I really wanted to enter the "Desserts: Brethren Style" Throwdown that closes tomorrow, but wasn't sure what to make. The Missus wanted to do a peach cobbler, but I thought that was too boring. I was thinking a chocolate chip cheesecake, but we both had concerns about it turning out right on the smoker, so we ditched both of those ideas. What I really wanted was something dramatic - and then it came to me: How about Pig Candy Cinnamon Pecan Rolls, with LOTS and LOTS of pig candy inside and on top? The Missus loved the idea, so we ran with it.
Before I go any further, if any of you reading this don't know what pig candy is, it's basically raw bacon that has been brushed with maple syrup and sprinkled with brown sugar on top and cooked in a smoker. There are variants, including adding a bit of cayenne for a touch of heat, or in this particular case, a light dusting of BBQ rub over the brown sugar. It is truly one of the most decadent treats I've ever had, and I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to brother gtr for introducing this to me when we first met back in 2011!
So let's get started:
Here's the bacon that was anointed with maple syrup, brown sugar, and some John Henry Pecan rub:
I chose John Henry Pecan because I like the balance of sweetness and salt.
Then I set up the green Weber OTG with rotisserie ring so I could place the grate higher to prevent burning, and added two chunks of oak to the fire:
Then put the bacon on:
About 15 mins or so, it was almost done:
Then brought it inside to cool on wax paper:
Closer look at the bacony goodness:
When the bacon cooled, we cut 4 slices into little pieces, which would go into the dough filling:
Then The Missus rolled out the dough, and assembled the ingredients for the filling, including brown sugar, chopped pig candy, chopped pecans, and butter/cinnamon:
The dough got a healthy slather of butter:
Then brown sugar and pig candy:
And finally, the pecans:
And here it is as it was being rolled up:
After the dough was fully rolled, The Missus cut the dough into rolls, and put them in a generously buttered cast iron skillet:
Close up of the buttery bacony cinnamony goodness:
And then it all went into the Kamado to cook at 375 for about 30 mins:
At that point, we decided to take a break and hang by the pool with our timer at arms length:
When the rolls were done, I took them off the kamado and brought them inside to rest:
I wasn't sure whether we should ice the top or bottom, so we turned it upside down to see how it looked:
At this point, The Missus made the icing, iced the top, and added more pecans, and of course, pig candy:
And here's a single roll:
And finally:
These were the best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten, and it had EVERYTHING to do with the pig candy!
Here's a link to the recipe The Missus used for the rolls:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-pecan-rolls
Thanks for looking, and we wish all of you a safe and happy 4th!
Before I go any further, if any of you reading this don't know what pig candy is, it's basically raw bacon that has been brushed with maple syrup and sprinkled with brown sugar on top and cooked in a smoker. There are variants, including adding a bit of cayenne for a touch of heat, or in this particular case, a light dusting of BBQ rub over the brown sugar. It is truly one of the most decadent treats I've ever had, and I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to brother gtr for introducing this to me when we first met back in 2011!
So let's get started:
Here's the bacon that was anointed with maple syrup, brown sugar, and some John Henry Pecan rub:
I chose John Henry Pecan because I like the balance of sweetness and salt.
Then I set up the green Weber OTG with rotisserie ring so I could place the grate higher to prevent burning, and added two chunks of oak to the fire:
Then put the bacon on:
About 15 mins or so, it was almost done:
Then brought it inside to cool on wax paper:
Closer look at the bacony goodness:
When the bacon cooled, we cut 4 slices into little pieces, which would go into the dough filling:
Then The Missus rolled out the dough, and assembled the ingredients for the filling, including brown sugar, chopped pig candy, chopped pecans, and butter/cinnamon:
The dough got a healthy slather of butter:
Then brown sugar and pig candy:
And finally, the pecans:
And here it is as it was being rolled up:
After the dough was fully rolled, The Missus cut the dough into rolls, and put them in a generously buttered cast iron skillet:
Close up of the buttery bacony cinnamony goodness:
And then it all went into the Kamado to cook at 375 for about 30 mins:
At that point, we decided to take a break and hang by the pool with our timer at arms length:
When the rolls were done, I took them off the kamado and brought them inside to rest:
I wasn't sure whether we should ice the top or bottom, so we turned it upside down to see how it looked:
At this point, The Missus made the icing, iced the top, and added more pecans, and of course, pig candy:
And here's a single roll:
And finally:
These were the best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten, and it had EVERYTHING to do with the pig candy!
Here's a link to the recipe The Missus used for the rolls:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-pecan-rolls
Thanks for looking, and we wish all of you a safe and happy 4th!
