I think the reason many folks don't like brussel sprouts is because they've never been served properly cooked brussel sprouts.
These smoked brussel sprouts are cooked in the smoker for a bit and then finished off at a higher temperature in the cooker, grill or oven.
These may just give you a whole new perspective on life and cause you to re-think everything!
- 1 lb of brussel sprouts
- 8 piece of thick sliced bacon
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) of bacon grease (from cooking the bacon)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
Start by rinsing them off under cold water.
Cut off about 1/8 inch of the stem end to remove any browned area.
Remove any leaves that look brown or splotchy.
Cut the Brussel sprouts in half.
Note: Some folks cut an “X” in the stem end to help speed up the cooking time. When you cut them in half, this is not neccessary.
Place the brussel sprouts in a large pan or skillet. I like to use the big iron skillet!
Now we need to prepare the bacon so fry up about 8 slices of thick sliced bacon.
When they are done, eat 2 of them for all of your hard work and tear the other 6 into bits.
Save the bacon grease, you'll need it.
Pour the bacon grease over the top of the brussel sprouts and toss them around in it to coat well.
Mix a teaspoon of kosher salt and a teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper to make a quick salt/pepper rub.
Sprinkle all of this over a pound of brussel sprouts.
Place the bits of bacon that you made into the skillet.
Add about ½ to ¾ cups of chopped onion to the skillet. I used a small onion, chopped.
Now mix all of this together real well like you are tossing a salad and set it aside.
We gotta go get the smoker ready.
Set up your smoker for cooking at about 200°F or a little cooler than that is fine. If you can manage 180-190°F, perfecto!
Use cherry wood or whatever smoking wood you have available.
In about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes they should be starting to get some softness to them and plenty of smoke flavor.
Taste one and see what you think.
Brussel sprouts are best when they are finished with some high heat and I especially like to find some stray crispy leaves here and there.
If you are using a pellet smoker then you can simply crank up the heat to about 450°F. You could also use the grill or the oven at 450-500°F for about 25 minutes. Stir everything around several times during the roasting process.
The brussel sprouts are finished when they are soft and slightly browned around the edges.
Enjoy!
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What did you put them on before you placed them in the smoker? The pieces will fall through my Bradley racks.
These should be placed into an iron skillet or a pan and placed into the smoker that way. They should be stirred occasionally to make sure all of them get some access to the smoke. If you are using a Bradley smoker, be sure to use a pan or multiple pans that are small enough to allow plenty of air/heat circulation around the Bradley racks. Bradley warns against using foil and pans in the smoker.
What thermometer do you recommend that you can read from a distance without opening the door ?
Thank You
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Look delicious!
Though – why bother frying the bacon separately or moving to the oven? We do much the same recipe, but don’t bother to fry the bacon beforehand – instead, dice the uncooked bacon and “smoke” it at 250-300 mixed with the sprouts. Saves work and captures the same delicious flavor. (You can bring the temp up at the end to speed up the cook if needed.)
Will have to try adding onion.
If you smoked the sprouts along with the salmon in a Masterbuilt smoker, how, if at all, would it affect the smoking time?
Love your site and recipes!
–Rich Kitchens