Category: Appetizers

Appetizers

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Grilled Onion Cheese Dip

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Grilled Onion Cheese Dip

Cheese, onions, and bacon… yes! bacon! Everyone needs a few go to cheese dip recipes and this is one of them. This has a very rich addicting cheese flavor that you won’t want to stop eating. And you can cook this dip on the grill if your oven is full with a holiday ham or turkey. You can also just cook this dip in the oven but that’s not as fun as standing outside by the grill with a beer.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz shredded gruyere cheese
  • 8 oz shredded gouda cheese
  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1/2 pound of bacon
  • 2 large vidalia onions
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 French baguette
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 tablespoon herbes des provence

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Directions

First, slice 1/2 pound of bacon into bits, then cook the bacon on medium heat for 10 minutes or until done. Remove the bacon from the skillet and place it on paper towels to absorb the grease. Keep the grease in the pan.


While the bacon is cooking, thinly slice 2 vidalia onions. After removing the bacon, add the onions to the pan and cook it in the hot bacon grease for 10 minutes or until browned. Remove the onions and place them on paper towels to absorb the grease.


While cooking the onions, hand shred the gruyere and gouda cheese. Add softened cream cheese and sour cream to a mixing bowl. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and dried thyme. Mix thoroughly with an electric mixer or a large spoon. While mixing, add the shredded cheese, bacon, and the onions. Transfer the mixture to a 13 inch cast iron skillet. If you want to prepare this dip a day before cooking, you can cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and store overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat your grill (or oven) to low (350F) and when it reaches temp, add the skillet directly over the fire. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes, or until brown on the surface.


Slice the French baguette in 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices on cooling racks to make things easier for moving the bread in and out of the grill. Melt the butter and brush it on both sides of the bread. Season both sides of the bread with herbes des provence. Place the cooling racks with bread in the grill and cook for 10 minutes.


Remove the cheese dip and bread from the grill, then allow the dip to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Pellet Smoked Armadillo Eggs

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Pellet Smoked Armadillo Eggs

Armadillo eggs are a popular BBQ item that you need to master in your quest for BBQ greatness. These rank up there with Atomic Buffalo Turds but with more meat and required skill. Best of all you can tell your friends and family with a straight face that you are making armadillo eggs and their reactions will be priceless. Once they figure out what these are, they will ask you to make them again and again. Yes indeed these are perfect for “That big game lawyers won’t let you mention” appetizers, or any game day appetizer. Don’t stop there, make them for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas appetizers.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spicy italian sausage
  • 1 pound chorizo sausage
  • 6 – 8 large jalapeno peppers
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon BBQ rub
  • 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce

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Directions

First, rest the cream cheese on a countertop until it reaches room temp (about 20 minutes). While waiting on the cream cheese, chop off the stems of the peppers then core out the seeds and membrane using a jalapeño coring tool.


Next shred about ½ cup of cheddar cheese and place it into a small mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese and ½ teaspoon of BBQ rub, then mix the ingredients together.

Use a butter knife to scoop up a small amount of cheese and place it in the opening of a pepper. Use your finger to softly press the cheese to the bottom of the pepper and repeat this until the pepper is packed solid with the cheese mixture. Continue until all peppers are stuffed with cheese.

Next, combine the meats in mixing bowl. If you purchased sausages inside casings, remove and dispose of the casings. Add 1 teaspoon of BBQ rub then mix the meat and seasonings together.

Take about a ¼ pound of meat (about the amount of a burger patty) and flatten it in your hand. Place a pepper in the center, then fold the meat around the opening of the pepper to seal in the cheese. Next, fold the meat around the pepper adding more if needed to fully cover the pepper. Roll the ‘egg’ around in your hands to smooth out the meat wrapping. Repeat the steps until all jalapenos are covered with sausage. You may need to move some sausage from the first ‘eggs’ to the last ones as you may go too heavy in the beginning. Season the ‘eggs’ with BBQ rub.

Preheat your smoker at 250 F with cherry and hickory or pecan wood. Place the eggs on a cooling rack then place on the smoker for 1 hour.


