You either love them or hate them. When I was a child, this winter vegetable fell victim to being labeled as a stinky, unpalatable dish and was often pushed away to an arm’s distance at the dinner table. As an adult, I realized all they needed was a little TLC. Time to light the firewood in my Bull Pizza Oven, Load these bad boys with crispy bacon, and Caramelize to finish! This brussel sprout recipe is ridiculously delicious, one that will have kids, and even husbands, asking for more!
The key to turning boring brussel sprouts into delectable, flavor bombs is you must caramelize the exposed surface of the vegetable. Listed below are a couple ways to cook the brussels in order to achieve the sweet, slightly charred, caramelized surface.
- Use a cast iron skillet or Bull’s Non-Stick Oval Pan and brown butter to cook the brussel sprouts face side down
- My favorite, and used for this recipe, is to coat the brussels with a good evoo, align them face side up on a sheet pan, and cook next to the crackling fire in my Bull Pizza Oven. The intense heat from the flames and the smoky flavor from the oak firewood take this vegetable to another level. If only you could smell this video!
Beat the Chill with Your Grill Tip: Prep food in advance to minimize time outside when it is cold! Remember to keep this tip in mind when revisiting your favorite wintertime recipes and apply anywhere you can to lessen unnecessary time standing out in the cold when using your Bull Outdoor Kitchen.
For this recipe, the bacon was cut into pieces and cooked ahead of time on a sheet pan, in the oven. Before heading out to the grill, I cut the brussels into halves, cubed the butter, fine diced the shallots, and zested the lemon in the comforts of my indoor kitchen. With proper mise en place – all ingredients prepped and grilling accessories organized and ready to go – you can effortlessly and successfully grill any meal outside when it is cold.
Chef’s Tips:
- I often toss brussel sprouts and broccolini with a small amount of water in addition to the evoo before grilling or cooking in the pizza oven. The added moisture of the water prevents the vegetable from burning with the direct flames.
- Remember the herbed compound butter recipe I ALWAYS keep on hand in the freezer? Cutting the herbed butter up into small cubes and placing on top of the brussels right before they are done gives this dish additional flavor that will not disappoint.
- 1 ½ lbs. fresh brussel sprouts, cut into halves
- ½ cup evoo
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons shallot, fine diced
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 10 slices applewood smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
- 1 lemon, zest only
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons water
- Watch this video to freshen your memory on how to light a fire in your Bull Pizza Oven. Preheat the pizza oven until 400 degrees is maintained and nice embers have formed.
- Preheat your indoor oven to 375 degrees. On a sheet pan, place the small strips of bacon and place into the oven. After 10 minutes, open the oven and rotate, cooking an additional 10 minutes till done, 20 minutes total. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a platter line with a paper towel and set aside.
- Wash and cut the brussel sprouts in half and place into a large bowl.
- Add the evoo, water, salt and pepper, and toss well until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Line the brussel sprouts on a sheet pan, face side up and set aside for grilling.
- Once the fire is ready, place the sheet pan into the oven and allow them to cook for 8 - 10 minutes before rotating.
- Rotate the sheet pan and allow them to cook for an additional 8 minutes. If the fire is too hot, place foil on top of the brussels to avoid them from burning.
- Right before done, remove the sheet pan, add the cubes butter, diced shallots and place back inside the pizza oven for a couple minutes.
- Take out, with your Bull Tongs, toss all the ingredients, a couple more minutes and done!
- To finish, top with lemon zest, more salt and pepper, to taste and serve immediately!
♣ Chef Amy – The clover reminds me of a brussel sprout 🙂
