Bacon Wrapped Chile Relleno~On The Grill!

The chile relleno I grew up loving was the one my Mom prepared filled with beef picadillo con papas. It was dipped in an egg batter and fried until golden. The ground beef  was simple with diced potatoes that she would fry separately and then add in to the picadillo along with a freshly blended tomato sauce. It is still my favorite and one of those comfort foods I enjoy. For today’s recipe of chiles rellenos I cooked it entirely on my charcoal grill. I prepared a variation of my Mom’s recipe for albondigas (meatballs) that are mixed with rice and spices to fill the poblanos. I also knew that bacon would be involved somehow, lol!! I found some beef bacon on my last trip to the market and I just had to try it out. It fun to try your favorite dishes on the grill for a change of pace. It gets you outside during the nice weather and most times you end up learning something new. Or what not to do, Ha, ha, ha!! Have fun!

Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck, pork or chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon mexican oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon all spice
Olive oil
½ cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 cup cooked steamed rice, white or brown
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
1 egg
6 medium roasted poblano peppers,peeled and seeds removed
12 ounces beef or pork bacon (I found a wide sliced beef bacon that worked well for this recipe)

Pick your favorite roasting method. Direct heat works best and is the quickest method, in my opinion.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef with the spices and set aside.

2. At medium heat, saute the onions, garlic and jalapeño in 1  tablespoon of olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool.

3. To the beef, add the onion mixture, rice, cilantro and egg. Stir well to combine.

4. Slice a opening near the base of the roasted peppers and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with beef mixture, but do not over stuff. Divide the bacon and wrap all the peppers. Transfer to plate and chill for at least one hour.

5. After an hour, prepare your grill for indirect heat and heat to at least 350 degrees. Place the peppers in pan safe for the grill and place on the indirect heat side. Close lid and cook for 30 minutes.

6. After 30 minutes, you could add a couple of chunks of apple or cherry wood directly to the fire if you wanted a light smoke flavor added to the rellenos. Rotate the peppers and cook for another 30 minutes, lid closed. If using a basting sauce, open lid and brush peppers evenly. Close lid and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yields 6 servings.

I really enjoyed this picadillo with rice. Perfect for stuffed peppers, rellenos.

Any thin sliced bacon(pork or beef), proscuitto or pancetta work  on this recipe. 

I basted a few of the rellenos with barbeque sauce before taking them off the grill. Delicicious!