Treat Your Taste Buds to a Feast this 4th
Our nation’s birthday is just around the corner. That typically means firing up the grill and getting together with friends and family. Burgers are great, but this year, why not wow ‘em with some of the tastiest treats they’ve ever had!
Smoked Shotgun Shells
Not the real ones, but a delicious facsimile. Start with a box of manicotti shells. Mix a half a pound of ground beef (90/10 is fine) and a half a pound of sweet Italian sausage. Add 8 ounces of your favorite cheese—we like cream cheese, but smoked gouda or sharp cheddar are also amazing. Chop up some green chiles or, if you can find them, candied jalapenos. Blend everything together and pack the mixture inside the manicotti shells (disposable kitchen gloves come in real handy here).
Once the shells are stuffed, pull out a pound of regular cut bacon and wrap each shell, starting at one end and overlapping, making certain you cover all the shell (any exposed part of the shell will be tough when you cook them). Let the shells sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours, but preferably overnight. Put them on your grill at 300-350 degrees for about an hour, until the bacon is just crispy. Baste the shells with your favorite BBQ sauce and put back on the grill for 10 minutes. Remove and let the shells cool. Cut each one into four bite-sized pieces.
Smoked Onion Bombs
Add 8 ounces of your favorite cheese to a pound of breakfast sausage. Take four medium-to-large peeled Vidalia onions, take a small slice off one end (so that they sit flat on your grill) and scoop out the middle, so that they look like a small bowl. The best tool for doing this is an apple corer, but make certain you don’t go all the way through the onion. Scoop the onion out with a large spoon. Stuff the sausage mixture into the bowl of the onion and add a layer of shredded cheese on top. Wrap the outside of the onion with regular cut bacon. Cook the onions on your grill for 1-1 ½ hours, until the onion is soft all the way through. Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies
Do we have a theme going here? Honestly, though, is there anything that isn’t better with bacon? This is a really simple treat. Get a package of Little Smokies, wrap each one with a piece of bacon (and secure it with a toothpick). Put a piece of foil on your grill/smoker, place the Little Smokies on it and sprinkle them (heavily, if you want to) with brown sugar. Cook at 350 until the brown sugar caramelizes and the bacon is cooked.
