Pellet Grill Dove with Sweet and Spicy Tequila Glaze
Rediscover the combination of jalapeños, bacon, and dove meat with this glaze inspired by the flavors of dove poppers
Every dove hunter knows that bacon, jalapeños, and doves belong together. They’re soulmates. But while poppers are a mainstay at the dove-opener dinner table, what would happen if we incorporated the ingredients differently, perhaps in the form of infused tequila transformed into a sweet and spicy glaze?
While living in Spokane, Washington, I worked at The Elk Public House for four years. Next door, the same owners opened a taco and tequila bar called El Que. Margaritas made from infused tequilas are its big thing. Local college and graduate students, myself included, happily shelled out cash for overpriced margaritas made from well tequila infused with all sorts of creative additions.
Their pineapple-and-jalapeño margarita was a fan favorite and, in my opinion, second only to their ghost-pepper margarita. So, as the dove opener approaches this year, having seen success with maple-glazed pellet-grill quail, I wondered what I could put together for doves.
I am a big fan of Traeger’s Ranger portable grill, which, with the right electricity setup afield, can smoke and cook just as well as full-frame pellet grills (but obviously with limited capacity due to smaller size). Because doves are so small, the portable grill is a great piece of equipment when cooking at home or in the field during the dove opener.
If you don’t enjoy the heat, feel free to remove the seeds and pulp from jalapeños before adding them to the tequila. Regarding bacon, do not add the grease from the skillet to the infused tequila, but don’t dry the greasy bacon on napkin-covered plates. Once the bacon is cooked and crispy, add it directly from the pan to the container that will hold the tequila. Make sure to properly filter the tequila through a paper-napkin- or coffee-filter-covered sieve to eliminate bits of fat while making the final product tequila. Strain multiple times if necessary. Liquid-infused tequila gold is what we want before making this glaze with agave syrup.
This recipe makes more infused tequila than you will need for the doves, so enjoy it in a mixed drink or save it for another sweet and spicy sauce or glaze.
Pellet Grill Dove with Sweet and Spicy Tequila Glaze
Ingredients
- 6 doves plucked
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper freshly cracked
- Peanut oil
Infused tequila
- 750 mL Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila
- 3 strips bacon thick-cut
- 3 jalapeño peppers chopped
- 1 cup pineapple fresh and chopped
- 8 oz agave syrup
- Lime zest
Instructions
- To make the infused tequila, cook the bacon until it’s mostly crispy. Add the bacon to a 32-ounce or larger Mason jar, followed by chopped jalapeños and fresh pineapple. Pour in the tequila and seal. Let sit in the fridge for 2-3 days. To finish, filter the infusion through a paper coffee filter into a new container. The idea is to ensure only liquid gold remains (the coffee filter should catch all fat bits and other debris). If necessary, strain two or three times through the paper filter.
- Add 1 ¼ cup infused tequila to a small or medium saucepan to make the glaze. Turn the heat on medium-low. Once reduced to half, add the agave syrup and turn the heat to low. Stir for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- To cook the doves, heat the pellet grill to 235 F. Add the doves breast-side down to the hottest part of the pellet grill (where the heat comes out on the bottom) and cook for 4 minutes. Then, lightly oil the birds and cook for another 4 minutes breast-side-down, flip, and move the birds to the center of the grill.
- Lower the grill’s temperature to 175 F. After 10 minutes, add the glaze to each bird, followed by the lime zest. Cook for another 30 minutes while intermittently adding the glaze and lime zest.
- Let the birds rest for 1-2 minutes, then heat and enjoy warm.
Nutrition
