PSA: NO ARMADILLOS WERE HURT IN THE CREATION OF THIS RECIPE
FORK AND HOSE CO. RECEIVES SO MANY GREAT MEALS AND RECIPES FROM FIREHOUSES ALL OVER THE WORLD. BUT SOME JUST STAND OUT FROM THE REST OF CROWD....
SMOKE-SHOWING ARMADILLO EGGS
FIREFIGHTER MATT JOHNSON
SOUTH FLORIDA
Ingredients
1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage.
1 pound ground southern style spicy breakfast sausage. (Tennessee Pride, etc..)
1 package of original style bacon. (you can substitute for maple , or any other flavor. just not thick-cut)
8 oz. package of cream cheese.
1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
6 large to medium sized jalapenos. ( Jalapenos if too hot can be substituted for mild pepper, if not hot enough Habaneros turn this into the 5th alarm eggs)
1/2 tbsp. of minced garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper.
Favorite dry rub. (This all depends on personal preference for the dry rub, we've got a guy at my station that makes his own, but any kind of pork, or beef rub will taste amazing)
Spicy Ranch dressing for dipping, or a Horseradish sauce.
Prep.
1. In a medium bowl, mix in softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic and red pepper. Make sure its well-blended.
2. In a medium mixing bowl add together Italian and Southern sausage. Make sure well blended.
3. Remove top where the stem is on the jalapenos. Take a small knife and carve out all seeds and membrane of the jalapenos, so that you are left with hollowed out jalapenos. Next cut jalapenos into thirds horizontally, so that one jalapeno gives you 3 rings.
( If using habaneros, the peppers will only be cut in half, and only yield 2 rings, and wear gloves when cutting and deseeding peppers)
4. Take the cheese mixture and generously fill each jalapeno ring. (The more cheese the better.)
5. Take sausage mix and pat down into a 3 inch flat circle. Next place stuffed jalapeno ring in the center. Next your going to completely incase the stuffed pepper with sausage mix, making sure none of the pepper is exposed. Then form into an egg shape. Next completely wrap your egg with one piece of bacon. Repeat step #5 with remaining jalapenos and sausage.
6. Place all eggs on a large serving dish, making sure the bacon seam is down. Next season each egg with dry rub.
(In a perfect world the rub should sit on the egg, at least an hour before smoking, but in the firehouse you might not be so lucky, so no worries)
Instructions
1. Get your smoker going, and you want to bring it up to about 250F. I've only done this with Hickory chips, but the sky's the limit.
2. Place eggs in smoker. (I've found it easier if the Smoker racks are lined with aluminum foil).
3. Eggs should smoke for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. your looking for a nice crisp bacon, and the internal temp. of the sausage to be 160F.
4. Serve with a Spicy Ranch, or a Horseradish sauce.
Cheers, and Enjoy!
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