Our friends over at Date Night Doins’ have come through again with this cast-iron Dutch oven recipe for candied butternut squash. If you’re looking to replace a typical starchy sweet potato side dish with something equally sweet but low carb, this is the dish for you! Not only does butternut squash look like sweet potatoes, it also caramelizes perfectly, just like the root veggie. It makes a hearty and delicious side without adding more carbs to your, likely, already carb-heavy meal. Because, let’s face it, a day spent at the grill is a day that involves lots of carbs. Especially if you’re trying out some of our delicious grilled meat recipes.

This candied butternut squash is cooked backyard style in a Dutch oven on the grill with Ken’s famous “kiss of smoke.” Remember to watch your cooking time and temperature. You can even make candied butternut squash in your regular oven! But, if you do, you lose all those great flavors you get from cooking outdoors. Plus, you won’t have the same awesome view of your gorgeous, and well-manicured, backyard.

We recommend pairing this delicious candied butternut squash with this Ballistic BBQ’s Maui-Style Short Ribs Recipe. The pairing creates a full experience your loved ones won’t want to miss! The flavors of the backyard meet the flavors of the island for an irresistible symphony you’ll be excited to share, and eat yourself.

Candied Butternut Squash

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Total time

0

minutes

Sweet but low carb, the butternut squash looks a lot like sweet potatoes and it candies perfectly.

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, approximately 4 lbs.

• 3 tbsp. pure maple syrup

• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 tbsp. brandy, or brandy extract

Directions

• Preheat your grill or outdoor oven to 425 degrees and light your wedgie for that “Kiss of Smoke”. 
• Peel squash, remove seeds, and cut into bite size pieces.
• Blend squash and remaining ingredients in a medium-size bowl.
• Pour squash mixture into lightly greased, 2- to 3-quart cast-iron Dutch oven.
• Cook for 60 minutes at 425 degrees or until tender, stirring every 15 minutes until tender.

This candied butternut squash side also pairs well with David Bancroft’s Chicken Fried Quail Recipe. Bancroft’s recipe puts a unique Southern spin on a game-bird recipe and you’re going to love it! Just one more unbeatable combo you’re going to want to share with your friends and family at your next backyard bash.

More Side Dish Recipes:

• Smoked Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes
• Joe Thomas’s Grilled Sweet Potato Slices
• Easy Game Day Snacks and Sides

This delicious wood pellet grill recipe from our friends at Date Night Doins’ has all the major food groups covered: bacon, chocolate, caramel and cheesecake. It just doesn’t get any better than this unless you’re serving it in your well-manicured backyard! The smoky bacon mixed with the semi-sweet chocolate added to the beautiful topping and then all together on the cheesecake is a dessert symphony.

Who doesn’t love bacon? Adding in bacon to a sweet recipe is an incredible way to elevate your dish and add some depth of flavor. Mixing sweet and savory is a time-honored tradition that always manages to surprise. You’ll shock and excite your guests with this recipe and it’s sure to bring them coming back to your next gathering for more. Who cares if it’s just for the dessert?

The Cheesecake Process

This cheesecake uses chocolate striped shortbread cookies for the crust adding in 1 cup of chocolate chips and a 12 oz. package of bacon. But, you could certainly use the more traditional graham cracker crust if bacon isn’t your thing. We also added another package of bacon and chocolate chips into our cheesecake filling. We topped it off with more bacon in our caramel sauce.

All told, there was more than 2 pounds of bacon in this recipe. Pure heaven for any bacon lover!

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Recipe With Bacon Crust

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

6

servings

Total time

2

hours 

30

minutes

It just doesn’t get any better than this. The smoky bacon mixed with the semi-sweet chocolate added to the caramel and cheesecake ingredients is a dessert symphony.

