French word for pudding or dumpling, and à trou meaning “with a hole.”  

So even though I messed up without stabilizing it, the term poutine can also mean mess (informal Quebec or Acadian slang), which fits this dish.

It was delicious none the less. Enjoy