BBQ recipes, product reviews, & how-to's
Taking the traditional holiday snack mix to the next level, this Smoked Chex Mix recipe adds more of what you want! This recipe is easy to follow and only takes one hour of cooking (or should we say, smoking) time. Watch the Video! What Goes…
Got leftover brisket? This smoked brisket chili recipe is so good and will certainly be one you’ll want to bookmark for frequent use! In the world of BBQ, brisket is king. It can also be expensive, too. To get more bang for your buck, this…
Even though I grew up on canned green beans, I believe fresh green beans are better. Combine fresh green beans with bacon and onions? The best! This recipe is quick and easy because it only takes five minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of cook time. This is a great dinner side idea that complements mains such as smoked ham, turkey, or steaks.
To get the best flavor out of fresh green beans, you will want to blanch them. Blanching means to boil or steam the vegetable for 3 to 5 minutes and then put in a bowl of ice water. Blanching stops enzyme actions which would cause loss of flavor, color and texture.* After you’ve blanched green beans, they will be ready for the skillet.
*for more details on blanching, here’s a helpful link from Clemson University
Now that you’ve learned how to blanch green beans, go ahead and do that by adding a tablespoon of salt to your medium-sized pot of boiling water. Do this for about five minutes and immediately move to a bowl of ice cold water.
In a 12-inch skillet, combine olive oil, half of a diced yellow onion, four strips of bacon cut into half-inch strips, and two cloves of minced garlic over medium heat. I prefer to cook these in a cast iron skillet, especially when doing outdoor cooking. If you don’t have a cast iron, the skillet in your kitchen will work just fine. Cook mixture for five minutes until the bacon starts to crisp a little.
Stir fresh green beans into skillet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for another five minutes until the green beans are done. It is recommended to serve immediately. I like to serve this dish while in the cast iron skillet for presentation purposes. And it also means one less dish to clean.
This recipe pairs well as a side dish for big meals, especially Thanksgiving meals and Christmas. Here’s some recipes to serve with:
How to Smoke Spatchcock Chicken
Looking for a great side dish recipe to go along with that epic holiday feast (or steak dinner)? Green beans with bacon and onion provides those perfect, complementary flavors to go along with that main dish!
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
A cast iron full of warm, cinnamon apples topped with a crisp made with oats and brown sugar. This cast iron skillet apple crisp recipe will become one of your favorite recipes from the grill (or oven)! How Do You Make Apple Crisp? Apple crisp…
Looking to learn how to smoke a turkey for the holidays (or just because it tastes dang good any time of year)? This smoked turkey recipe will walk you through all of the steps, from thawing to serving. Follow the details for how to smoke…
BBQ chicken often gets overlooked on the menu, especially when up against other meats like brisket, pulled pork, or ribs. Chicken lollipops are bacon wrapped drumsticks you can eat with your hands!
Trimming the bone may take a few attempts to get down (good thing there are many of them in a pack), but the rest of the process is smooth sailing. Let’s walk through the process.
The most tedious part of making these is trimming the drumsticks. To French drumsticks, use a sharp knife and trim chicken drumsticks at the base of the meat, cutting all the way around until tendons and skin are completely disconnected.
Pull disconnected skin and tendon all the way down off the end of the bone, using a paper towel (or an actual towel) to help with grip. On the other side of the bone (where the meat is), I like to cut the tip of the bone and cartilage, as well as a sliver of meat to help create a flat surface for the chicken drumstick to stand. Trim off the remaining skin to expose meat.
This collage below shows the steps in the process.
This recipe calls for a dozen chicken drumsticks. You can find 12-packs in your local grocery stores, or even two six-packs will suffice. You can also half the recipe for a smaller audience if you need.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, place trimmed drumsticks and drizzle in olive oil. I like to use about a half cup. Mix around until all meat on drumsticks are covered. Lightly season each drumstick with your favorite seasoning or rub.
Remove the drumsticks from the bowl and individually wrap the meaty part of each with one strip of bacon. As you finish wrapping each one, tuck in the end of the bacon underneath itself. Season again.
