Crispy Deviled Eggs on the Traeger

While this recipe doesn’t include any smoking, we thought it was a recipe worth sharing because it takes advantage of one of the great features of the Traeger Timberline XL— the induction burner that sits on the side of the grill. The reality with frying food– whether it’s chicken wings or panko-crusted egg whites is that it can be a messy endeavor that leaves a scent lingering in your house. So for this recipe, no better way to whip up these crispy deviled eggs than on your trusty Traeger. Trust us– delicious.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE DEVILED EGGS

There’s a cartoon I love that asks someone if they want to eat a half dozen hardboiled eggs. And the person responds “no way”. Then a dish of deviled eggs appears and the person gobbles them up like nobody’s business. Isn’t that the truth? Deviled eggs are delicious and sometimes it’s hard to stop!

There are lots of ways to make deviled eggs, but we have found that simple is often the best. Mayo, a touch of mustard, some hot sauce and salt and pepper. Keep the filling pretty true to original and then you can amp up the flavors with toppings and accompaniments if you choose. Which makes me think that a future post about all sorts of dressed-up deviled eggs should be on my to-do list.

But I digress… back to crispy deviled eggs…

CRISPY DEVILED EGGS?

We’ve had deviled eggs like this a few times over the years in restaurants and have always found them to be really good. It adds a special something to the tried-and-true deviled egg to have a crispy crunch to the bite. By dredging the egg white halves in flour, egg and seasoned panko, you create an incredible crust that holds up really well to the creamy yolk filling.

So creating these at home, on our Traeger, has been on our plans for a while and we’ve been really happy with the result. These make a great, somewhat unexpected appetizer and I encourage you to give these crispy deviled eggs a try and let me know what you think!

BEST WAY TO GET HARDBOILED EGGS

The first step for this crispy deviled eggs on the Traeger recipe is to achieve the perfect hard boiled egg. We have done eggs in a variety of ways– boiling water, simmering water, steaming, boiling water that’s been turned off, oven, air fryer, on the grill and in the instant pot. And to be honest, there is one standout winner… the instant pot. If you want to get into the science of boiling eggs, check out this post on Serious Eats’ Food Lab.

To us, putting eggs and 1 cup of water in the instant pot, closing the lid and setting it to 5 minutes seems the easiest path to perfect eggs. Once it’s cooked at pressure for 5 minutes, allow it to sit for 5 minutes under pressure and then release the pressure. Dunk the eggs in an ice bath and they will peel almost without effort!

If you search for hardboiled egg advice on the internet you’ll find lots of options- baking soda, hot or cold water starts, etc. But if you have an instant pot and limited patience for eggs that are difficult to peel, give the instant pot method a try.

ONCE PEELED

Once the eggs are cooled and peeled, then it’s time to disassemble them for the next steps in the crispy deviled eggs on the Traeger process. Rinse the peeled eggs under cool water to remove all shell bits, and then using a very sharp paring knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise.

If you use a sharp knife, you’ll get a pretty clean cut in the eggs. The yolks will inherently crumble a bit, but that’s ok because you’ll be mashing them up later. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out the yolks from the whites, putting the yolks in a bowl for later in the process.

Place the egg whites on a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture.

DREDGE FOR FRYING

In three bowls, assemble your breading ingredients. Bowl one has flour, seasoned with a little salt and pepper. Bowl two has eggs, beaten until well combined. Bowl three has panko bread crumbs, seasoned with my Smoke Junkie seasoning.

One at a time, dip the egg whites in the flour and turn to coat. Tap off the extra flour before dipping it in the beaten egg. Then roll the egg-dipped egg whites in the prepared panko breadcrumbs. Place the breaded egg half on a wire rack and continue with the remaining egg halves.

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MAKE THE FILLING

In a bowl, make up the filling for your crispy deviled eggs on the Traeger. To the egg yolks we pulled out of the halved eggs, we added mayo, dijon mustard, and a dash of Traeger’s original hot sauce. Mix the ingredients well and mash with a fork until the egg mixture is a consistently-creamy texture. Transfer the prepared filling into a ziplock bag and push the filling to one corner of the bag. Then set it aside.

FRY THEM UP!

As the filling was made and the eggs have been breaded, now is the time to fry up the crispy egg whites. In a shallow cast iron skillet, we added about an inch of vegetable oil and then put it on the induction burner on my Traeger Timberline XL in the back yard. This ensured that clean up was super easy and that our house wouldn’t smell like fried eggs afterwards!

Once the oil was hot– about 300*, we dropped the prepared egg whites in the oil, a few at a time, and fried until just golden. You don’t want to cook them too long, so flip them once and pull them as soon as the panko starts looking golden.

Drain the eggs on a paper towel and continue with the remaining egg halves until complete.

FILL AND SERVE

Arrange the crispy egg halves on a platter. Using the ziplock bag as a piping bag, snip off the corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze the prepared filling into the egg halves. Sprinkle the filled eggs with a bit of paprika and serve.

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

• Whole eggs
• Mayonnaise
• Dijon mustard
• Traeger hot sauce
• White flour
• Panko bread crumbs
• My Smoke Junkie Seasoning
• Paprika
• Vegetable oil

WHY COOKING CRISPY DEVILED EGGS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS

This might not be a recipe you were expecting, but using the Traeger Timberline XL’s built-in induction burner in this cook makes it so easy and fun. By frying outside, you eliminate a lot of the mess you’d have if cooking these indoors, and you enjoy the opportunity to be outside cooking a great meal for your family.

STEP-BY-STEP

• Prepare hard boiled eggs (see content above for our recommended instant pot method).
• Once eggs are cooled and peeled, slice them in half lenghtwise with a very sharp knife.
• Scoop out the yolks into a bowl and place the whites on a paper towel briefly.
• Assemble three bowls for breading.
• First bowl should have white flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Second bowl is whole eggs, beaten.
• Third bowl is panko breadcrumbs seasoned with Smoke Junkie seasoning.
• Dip the egg whites in flour, then egg and then panko, coating well.
• Set the breaded eggs on a wire rack and continue with remaining egg halves.
• In a bowl, combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, and hot sauce and mix until well blended.
• Transfer egg yolk mixture to a ziplock bag and cut off the corner.
• Heat about 1 inch of oil in a cast iron skillet on the Traeger induction burner until the oil reaches 300*.
• Carefully lower breaded egg halves into the oil and fry until just golden on both sides– about 60 seconds while flipping once.
• Transfer the eggs to a paper towel and then a platter, and continue with remaining egg pieces.
• Pipe filling into crispy deviled egg shells and sprinkle with paprika.
• Serve your crispy deviled eggs cooked on the Traeger with a bit more hot sauce and enjoy!

ALTERNATE RECIPES AND PRODUCTS USED

Here are some other recipes to try, using the Traeger Timberline XL as the frying station:

• Smoked-fried chicken tenders
• Fried cheese sticks
• Pulled chicken taquitos

Products used in this recipe:

• Traeger Timberline XL
• Smoke Junkie seasoning
• Traeger hot sauce
• Lodge cast iron skillet

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