Ingredients

• Crust:

• 1 package of Chocolate Stripped Shortbread Cookies, made into crumbs

• 12 oz. extra-crispy Bacon bits (we made our own)

• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Cheesecake Filling:

• 32 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

• 8 oz. sour cream

• ½ cup sugar

• ½ cup chocolate chips

• ½ cup crisp bacon, crumbled  

• 3 large eggs

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp. rum extract

• Bacon Turtle Topping:

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tbsp. water

• ½ cup extra-crispy Bacon bits

• 3 tbsp. cold Bacon grease, chilled until solid

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 1 cup heavy cream

• ½ pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

• ½ cup extra-crispy bacon bits

• Chocolate Topping:

• ½ bag chocolate chips

Directions:

• Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake
• Rough chop the crispy bacon bits in a food processor, then set aside. Put shortbread cookies in next and chop them. Now, add all the ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times until everything is well mixed.
• Press into a 9-inch springform pan, making sure the crust is about ½” thick. Firm up by pressing it down flat with the bottom of a glass.
• Place crust onto the grill at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Place the cream cheese and sour cream into the food processor and blend. Now, add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and mix well.
• Pour batter onto the crust and spread it evenly with a spoon. Tap the pan on the counter top to work out any air bubbles. Now, place the pan back onto the grill at 350 degrees for one and a half hours.
• When the cake is done it will still jiggle in the middle, so don’t worry about that. Take a small sharp knife and carefully run it around the sides of the pan to free the cake from it so it won’t crack when removed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Bacon Caramel Topping:
• Place 1 cup of sugar and 2 tbsp. of water into a saucepan over low heat. Gently stir the sugar as it melts. Once melted, bring to a low boil until it becomes amber in color.
• Have butter, bacon, and bacon drippings ready to go. Once the caramel is a rich amber color, stir in the butter, bacon and bacon drippings, mixing well. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.
• Set aside and let cool for 15-20 minutes. Then, pour over the top of the cheesecake, letting it pool on top. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next morning, remove the side of the pan and prepare the chocolate sauce. Put half a bag of chocolate chips into a 2-cup measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, stir, then microwave another 15 seconds. Using a tablespoon, border the chocolate around the top edge of the cheesecake, making a nice ring of chocolate.

Now you’ve got a delicious chocolate caramel cheesecake recipe to use to top off your delicious backyard meals. Everyone who comes by will know how much you love them based on this cheesecake you’ve created just for them. There’s nothing better than creating a dessert that keeps your guests coming back and staying to hang out with you in your backyard just a little later.

More Sweet Recipes:

• Butterscotch Pecan Pie on the Grill
• Joe Thomas’s Grilled Sweet Potato Slices
• Candied Butternut Squash Recipe

If you’re on the hunt for a delicious winter grilling recipe, this stuffed pork loin is a great option. The cranberry apple bacon jam recipe is just the jam on the top! It creates a delicious, warm taste that’s just right for the winter months. Plus, who doesn’t think everything is better with bacon? Fortunately, our friends at Date Night Doins’ agree.

Boneless pork loin is as versatile as chicken breast and it’s just as lean. Much like chicken, pork loin can be stuffed so you can get some tasty, versatile flavor that’s still tender and juicy. And it’s far easier than you would think.

Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam Stuffing

The stuffing in this stuffed pork loin is a cranberry apple bacon jam. This delicious jam uses a pound of bacon that slow cooks with apples, cold smoked onions, and cranberries. Eventually, it stews long enough that it all comes together in a sweet and spicy jam. The flavor is rich and savory with just a bit of sweet and tart in the flavor profile that takes it over the top. It’s used here as a stuffing, but it can also be used as a terrific topping for some of your favorite recipes. And you could even use it for a delicious burger like this Greg Mrvich recipe!

Share this delicious, stuffed pork loin recipe at your next homegate or BBQ night. Your guests are going to fall in love with the rich and surprising flavors. Just don’t tell them how easy it is. They’ll never come over again; they’ll be too busy making it for themselves at home!

