Holiday Turkey Ballz

Holiday Turkey Ballz

Holidays always need appetizers and this turkey ball recipe does not disappoint! These turkey balls have all the flavors of the holidays except for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. You can prepare these ahead of time and cook them later because it’s that easy. For this recipe we used a pellet smoker to add a smokey flavor dimension. If you don’t have a smoker you could easily cook these indirectly on the grill or bake them in the oven.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 6 oz stove top stuffing (turkey flavor)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 oz chevre (goat cheese)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

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Directions

First, cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box and substitute water with chicken broth. Usually this will require you to boil 1 1/2 cups of broth then add the stuffing mix. Stir around the mixture then cover and remove it from the heat. Let it sit at least 5 to 10 minutes to cool down to room temperature prior to mixing it with the turkey meat.


Mix together the ground turkey and the stuffing. Add the seasonings and continue to mix everything together. You may notice that salt was not on the list of seasonings. You can add salt if you like, but keep in mind the stuffing mix and broth are already salty.


Place some meat and stuffing mixture into the palm of your hand. Flatten it down into a thin round patty until it covers the palm of your hand. Scoop about 1 / 2 teaspoon of cheese and place it in the center of the patty. Add several dried cranberries, then fold the patty closed around the cheese and cranberries. Roll the meat around in your hands forming a round ball. Place the turkey ball on a greased cooling rack.


Smoke the turkey balls with apple or pecan wood at 200 F for roughly 1 hour or until they reach 160F. Transfer them to a grill and cook them over a medium flame until they reach 165F. If you don’t have a smoker you can bake them in the oven at 350 F for around 25 to 35 minutes or until they reach 165 F.

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Grilled Onion Cheese Dip

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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Smoked Grilled Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Smoked Grilled Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pulled chicken sandwiches are a tasty treat that is easy to make and full of flavor. With this recipe we brine our chicken overnight to add moisture and flavor. Then we smoke it low and slow for several hours and finish it on grill for a kiss of fire. And of course you can build your sandwiches any way you like or you can follow our quick and easy sandwich recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chicken
  • 4 cups apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 4 tablespoons plowboys yardbird
  • 12 burger buns
  • 1 jar sliced dill pickels
  • 1 package sliced baby Swiss

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Directions

First thing to do is to cut out the backbone of the chickens and snip the breast plate so that the chicken will lay flat. This will allow for the chicken to cook evenly so that you are not drying out the breast meat while waiting on the thigh meat to reach proper temperature. Next you should brine your chickens overnight so that they stay moist during the smoking process. For this brine we will place each chicken in a gallon zip seal bag, then add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. Finally add 2 cups of apple juice to the bags, seal em up and put them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Every few hours you should flip the chicken bags over to allow each side to soak in the brine.


After your chicken is brined, wash off the brine and herbs then place the chickens on a cooling rack. Next you want to cut the skin down the center so that you can pull the skin back and season the exposed meat. Heavily season the breast, thigh and drum meat. Flip the chickens over and season the back side. Flip the chickens back then pull the skin back in place to cover the meat. The skin will keep the meat from drying out, and because this is pulled chicken, we really don’t need to worry about keeping the skin all pretty for slicing into. So season the skin and these chickens are ready for the smoker.


Get your smoker running between 240 and 260 Fahrenheit using pecan wood. You can also use hickory or mesquite but avoid using apple if you decided to brine with apple juice. That’s just too much of the same and you should try and layer the flavor instead. Place the chickens on the smoker and let them go for several hours until the temperature in the breast reaches 150 F. At this point get your grill fired up and transfer the chicken to the grill. Place the chicken skin side down and close the lid. Cook for at least 10 minutes keeping an eye on the grill for flare ups. Flip the chickens to back side down then cook until you reach 165 F in the breast and 175 F in the thighs. At this point remove the chickens and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.


When the chickens have rested, put on some heat gloves and start to hand shred the chicken. When it comes to heat gloves, we are talking about a liner glove with a nitrate outer glove. These offer the best movement and touch while blocking heat from your skin. Pull the chicken being very careful not to include any bones or cartilage. When you are done, make a second pass looking for bones. It is very easy to overlook bones when pulling chicken meat. And when it comes to skin, this is up to you, but it will add a nice flavor to shred up and include the skin.


Okay sandwich its time! This is a simple sandwich we are making, it’s just a burger bun with a slice of baby Swiss. Then we add the pulled chicken, some dill pickle chips and some BBQ sauce. Of course you can make whatever sandwich you like, but we hope you give this one a try and let us know what you think.

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Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

Supermarket rotisserie chicken is pretty tasty but you can’t beat home cooking. At home you can use whatever flavors you want and save a few coins in the process. So if you have a rotisserie or are thinking about buying one for your gas grill, check out this butter herb chicken recipe. Combine this with some smoke from a pellet tube and you have juicy smokey butter delicious chicken dinner on the way. Winner Winner!

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

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Directions

First, melt half a stick of butter in one cup or small container. Next, usa a mortar and grind ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence until a fine powder builds up. Place a sieve over the cup of melted butter then pour the contents into the cup. This will remove the big chunks of herbs and make everything play nice with your injector. Stir this mixture well then inject the butter herb mixture everywhere into the chicken. Inject the breast meat, thighs, legs and even the wings.


Next, allow one stick of butter to soften on the countertop or warm it on low in the microwave. When the butter softens, combine it with a ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Using your hand, loosen the chicken skin over the breast and thigh meat. Use a spoon and deliver the butter herb mixture under the chicken skin. Use your fingers to hold the butter mixture under the skin as you slowly pull the spoon back out. Use the remaining butter herb mixture to coat the outer skin of the chicken. If needed, make a second batch of softened butter herb mixture.


Next, using a knife, stick the lemon several times creating slices to release juices. Slide the lemon over the rotisserie spit and place it in the center. Next, slide the rotisserie stick through the chicken cavity and out the neck hole until the lemon is inside the chicken cavity. Use the fork ends of the rotisserie to pin in the legs and wings to hold them in place. You will need to pierce both the drumsticks and wing tips for the best hold. Next, sprinkle kosher salt and more herbes de Provence on the chicken.


Preheat your grill on medium, then turn the burners down to low. Shut off the center burner, if you have one. This will prevent fire flare ups that will happen due to the melting butter and chicken fat. Install the rotisserie spit onto the grill but do not install the motor. Let the spit rotate freely so that the heavy part of the chicken is facing down. Now simply pull your balance counterweight upward and tighten it in place. This will now balance the rotisserie spit and help prevent motor burnout. Now install the motor, and insert the spit into the motor. Power the motor on and start cooking!


If you have a tube pellet smoker, load it up with enough pecan pellets for an hour and half of cook time.


Every 20 minutes brush on melted butter. The chicken will cook for at least 1 hour before reaching proper temperatures. The chicken will be ready when the breast meat reaches 165 F and the thighs reach 175 F.

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