Grilled Dove Breasts with Bacon and Peppers
Dove season is in. As far as hunting goes there is no better bang for your buck than a good dove shoot. My friends here in the low country do it right. Smoke a bunch of butts the night before, lunch is at noon, in the field by 2, shoot as many birds as you can, good beer and BBQ doves for the rest of the afternoon.
I know some purists out there will pluck their doves and cook them like little game hens….that is just too much for me. I like to breast them out and get on with my afternoon. If you need some help getting the breast out of the bird click here, as you can see from my pictures….we usually get a bunch of birds, after 6 or 8 you will have your technique down.
Doves don’t have a whole lot of meat on them (depending on what time of year you hunt…they seem to get fatter as the winter approaches). Be careful not to overcook them. Keep the grill cover open and turn them often. As you will see with this recipe, adding some fat (bacon) or a marinade can go a long way to keeping your birds from being dry and bland.
Ok, so here we go. I use fresh peppers for this recipe. Jalapenos work great, but they are hot…so if you are not ready for that kind of commitment you can go with poblanos or even banana peppers. I try to make a batch with hot jalapenos and another with a more mild pepper so everyone will be happy. Follow the directions below and feel free to change this to suit you and your friends\family. No real rules to this. If you had a great dove shoot, the beer is cold, and the grill is on, I promise you will like the outcome.
- Breast out all of your birds….once you get started….you might as well finish right? I prepare 5 birds per person and sometimes a few extra to eat later…… Vacuum seal any remaining birds.
- Take your peppers and grill on medium to high heat. Get a char on the outside. Put the charred peppers in a paper bag so they can steam for about 8-10 minutes. I shake the bag and it helps the waxy charred skins come loose. Next, stem the peppers, cut into pieces about the length of the dove breasts, and remove the seeds.
- I use extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on the doves. Some folks marinate them in Italian dressing or lime juice….but I feel that the bacon and peppers go a long way for flavor (your call…… the marinades work great).
- Use thin bacon (it will cook faster and will be easier to wrap) place one piece of pepper inside the dove breast, place the breast on the slice of bacon, and wrap. I use a tooth pick to hold bacon in place.
- I cook these over medium heat (remember to leave grill open, turn often, and watch for flare-ups…that bacon fat will light up real fast). When the bacon is crispy and done…your birds will be done too. Keep the beer cold…you will need something to chill you down while you are going through those peppers.
That is all there is to it. I have seen some folks take the breast meat off the bone and make what amounts to a “popper”. Some will add cream cheese to the pepper to cool down the heat. Home made BBQ sauce is not out of line here at all. Have fun with it, write back any suggestions you have.
Thanks again for reading,
C