If you are looking for some sides to pair with this dish, try:

• Joe Thomas’s Grilled Sweet Potato Slices
• Candied Butternut Squash Recipe

Stuffed Pork Loin w/ Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Total time

3

hours 

5

minutes

This cranberry, apple, bacon jam stuffed pork loin recipe will score lots of points at your next tailgate or BBQ night.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. 1-5 lbs. boneless pork loin

• 1/2 cup Butcher BBQ Wyld Seasoning “Desert Dust” (to taste)

• 1/4 cup Butcher BBQ Grilling Oil

• 1-2 cups Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam

• Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam

• 1 lb. bacon, cut pieces

• 1 large sweet onion, diced and smoked

• 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce

• 1 large apple, chopped

• 2 cups dried cranberries

COOKING Directions

• Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam
• Cut up your uncooked bacon and apple and set aside. (Ken notes that freezing the bacon for around 20 minutes firms it up nicely.)
• Place the bacon into a skillet and cook until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, place the bacon onto a paper towel, reserving about a tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan.
• Add onions, apples, and cranberries to the skillet and sauté in the bacon drippings, stirring often for 10-15 minutes until they start to caramelize.
• Stir in the entire can of cranberry sauce, along with the cooked bacon.
• Stir often, cooking until the liquid reduces and it thickens to taste (should take 10 to 15 minutes).
• Remove from heat, let cool and grab a spoon!
• Stuffed Pork Loin
• Preheat the grill to 250 degrees and light your wedgie. 
• Lay your loin out on a cutting board. Then, use a sharp knife to trim the loin so that it rolls out flat. Finally, pound evenly with a meat tenderizer.
• Add a thick layer of cranberry apple bacon jam onto the pork loin and roll it up. Tie it with butcher’s cord and it’ll be ready for the rotisserie.
• Slide the rotisserie rod through the center of the pork loin. Try to position it on the rod so it will sit around “right center” on the grill. Tighten the meat claws with pliers. (Just tight.)
• Generously season pork on all sides with Butcher BBQ Grilling Oil and Wyld Seasoning “Desert Dust,” then insert a meat probe. (The oil acts as a binder for the seasoning and helps with browning.)
• Grill for two and a half hours at 250 degrees, checking occasionally to ensure nothing has come loose. (Cooking times vary by size.)
• Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), remove from the grill, cover and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. (U.S.D.A.-safe is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.) Keep in mind that the meat will continue cooking for another 5 to 10 degrees.

Notes

• Make the Cranberry Apple Bacon Jam the day before you want to use it and let the flavors blend. It will keep in the fridge just fine. It’s so good that it won’t last long.

What are you waiting for? Start on this mouthwatering stuffed pork loin recipe for your next party. Or even just for a Friday night dinner.

More Main Dish Grill Recipes:

• Pan-Roasted Salmon Recipe from David Bancroft
• How to Cook a BBQ Beef Brisket
• Easy 3-Ingredient Smoked Turkey Recipe

Our friends at Date Night Doins’ have provided us another great recipe for your grill. Smoked Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes are a great side dish for your next family gathering. Homemade creamed spinach that picks up the mesquite wood smoke flavor together with the warm soft tomatoes is really a great pairing. Lots of different textures and flavors complementing each other. This dish could also work as a main dish if you add shrimp or leftover meat to the spinach mixture. And, this stuffed tomatoes recipe pairs well with David Bancroft’s Chicken Fried Quail Recipe a mouthwatering game-bird cook that’s super straightforward.

Smoked Creamed Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 5 Large Tomatoes

• 1 pound Fresh Spinach

• 6 slices Cooked bacon, chopped

• 1 cup Half and Half

• 2 tablespoons Flour

• 1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt (Country Bob’s or your favorite)

• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon dried garlic

Directions

• Slice off tomato top about ½ “down. Remove seeds with a teaspoon. Place tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain any juice.
  
• In medium saucepot cook bacon until crisp. Using slotted spoon remove bacon to paper towel.
• Whisk flour thoroughly into drippings.
• Slowly add milk, then seasonings. Simmer and stir until thickened. Mix in spinach and bacon. Spoon the spinach mixture into tomatoes and sprinkle cheese on top.
• Place the tomatoes on a baking tray and put on the grill or smoker. Cook for 60 minutes at 225 degrees.