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Smoky Sweet & Heat Cabot Cheese Ball
thisjewcanque
The perfect contribution to a holiday gathering, this cheese ball recipe combines the distinct sharp flavors of Cabot cheese with the tasty addition of a little smoke, a little sweet, a little heat and some bacon.
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Prep Time
15
minutes
mins
Cook Time
2
hours
hrs
Refrigeration Time
1
hour
hr
Total Time
3
hours
hrs
15
minutes
mins
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
6
appetizer servings
Equipment
Traeger grill
Small cookie sheet & aluminum foil
Bowl and rubber spatula
Shallow bowl or dish
Plastic wrap
Ingredients
1
block
Cabot cream cheese
½
block
Cabot sharp cheddar cheese
finely grated
2
tbsp
Garlic Junkie seasoning from Spiceology
¼
cup
sour cream
6
slices
bacon
2
green onions
finely diced
1
tbsp
gherkins or bread and butter pickles
finely diced
1
tbsp
pimentos or peppadew peppers
finely diced
1
tsp
Candied pickled jalapenos
finely diced
½
cup
candied pecans
finely chopped
¼
cup
parsley
finely chopped
3
tbsp
poppy seeds
Crackers and apple slices for serving
Instructions
Preheat your Traeger grill to 160F
Using a small cookie sheet or piece of foil, place the unwrapped block of cream cheese in the center
Score the top of the cream cheese in a hatch-mark pattern
Season the cream cheese generously with the Garlic Junkie seasoning
Place the cream cheese in the grill and smoke it for about 2 hours
Once the cream cheese has smoked, remove it from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature
Bump up the grill temperature to 375F
Arrange bacon slices on a foil-lined cookie sheet
Put the baon in the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes until rendered and beginning to crisp
Remove the bacon from the grill and drain on paper towels before dicing it finely and setting half aside
Combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, ½ of the chopped bacon, the green onions, peppers, pickles, jalapenos and sour cream in a bowl
Using a plastic spatula, mix well until ingredients are evenly distributed
In a shallow bowl or dish, combine the remaining bacon, pecans, parsley and poppy seeds
Using disposable gloves, divide the cream cheese mixture in half and form it into two balls
Carefully roll the balls in the pecan/bacon mixture and press to coat thoroughly
Transfer each ball to a square of plastic wrap and wrap tightly in a smooth sphere
Place the balls in the fridge and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight
Before serving, place the ball on a plate to bring to room temperature
Serve with crackers and sliced apples
Notes
Make your own spin on this recipe with stir-in ingredients of your choosing. Just don't forget the bacon!
Keyword
Smoky Sweet & Heat Cheese Ball