BBQ Venison Cups
By: Gunnar Emberg and Harvesting Nature
Here, I’m using some smoked venison kielbasa that I had left in the freezer and making some bbq venison cups. These delicious cups are simple to make, packed with flavor, and are perfect for a game day appetizer. They are smoky, sweet, crispy, and cheesy too!
I elevated mine in a couple ways to take it a step above. First, I seasoned some bacon and smoked it for about an hour at 225°F. I wanted it to be a nice color, but not fully crispy before I chopped it up and rendered out the rest of the fat to build the base of the dish. After that, I cooked the onions in that seasoned bacon fat before adding my venison kielbasa, bbq sauce, seasoning, and whisky. I let that all reduce into a nice thick mixture so it wouldn’t make the phyllo dough cups too wet.
I also topped it with a beer cheese sauce that I made, but you can easily top them with just regular shredded cheese or no cheese at all!
You can buy pre-made phyllo dough cups, but I prefer to make them myself. I took the roll of phyllo dough and used 7 sheets for this recipe. For the first layer, I used 4 sheets and brushed them with oil so they stuck together while baking. I cut that into 9 rectangular pieces and laid them into the muffin tin. The next layer was 3 sheets, oiled again, cut into 9, and laid in the opposite direction in the muffin tin. I then baked them on the smoker at 350°F until the edges were nice and golden brown and crispy.
Ingredients:
- 1 link smoked venison kielbasa, diced
- 1 half white onion, diced
- ½ cup of your favorite bbq sauce
- 2 tbsp your favorite bbq seasoning
- ¼ cup whiskey
- 5 slices bacon
- 7 sheets phyllo dough
- 4 tbsp avocado oil for brushing
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or your favorite beer cheese
Cooking Instructions:
- Start by dicing and rendering down the bacon in a pan. When crispy, remove and leave the grease in the pan.
- Sauté onions in bacon grease until slightly translucent. Next, add in kielbasa and sauté until it starts to get some color on it.
- Add bbq sauce, seasoning, and whisky. Stir to combine. Allow to reduce until thick. Set aside to cool.
- Make phyllo dough cups by oiling 4 sheets and cutting into 9 rectangles and placing them into muffin tin. Repeat the process with 3 sheets, laying in the opposite direction to form a cup. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
- Spoon meat mixture into cups evenly and top with shredded cheese or beer cheese if desired.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is slightly bubbling. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.
Get Cooking!
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By: Gunnar Emberg at Harvesting Nature
Senior Writer at Harvesting Nature
My love for the outdoors made its way into my home and onto my plate! I strive to make dishes that create a long-lasting memory that keep that animal living forever in your mind! To me, food is great way to bring everyone together for a common goal, to share the eating experience! I started The Hungry Huntsman as a way to teach people that these dishes are doable at home but also to travel as a camp cook to show people that anyone can do this
