Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for fried morel and cheesy Polenta Stuffed Peppers, wrapped in bacon and drizzled with hot honey!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Frying the morels and green onion whites before they go into the polenta builds a crisp, browned texture into the mushrooms that folding them in raw wouldn't achieve
- Using the same dutch oven for the mushrooms and then the polenta means the polenta picks up whatever fond the mushrooms left behind, building flavor into the base without a second pot
- Whisking the cornmeal in slowly rather than all at once prevents lumps from forming as the polenta thickens
- Wrapping the stuffed peppers in bacon and cooking them on a raised second shelf lets rendered fat drip away instead of pooling, so the bacon crisps rather than steaming in its own grease
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
6
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Calories
427
Chef Tom's Fried Morel and Cheesy Polenta Stuffed Peppers are the ultimate treat! Wrapped in bacon, and drizzled with flavorful hot honey, they make a delicious, indulgent meal that everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 3 assorted peppers (bell, poblano, etc), halved, seeded
-
2 tbsp Pork Fat lard (or other fat/oil)
- 4 oz Morel mushrooms
- 2 green Onions, sliced
-
Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold
- 12 slices classic cut bacon
-
Reida Farm Red Pepper Hot Honey
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup polenta/cornmeal
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup Parmegiano Regiano, fine grated
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
-
Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold
For the Creamy Polenta:
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 475ºF with the diffuser door (or entire diffuser) removed for direct grilling.
- Place a Fine Dutch Oven in the grill to preheat.
- Melt the lard in the dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and whites of green onions and season with Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms being to crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from dutch oven. Leave the dutch oven in the grill.
- To make the polenta, first add the stock to dutch oven. Cover with a lid and bring to boil.
- Remove the lid. Whisk in corn meal slowly. Stir until thick. Add the butter. Stir until melted. Stir in the cheeses. Stir in the half and half. Add the fried morels and onion. Season with Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold.
- Lower the grill temperature to 425ºF and put the second shelf in place.
- Stuff the polenta into halved peppers. Wrap each pepper in 2 slices bacon. Pin in place with toothpicks. Place on a sheet pan.
- Place the sheet pan on the second shelf of the grill and cook until the bacon is rendered and the peppers are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Serve the polenta stuffed peppers with a drizzle of Reida Farm Red Pepper Hot Honey.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why fry the morels and green onion whites before adding them to the polenta?
Cooking them first in the hot dutch oven until they begin to crisp builds a browned, textured bite into the mushrooms. Folding them in raw would leave them soft and underdeveloped in flavor.
Why cook the mushrooms and the polenta in the same dutch oven instead of separate pots?
Leaving the dutch oven in place after removing the mushrooms means the polenta's stock and cornmeal cook directly in whatever fond the mushrooms left behind, building extra flavor into the base without dirtying a second pot.
Why whisk the cornmeal in slowly instead of dumping it in all at once?
Adding it gradually while whisking prevents lumps from forming as the polenta thickens. Cornmeal added too quickly to hot stock tends to clump before it has a chance to hydrate evenly.
Why cook the bacon-wrapped peppers on a raised second shelf instead of directly on the main grate?
Raising them lets rendered bacon fat drip away below instead of pooling around the peppers, so the bacon crisps as it cooks rather than steaming in its own grease.
How do I know when the stuffed peppers are actually done?
Look for the bacon to be fully rendered and the peppers to be tender when pierced those two cues together are the doneness test here, about 45 minutes at 425°F.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 the polenta and mushroom prep work entirely on the stovetop, and a regular oven can render the bacon-wrapped peppers just as well; the grill mainly adds a touch of smoke flavor to the finished dish.
Recipe Highlights
Pre-fried morels: Builds crisp texture before folding into the polenta.
Shared-pot cooking: Polenta picks up flavor from the same dutch oven the mushrooms cooked in.
Gradual cornmeal addition: Prevents lumps in the finished polenta.
Raised-shelf bacon wrap: Lets fat drip away so the bacon crisps instead of steaming.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10.88 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 427
- Carbs
- 12 grams
- Protein
- 22 grams
- Fat
- 32 grams
- Sodium
- 1640 milligrams
