Appetizer suggestions?


 
A

Al Bokolor

New member
Hello - newbie here...going to smoke a couple of ribs on my WSM Saturday and was thinking about smoking some type of appetizer next to it. Thinking maybe sausage and then slice it thin, place it on small pieces of toasted bread with pineapple on it and serve as early snack/munchy while the ribs smoke...anyone have any favorites apps they can suggest that can be smoked or grilled on my gas grill as a neat/different app? Appreciate any and all suggestions/tips...thanks...
 
Some of the old standbys..... Moinks (basically a bacon wrapped meatball), ABT (try different cr cheeses- pineapple or jalapeño )

U could always try a fatty--- many different variations

Try a tray of doctored up baked beans sitting on bottom rack underneath the ribs... Very good....
 
Al, like Kurt said, there's nothin' like a rack full of ABT's (Jalapenos cored and stripped of the membrane, stuffed with shredded cheddar or softened cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and sprinkled with yer favorite rub) right off the smoker....and welcome to the forum, by the way!

Regards,

Rooster
 
Chicken wings/thighs/drumsticks work great, plus you can have a variety of sauces for them. I think they're a good match for ribs since they get your fingers all messy too. :)

I'm talking the little ones you'd make buffalo wings with, not big ones like KFC sells.
 
I like the idea of ABT's but have gotten inconsistent results and mixed reviews on them (typically, jalapenos too hot or bacon too limp). I am getting to where I prefer to do wings as appetizers. You won't get crisp skin at the temperature range at which you'll be smoking your ribs, but you could start the wings on the WSM for some smokey flavor and then finish them on your gas grill (or in a fryer) to crisp the skin. I did beef tenderloin and wings for a graduation party last week, and the wings disappeared fast. I started the wings on the smoker and finished them in a fryer for crisp skin.
 
Al Bokolor said:
Hello - newbie here...going to smoke a couple of ribs on my WSM Saturday and was thinking about smoking some type of appetizer next to it. Thinking maybe sausage and then slice it thin, place it on small pieces of toasted bread with pineapple on it and serve as early snack/munchy while the ribs smoke...anyone have any favorites apps they can suggest that can be smoked or grilled on my gas grill as a neat/different app? Appreciate any and all suggestions/tips...thanks...
Click to expand...

To take that idea in a different direction, take those slices and stuff them instead. Flatten them out, put a cheese mixture in there, your pineapples, or anything else you might want. Fold the sausage over the filling and ball it up, rub it down, smoke it up. Nice and easy and tasty :)
 
how about slicing some potatoes lay them in a foil pan, lay slices of onion on top of them and then apply butter, salt and pepper, do a 2nd layer of potatoes, onions and butter salt pepper then cover with shredded cheese. Cook in smoker till potatoes are tender.
 
One of my fav apps is smoked boar's head kielbasa. I slice the sausage about 1/4" thick place it on a cracker served beside some cheese.
 
MOINK balls
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With the ABTs, if they are too hot, just make sure you pull out all the membrane and seeds. Keep them on the smoker long enough to get the bacon as crispy at you want them. I always put a small piece of pulled pork or chorizo sausage (precooked) in the jalapeno, then put in a mix of cream cheese and shredded cheddar.
 
I think Moink balls and ABTs really go well with kettles and smokers. ABT's are fairly easy to get consistent if you use half a slice of thin bacon for each and stretch the bacon around the ABT. It will stay in place and crisp up nicely. Some of my best have been done on a Hover grill up in the lid of the WSM. As for heat, they are not hot if you scrape out the membrane and all of the seeds. I like to do that and add a Tex Mex cheese blend mixed 50/50 with cream cheese. you can add heat back in with Sriracha sauce or use Habanero cheese. I prefer to fill and wrap each half of the pepper as opposed to using a whole pepper. Moink Balls are just too easy and are a great addition. Bacon warpped anything is hard to beat. The ulimate appetizer in my view would be Burnt Ends but it's pretty tuff to do them just anytime you want.
 
Thanks again for all your suggestions. Iam going to try ATB's for the first time but smoke them for about an hour and then finish grilling them so they will be appetizers served soon! Any ideas/recipes that you all favor? My understanding is to slice/core up Jalapeno peppers (and a few bell green peppers for more mild snacks), then add cream cheese, followed by small 2-3" sausage links, followed by a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese, then wrapped in thin bacon slices. Smoke them for about 45-60 minutes, and then grill at 300-350 degrees for 20 minutes? I am a newbie and guessing on all of this please so PLEASE give me your thoughts/tips/temps/ideas on this as I will be hitting the grocery store tomorrow and smoking Sunday morning. Thanks all!!
 
Problem I found with meaty appetizers is that some people get full (including myself) from picking on them while waiting for the smoked meat to get done. This may be a good thing to prevent people from hogging half a rack worth of ribs to themselves.
I like to stick to vegi platters, crackers, cheese, etc... Less work for me as I usually have someone else to take care of the appetizers.
 
George L said:
Problem I found with meaty appetizers is that some people get full (including myself) from picking on them while waiting for the smoked meat to get done. This may be a good thing to prevent people from hogging half a rack worth of ribs to themselves.
I like to stick to vegi platters, crackers, cheese, etc... Less work for me as I usually have someone else to take care of the appetizers.
Click to expand...

Good point!! Will have someone prep a cold plate - I am still dying to try making the ABT's though (Newbie-itis I guess!) . . .
 
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