Apple Smoked Bacon Blue Cheese Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms

by Ross Bowen, Tastemaker in Residence

When I was invited to a friend’s home for dinner last weekend, I wanted to take something special as a side dish. One rule – it had to be grilled.

I decided to bring my smoked Cremini mushrooms. I prefer Cremini because of their firmer texture and better flavor. They are actually white button mushrooms that have aged a little more. You will appreciate the firmer texture when cleaning out the gills from inside the mushroom cap.

There are other stuffings that you can use, but these smoked mushrooms can stand up to the big flavor of blue cheese and bacon. Feel free to substitute sausage for the bacon. You can extend the recipe and stuff more mushrooms if you chop up the stems and add it back into the stuffing mix. My wife does not care for blue cheese, but she will eat this dish. I sometimes substitute plain cream cheese for the blue to ease back on the strong flavor.

The cook time is fairly long, which allows the mushrooms to cook and soften. I recommend that you try a small mushroom or two after a bit so you can be sure that you like the doneness.

Ingredients

Two-dozen Cremini mushrooms
1 four-ounce container of crumbled blue cheese
10 pieces of bacon
¼ cup of panko bread crumbs
Apple wood

Instructions

1. Place the bacon on a pizza pan and set to back for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until done. Pay attention.
2. Pull the stems from the mushroom and dispose of them, or set aside for stuffing.
3. Using the end of a small spoon or a similar utensil, scrape the gills from inside the cap. Be careful not to harm the integrity of the sides, which will hold the stuffing.
4. Start the charcoal fire. You want a medium hot fire, with one side set for for indirect heat (no charcoal on one side of smoker).
5. Remove the bacon, drain, and chop finely with a chef’s knife.
6. Mix the bacon, blue cheese, panko crumbs. The texture should be like a loose putty. Add panko if too moist.
7. Roll out small balls and insert inside mushroom caps. Compress slightly so the cap is full.
8. Add a piece of apple wood.  
9. Place the mushrooms on a grill cooking cooking tray. Spray the tray and the bottom of the mushrooms with canola oil. Place the tray on the indirect side of the grill and close lid. Cook for 30-40 minutes, tasting along way.