Chicken Bombs

I saw these posted in BBQ Forums and on Facebook pages, so I decided to give it a go. It took a few “trial runs” to work out the missing details in the recipes I found, but I’m confident this recipe is a winner!

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With my first trial I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but they were on the dry side, so at Jana’s suggestion, I turned to boneless, skinless thighs – much better! I bought a multipack at Sam’s Club, which has 3 thighs per pack, so I could use what I needed and freeze the rest.

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Cut the jalapeños in half and remove the seeds and veins. Mix together sharp cheddar and a white cheese together, then fill each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture.

Place a gallon freezer bag over the each thigh and pound it to about 1/4-3/8 inch thickness (one can use a mallet or a heavy, thick glass). Trim the edges to get them even and season both sides with a rub.

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Place a small amount of the cheese mixture along the edge of a thigh, carefully flip the cheese-filled jalapeño half over the row of cheese, then roll it up in the chicken filet. Now wrap two pieces of bacon around the roll and secure with toothpicks.

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Cover the bacon with more of the seasoning. These rolls can be cooked immediately, or covered and kept in a refrigerator until ready to cook – even overnight.

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Prepare the BGE for an elevated, direct 375* cook (by being higher above the coals, the flare-up from the dripping bacon is minimized). Optionally, an indirect cook would work, maybe at a slightly higher price.

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Place the bombs in BGE, cook for 30 minutes, then turn and re-slather with BBQ sauce. Cook for about 15 min more or until chicken is 170-180*.

Take off, remove tooth picks, slice into rounds and enjoy!!!!

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Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

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Makes 6 bombs / 24 slices

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 jalapeno peppers, halved and de-seeded
1 cup of cheese (1/2 c each of shredded cheddar &/or Monterey Jack)
12 slices of bacon
12 toothpicks (soak in water for 15 min to reduce burning)
Favorite chicken rub or seasoning
Favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Prep:
(1) Cover a chicken thigh with a freezer-style ziplock bag, then pound to about 1/4-3/8 inch thick. Trim up evenly and season both sides with salt, pepper and/or bbq rub. Repeat with the rest of the thighs.
(2) Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.
(3) Mix cheeses…fill each half jalapeño with a heaping mound of cheese mixture and put a small amount of the mixture on the edge of the thigh.
(4) Carefully place the stuffed jalapeño half on the edge of the breast, upside down onto the row of cheese, and wrap it into a roll.
(6) Wrap 2 slices of bacon around the roll and secure with 2 toothpicks (soak the tooth picks in water for 15 min to prevent them from burning)…slather the breast with BBQ sauce.

Grill:
(1) Prepare the BGE for an elevated, direct at 350-375* dome temperature (or can cook indirect at about 400*).
(2) Place bombs in BGE…cook for 30 minutes…then turn and re-slather with BBQ sauce…cook for about 15 min more or until chicken is 170-180*…take off, remove tooth picks, slice into rounds (about 4 rounds per roll) and enjoy!!!!

 

Grilled Fig Appetizer

With a loaded fig tree producing awesome treats every day, Jana decided to make a fig appetizer for a friend’s birthday dinner. Utilizing a Goggle search, she found a great recipe for grilled figs stuffed with bleu cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.

She did the prep work and I grilled them on the large Big Green Egg. They were a hit, so I decided to add this to my Blog for anyone looking for a great summertime appetizer. (They could also be stuffed with goat, feta, or mascarpone cheese).

She took clean fresh figs and made 2 cuts into them from the stem end – deep enough to just open them up slightly; then stuffed a small piece of bleu cheese into each opening.

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She wrapped each stuffed fig with a strip of prosciutto, folding the excess over the top to help seal in the cheese.

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These can be made the day before, covered and kept in the refrigerator for grilling the next day.

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I prepared my large BGE for an indirect cook (platesetter, legs up) at 350-400*. After the figs had been on for few minutes, I decided they would cook a little better over the direct heat, so I moved them over the edges of the platesetter, exposing them to the direct heat, and carefully turning them every few minutes until the prosciutto was evenly seared and the figs softened. (Next time I would cook over direct heat, but maybe at 250-300*). These can also be cooked on a parchment paper-lined baking pan under a broiler instead of the grill.

