Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Jordan's Drunk Pickles

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  We received no compensation for this post. We occasionally receive samples of new products from Albukirky's but we also buy plenty of their wonderful seasonings and sauces.

This is easily one of the most popular dishes that we serve at Eggfests.
  • People ask us ahead of time if we are making "the pickles".  
  • People come back to our booth for seconds and thirds.  
  • We had to make one of those signs with clock hands that shows when the next Jordan's Drunk Pickles are going to be served.
  • People actually stand and wait for the next batch to come out.

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
Jordan's Drunk Pickles served at an Eggfest. That's Jordan in the picture in the background.

Rhonda got the idea for this recipe at Frozen Fest - a unique Eggfest held at a lodge on a lake in Wisconsin.....in February. This is her spin on that recipe.  The reason it has taken so long to get this written up is because we are normally making it in batches of at least 500 servings and just used ratios (3 ham:3 Swiss cheese:1 salami mixed and 1 to 1.5 parts of that mix to 2 parts green chile smoked pork).  Here it is scaled down for what you might make at a tailgate or at home.


Jordan's Drunk Pickles

makes 18 appetizer servings

Ingredients

  • 9 jumbo Kosher dill pickles 
  • strained pickle juice in a spray bottle
  • 1.5 ounce thick sliced Boar's Head Tavern Ham, chopped
  • 1.5 ounce sliced Boar's Head Mild Swiss cheese, chopped
  • 1 ounce Boar's Head Genoa Salami, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Albukirky's Green Chile Smoked Pork, chopped
  • mustard
Equipment needed
  • muffin pan
  • coring tool

Instructions

  1. Set up your grill.  Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat to 350-400°f.  At the Eggfest, we were using an Adjustable Rig so we could cook 4 batches at once.  At home I just use a plate setter or a spider/stone combination.  We use straight lump, no wood.
  2. Make the stuffing mix.  It's best for the hams, cheeses and pork to be finely chopped since you are stuffing them into a pickle.  Mix them all together.  Taste, feel free to add a little more seasoning if you like but we typically don't.
  3. Prep the pickles.  Cut pickles in half.  Use a coring tool to scoop out the seeds and pulp (discard), leaving about a 1/4" amount around the outside. Drizzle a line of mustard inside the pickle on the sides.  Fill with the stuffing mix and lightly compact it down.  You should have a little bit of the stuffing sticking out of the top.
  4. Cook the pickles.  Place the stuffed pickles upright into a muffin pan, about 3 per muffin cup, depending on size.  Spritz them with pickle juice and place in indirect heat for 15 minutes. Spritz them again and cook 5 more minutes. They are done when warmed through and the stuffing on top is just starting to get crispy.
  5. Serve.  We serve them in plastic shot glasses at the Eggfests.
Notes
Albukirky's Green Chile Rub makes awesome smoked pork
We're making these in large batches so we always smoke the Green Chile Pork fresh but for making a small batch at home, definitely feel free to use leftover smoked pork if you have it frozen.

Albukirky's Green Chile Rub has been one of our favorites for years.  Kirk is a fellow Egger and his rubs and sauces are always just a bit different than the mainstream "sweet, salt, smoke, heat" of BBQ rubs.  This one has salt, black pepper, garlic, and green chiles for a unique blast of flavor.

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
Since the mix is being stuffed into a relatively small hole, make sure your ingredients are well chopped.  It makes stuffing way easier.

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
This is going to be a LOT of Jordan's Drunk Pickles!  This is when you taste the pork and season with the finely ground Albukirky's Green Chile Rub to boost the flavor (or whatever seasoning you are using).

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
We have tried several different coring tools.  When we were coring 960 pickle halves whoever had the one in the middle was consistently doing twice as many pickles as the other types of tools.  Alexis got ours at Publix but this one on Amazon is similar (affiliate link).


Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
Ready to stuff.  We have used aluminum, metal, and silicone muffin pans and there doesn't seem to be any difference between them for these pickles.

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
We try to get two lines of mustard to criss-cross like this but it doesn't have to be perfect.  You just want some up and down it instead of pooled at the bottom.

Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
Stuffed and ready to go into the Egg. These were Klaussen Kosher dills which are noticeably smaller than the Mount Olive that we use at the Eggfests. They were also crunchier.
Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
They are done when the tops get like these, the cheese melted and the pork starting to brown a little on top.



Eggfest Jordan's Drunk Pickles recipe
The shot glasses aren't necessary but they were the easiest way we figured to serve these upright.