Fire cooking is intrinsically intriguing. For instance, it’s about a million times more interesting to sit around a bonfire than to sit around a pile of unlit wood. Add food to that fire and everything gets a bit more amazing. But when is fire too much? Can a person take live fire cooking too far? Is lighting your food on fire after it’s already been cooked just too over the top? No, it’s freaking cool. The French even have a word for it, flambé. So, let’s make some Flaming Tequila Pig Shots!
Flaming Tequila Pig Shots – The Shooters
What is a Pig Shot? I don’t think anyone would disagree with me in saying that a Pig Shot is the culinary pinnacle of bbq appetizers. A round of precooked sausage, wrapped in bacon to form a shot glass, and filled with hopes and dreams (or usually cream cheese). These are simple and delightful party favorites. They’re also easy to make ahead of time and cook as guests are arriving.
A few tips for Pig Shot Perfection:
- Use precooked sausage because it’s firmer and creates a more stable base. Andouille and kielbasa are very good choices.
- Thick cut bacon. It only takes half a slice of bacon for each Pig Shot. The thick cut bacon will allow for more rigid walls.
- Do not over fill because the cream cheese filling will expand. Overfilling will result in a loss of carefully crafted filling.
- Take the toothpicks out after cooking. The Pig Shots will seal themselves up during the cook, the toothpick will no longer be required. Folks love to shove these into their gullet whole, that’s really the best way to eat them.
For more pork favorites, check out Chicken Bacon Ranch Sausage Skewers, Honey Garlic Pork Belly Burnt Ends and Fried Sticky Ribs.
The Flambé for our Pig Shots
This recipe differs from the norm in a few ways, but most strikingly with the tequila flambé. The technique of the flambé is widely used. From desserts to making sauces to finishing meats, it works in a lot of situations. Now, is it going to add tons of flavor to this dish? Probably not. But will it be wildly impressive? Most definitely.
The key to a good flambé is to heat the liquor up. This is easily accomplished when making a pan sauce, because the pan is hot. But we have to heat up our liquor. I have found that 5 to 10 sec in the microwave in a microwave safe container works perfectly, but be careful as the liquor heats up very fast. Arrange Pig Shot on a fire safe surface. Then, use a long handled lighter and light the liquor and pour quickly over the Pig Shots. It’s most impressive to do this with the lights off or outdoors at night. Have you ever seen fireworks during the day? Not so impressive.
For more alcohol infused recipes, check out Cajun Rubbed Steak with Bourbon Street Sauce, Spicy Tequila Lime Shrimp Skewers and White Wine Herb Lamb Skewers.
Remember that safety is first, so have a fire extinguisher ready. Remain calm. Never flambé directly from the bottle. This can be very fun, but it is no joke.
For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!
Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.
Full Length Recipe Video on Facebook!
Flaming Tequila Pig Shots
Ingredients
- 13.5 Oz Andouille Sausage Fully Cooked
- 8 Strips of Bacon
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Limes
- 2 Jalapenos
- Smoked Chipotle Mezcal Rub
- Tequila of choice
Instructions
- Slice Andouille sausage into ½” thick rounds, about 16 rounds. Slice strips of bacon in half. Wrap half slices of bacon around the sausage rounds and secure with a toothpick; making a shot glass shape. Arrange shot glasses on a baking sheet.
- Thinly slice jalapenos and place one round at the bottom of each shot glass.
- Squeeze 2 limes into a small bowl. Put ¼ cup of OTFC Smoked Chipotle Mezcal Rub into another small bowl. Dip the shot glasses in the lime juice and then the rub; creating a rim of seasoning around the top of the shot glasses.
- Combined softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, zest of 2 limes, and 2 Tbsp of OTFC Smoked Chipotle Mezcal Rub. Mix thoroughly. Place mixture into a Ziploc bag. Cut out the corner of the bag and pipe approx. 1 tbsp of the mixture into each of the shot glasses.
- Heat grill to 350 degrees, indirect heat. Bake Pig Shots for 30-40 min, until bacon is rendered and cooked thru.
- Garnish Pig Shots with lime wedges.
- If you want to put on a show for your dinner guests, lets light some stuff on fire. Warm ¼ cup of tequila for 10 sec in the microwave. Light tequila with a lighter. Pour over pig shots and enjoy! (Take fire safety seriously. Have a fire extinguisher handy and take every precaution possible.)