Place the fully prepped bacon wrapped chicken lollipops standing up on the grill. Make sure grill is preheated to 375 degrees over indirect heat. I prefer to use cherry or pecan wood. You can cook these on the grill until the internal meat temp reaches around 170-175 degrees. You may be thinking to yourself, “isn’t chicken finished cooking when it reaches 165 degrees?” Yes, for white meat it is. Since drumsticks are dark meat, they finish cooking later. Aim for a temp between 175 to 185 degrees.
Using an instant read thermometer, such as the Thermoworks ONE, will help you get quick, accurate temps.
As the meat reaches the 150 degree range, dip the bacon wrapped chicken lollipops in BBQ sauce. Place back on the grill and cook until internal meat temp reaches 170-175 degrees (reasons stated in previous section).
My favorite way to cook these is on a grill with two-zone cooking, using both direct and indirect heat. If you have the ability to use direct heat on your grill, then place the drumsticks over the direct heat to help get the bacon a little more crispier. Make sure to also lay it on their sides as to not burn one spot of the chicken.
Note that you can use a strictly indirect heat source, such as a pellet grill, and cook these just fine.
After you pull these from the grill, make sure to let it rest a few minutes to allow it to finish cooking internally. Make sure to snap a few pics during this time to brag to your friends and family.
When stored in an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator, chicken lollipops are good for up to three days. If placed in the freezer, they will be good for a month.
Here are some other recipes that pair well with these:
Honey Glazed Teriyaki BBQ Ribs
Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
BBQ chicken lollipops wrapped in bacon are both an eye-catcher and a tasty crowd pleaser!
1. If you have a grill set up for two-zone cooking (direct and indirect heat at the same time), then move BBQ chicken drumsticks over to direct side after saucing.
2. I like to cut the tips off both sides of the bone: the meat end to help it stand, the handle end because I think it looks cool.
Brisket Breakfast Skillet is a perfect leftover brisket recipe! It’s also a good excuse to have brisket for breakfast. This breakfast skillet recipe is easy to follow and can be made any time of the day! Recipe created as a collaboration with Aspire by Hestan.…
Note: this post for bacon wrapped filet mignon Polish sausage is sponsored by Omaha Steaks. I occasionally collaborate with brands I trust to help keep Learning to Smoke up and going. I’m speaking from my own genuine experience and am not being asked by the…
With this grilled peaches recipe, making dessert on the grill has never been easier! Peaches are in peak season in the summer, and using the grill is the perfect place to go. To make this recipe, all you need are four ingredients and five minutes to make peach dreams come true!
This grilled peaches recipe is very simple. To start, preheat the grill to 400 degrees using direct heat on either a gas grill or over charcoal (or wood). While you wait for the grill to heat up is the best time to start slicing the peaches. Slice the peaches in half and remove the pit. If the peach is ripe, you will be able to pull the pit out with ease. Set them on a cutting board and take out to the grill.
Place the sliced peaches face down on the grill grates. They are done when they have nice, dark grill marks on their surfaces. It will take up to two minutes to finish. Remove from grill and place face up on a cutting board.
Now that the peaches have been grilled, it’s time to bust out the toppings! Sprinkle some brown sugar on the tops of the peaches, which is best done soon after they come off the grill. This way, the brown sugar starts to melt into the juicy, grilled peaches. Next, time to drizzle the caramel syrup over the tops. I love using Ghirardelli sea salt caramel sauce because it provides a slight touch of savory to this sweet dessert.
Top this off with ice cream and the perfect summer dessert from your grill is ready to eat! And it only takes five minutes.
Feel like grilling something else for dessert? Check out my grilled Twinkies with raspberry compote recipe and you will be surprised at how good it is.
Grilled peaches are the perfect summertime dessert you can make on the grill! Just four ingredients and a few minutes is all you need.
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Note: this post for grilled teriyaki salmon is sponsored by Omaha Steaks. I occasionally collaborate with brands I trust to help keep Learning to Smoke up and going. I’m speaking from my own genuine experience and am not being asked by the brand to mention…