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Once done, they were placed on a serving platter and each fig drizzled with a little honey. It was finished with several twists of fresh-ground black pepper over the whole batch. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

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Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

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Makes 30 appetizers

Ingredients:
Fresh figs (30)
Fresh bleu cheese (or goat, feta or mascarpone cheese)
Prosciutto (cut lengthwise into strips)
Honey
Ground black pepper

Instructions:
(1) Wash and dry the figs, then make 2 slices (an “X”) through the stem end of each fig, just deep enough for the cheese.
(2) Place a small piece of cheese into each fig.
(3) Wrap the strip of prosciutto around each fig, pulling it closed, then using any excess to cover the cut end of the fig.
(4) Grill (or cook in broiler) over direct heat (250-300*), turning frequently until the prosciutto is seared, the fig has softened and the cheese begins to melt – about 6-8 minutes.
(5) Place on serving dish, then drizzle each fig with honey followed by fresh ground black pepper.
(6) Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Plum Pork

I was looking for a good appetizer that could be served at room temperature and would also be great for tailgating this fall. My Gulfport friend, Terry Helms came to the rescue (again)! He referred me to a familiar blog (Playing with Fire and Smoke) by fellow Egghead, Wayne Nelson, and to this Chinese appetizer recipe: Plum Pork .

I purchased a 4-pack of pork tenderloins from Sam’s Club and prepared two for this test cook. This recipe requires some planning as it requires an overnight marinate.

First I prepared the dipping sauce and placed it in the fridge to allow the flavors to blend over a day or so.  Then I made the marinade and planned to marinate the pork overnight, but it ended up being about 28 hours (it didn’t seem to make any difference).

As soon as an intense, but brief, thunderstorm passed, allowing me to get outside, I cooked the tenderloins at 375* over an indirect fire.
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I basted them with reserved marinade and turned frequently. When they were close to being done (140-145* internal temp), I “painted” them with the finishing sauce. I then removed them from the fire, removed the indirect piece and ramped up the direct fire to about 600*. (With a non-ceramic grill, a 2-level fire allows one to do the first part away from the coals, then move them directly over the fire for this second part). I then charred them, carefully turning to prevent burning of the sugary finishing sauce.
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I rested the pork for a few minutes, then sliced into thin pieces (16-18 per tenderloin). The recipe calls for one to dip each piece in the dipping sauce, then into a bowl of toasted sesame seeds. I decided that might be messy with a large crowd, so I drizzled the dipping sauce over the slices then sprinkled with the toasted sesame seeds.
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Plated with steamed broccoli, mushrooms sautéed in olive oil & wine, and pan-roasted onions and peppers.
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Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)

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Makes 50-75 slices

Ingredients:
4-6 pork tenderloins
Sesame seeds
Marinade:

  • 5 teaspoons Sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons Salt
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced (in the tube ok)
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger, minced (in tube ok)
  • 4 tablespoons Ketchup
  • 4 tablespoons Soy sauce
  • 5 teaspoons Wine
  • 1 teaspoon 5-spice powder

Finishing Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
  • ¼ cup Honey

Dipping Sauce:

  • 12 ounce jar Plum preserves, or jam
  • 2 tablespoons Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon Red chili pepper, finely chopped, dried
  • 1 clove Garlic, minced (or in the tube)
  • 1 tablespoon Green onions, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Ginger, ground

Instructions:
(1) Make the dipping sauce 1-2 days ahead of the cook. Combine all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool. Refrigerate in a covered container overnight to blend flavors. Prior to serving, toast sesame seeds and place in a separate bowl.

(2) Make the marinade and marinate pork for at least 4 hours, or overnight (8 hours) if you wish. Make the finishing sauce while the cooker is coming up to temp; keep at room temperature. The finishing sauce can be warmed slightly or thinned with a little apple juice.

(2) Preheat cooker to 375° with an indirect or raised direct set up. Roast the tenderloins until the internal temperature is around 150°, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade. Turn & rotate as needed. When close to done, baste with the finishing sauce, remove and rest for a few minutes. You can add more finishing sauce to even out the coating. Either ramp up the cooker and briefly move the tenderloins directly over the coals or move into an oven set on broil in order to glaze the meat. Be careful not to burn the glaze.

(3) Let pork cool and cut into thin slices. Serve the plum sauce and toasted sesame seeds along side the sliced pork. Dip the sliced pork into the plum dipping sauce, then into the sesame seeds. As an option, you can drizzle the dipping sauce over the slices and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

(Thanks to Wayne Nelson (aka “Third Eye”) for this recipe).