Brush on your favorite BBQ sauce then flip the eggs to the other side and brush on BBQ sauce. Continue to cook for 1 more hour or until they reach at least 165F. Remove from the smoker and let them rest at least 10 minutes. Slice into 3 pieces each and enjoy.

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Pellet Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

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Pellet Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

Smoked bacon wrapped jalapeños reign supreme in the world of ways to cook bacon wrapped jalapeños. The smoke brings another layer of flavor that makes these treats disappear quickly. For this recipe we partially pre-cook the bacon before wrapping it on the jalapeños. The reason for this is to get the bacon fully cooked without creating a reduced wilted away jalapeño. You can skip this method, but if you have never tried it this way then do it cause YOLO!

Ingredients

  • 13 medium sized jalapeño peppers
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 pounds bacon

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Directions

First, slice each jalapeño in half including cutting the stem in half to create a handle on each half. Remove the seeds and wash away any loose seeds. Next fill each jalapeño half with shredded cheese. Following this, spread a good amount of cream cheese over the shredded cheese packing it in.


Next, preheat your smoker to 250 F using hickory or apple wood pellets. Lay out the bacon strips on a cooling rack on top of a foil covered sheet pan. If you do not have cooling racks, just use a foil covered sheet pan. Place the bacon on the smoker when it reaches temp, and smoke the bacon for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the bacon and allow it to cool for 10 – 15 minutes before handling it. Next, wrap one bacon slice completely around one jalapeño half, then place it on a cooling rack. Continue until all jalapeños are wrapped in bacon. Load the jalapeños into the smoker and cook at 250 F for at least 1 hour. You can cook them up to 2 hours depending on your preferred level of doneness.


When the jalapeños are done cooking, remove them from the smoker and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes. The cheese will be very hot so have patience and enjoy!

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Chili Con Queso

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Chili Con Queso

Need a party appetizer for your “That big game lawyers won’t let you mention” party? Throwing a cinco de Mayo festival? Well check out this hearty cheese beefy dip for your tortilla chips!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chuck (20% fat)
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 3 jalapeno peppers
  • 3 plum tomatoes
  • 2 green onions
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 1/2 cups milk or half n half
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup guacamole
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 pound Monterey jack cheese
  • 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

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Directions

Chopping veggies – this can be done the night before (requires 3 containers)

Start by dicing the onion and place half in one container and the other half in another container. Do the same for the bell pepper. Chop or mince 2 garlic cloves and add to one container, then mince the remaining 2 cloves and add to the other container. Close one container and place in the refrigerator. Next remove the seeds and dice the jalapenos and poblano peppers. Add them to the remaining container. Close this container and place it in the refrigerator. Next, dice the tomatoes and chop the green onions and add to a new container. Pick 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves and add it to the container. Close the container and place in the refrigerator.


Carne

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef on medium high heat until it turns brown. When the beef is cooked, move it to a baking dish using a slotted spoon to allow the juices and fat to remain in the pan. Lower the heat to medium. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic mixture to the pan. Add some salt and pepper then cook until the onions are nearly translucent (about 8 minutes). Add cumin, chili and chipotle powder, and cayenne and cook for 1 more minute. Add the broth and then add the cooked beef back into the skillet. Stir everything frequently and scrape any bits from the bottom of the frying pan into the mixture. Allow everything to simmer until the liquid is evaporated then transfer everything back to the baking dish.


Cheese sauce

Melt the butter in the skillet on medium heat. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, poblano and garlic mixture. Cook until the onions become translucent (about 8 minutes). Add half of the diced tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Slowly add flour and stir until well mixed. Add the milk and allow the everything to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and slowly whisk in the shredded cheese. Add the cheese in parts at a time instead of all at once. As more cheese is added, it will become more difficult to whisk around. So you may need to increase the burner heat to help melt the cheese. After all the cheese is added and melted, pour the cheese mixture over the beef in the baking dish. Stir the beef and cheese to mix everything together. Top the cheese with spoonfuls of sour cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. You can also add sliced jalapeños, bacon bits, more shredded cheese, hot sauce, or anything else you like.

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