It’s April and we are thinking of eggs! Eggs are packed with nutrition, and at 17¢ a serving, they’re a wallet-friendly source of high-quality protein that can be prepared in so many ways.
Colorado hens produce more than one billion eggs each year. Colorado ranks 23rd nationally in egg production and the state’s annual gross income from egg production tops $100 million. (Colorado Egg Producers).
Each month the Colorado Department of Agriculture features a different ag commodity to highlight the variety and quality of products grown and raised in the state. For April, Chef Jason Morse of 5280 Culinary has created a fun spin on deviled eggs.
“Remember those deviled eggs Grandma made? Well these are going to be even better, but please don’t tell her,” said Chef Jason. “We took eggs to the smoked level and found a way to turn bbq into eggs and eggs into bbq fun. Get ready.”
Head to your local grocery, market, or farmer/rancher and bring home some Colorado eggs to try in this month’s Colorado smoked deviled egg recipe.
Colorado Smoked Deviled Egg Recipe
Chef Jason K. Morse, C.E.C., 5280 Culinary, LLC and Ace Hardware Grill Expert
1 dozen eggs, extra large, washed
4 Tbsp mayonnaise, heavy duty
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.5 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Oink Rub
1 Tbsp High Altitude BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp roasted green chiles, minced
For Garnish:
BBQ pulled pork chopped fine, as needed
Coleslaw, shredded, as needed
Low Country BBQ sauce mixed in coleslaw, to taste
Directions:
Prep Eggs:
- Place 3 cups of water in a large saucepan
- Bring to a boil
- Slowly add the eggs and return to a boil
- Adjust water if needed to ensure eggs are covered
- When the water boils start the timer and boil for 12 minutes
- Remove from the heat and place into a deep ice bath
- Chill in ice bath for 5-7 minutes
- Peel eggs and place on a plate and store in the fridge until time to smoke
Cooking notes:
- Be sure to have your Traeger or Pellet grill pre-heated to smoke setting – 180 degrees
Cooking directions:
- Hard boil the eggs as shown above
- Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet grill to smoke setting – 180 degrees
- Place the chilled WHOLE hard-boiled eggs into the Traeger or pellet grill on the top shelf
- Close the lid and smoke for 30-45 minutes depending on desired smoke level
- Chef’s Note – I find smoking over 45 minutes will result in a tough rubbery outer egg and makes the egg less desirable
- Once the eggs are smoked, place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge to chill for one hour. NOTE, its normal for the eggs to have a yellow color to them after being smoked
- Once fully chilled, remove eggs and gently slice in half lengthwise
- Pop out the yolks into as smaller bowl and arrange the egg white halves onto a plate
- Cover and chill the whites until time to fill
- EGG YOLK FILLING
- Using the yolks in the bowl, take a fork and mash them into fine crumbles
- Add the following
- Mayo
- Vinegar
- Mustard
- Oink Rub
- High Altitude BBQ Sauce
- Green Chile
- Using the yolks in the bowl, take a fork and mash them into fine crumbles
- Mix the above ingredients well using a rubber spatula
- Place the mixture into a large Ziploc bag and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes minimum
- Prepare the garnish as follows:
- Mix the slaw and low country bbq sauce
- Mince the pulled pork
- Assemble the Egg as follows:
- Trim the tip of the pastry bag and discard
- Slowly fill the egg white halves until all the mixture has been evenly divided between them all
- With a wet spoon, lightly tamp the peaks of the yolk mixture down
- Top with the (chilled) minced pulled pork
- Top with the (chilled) low country slaw
- Serve Chilled
- For a fun final garnish, dust with Oink Rub
Try this recipe with Sparklet by Sauvage Spectrum. Sparkling wines range from dry to sweet and express a spectrum of flavors that depend on the grape(s) used, the climate they were grown in, and the winemaking method used. These wines are made in Palisade, in 1991, the Grand Valley area near Palisade, Colorado, was recognized by the federal government as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). It pairs well with a variety of foods and is sure to make your brunch memorable. For more wine information visit Colorado Wine.
Visit www.coloradoproud.org for a complete list of recipes.