Bacon-Wrapped Grouse and Jalapeño Poppers

Bite-size pieces of ruffed grouse breast with cream cheese and jalapeño, wrapped in bacon and grilled until crisp.

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 45 min
Total: 57 min
Skill: Some experience

Cooks on: Grill · Appetizer, Snack

Ingredients

1 lbRuffed grouse breast fillets, breast fillets from 3 to 4 birds, cut into 24 pieces
1 tbspBrown sugar
½ tspBlack pepper, ground
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 jalapeños, seeded and cut into 24 strips
12 slices regular-cut bacon, halved crosswise
24 wooden toothpicks, soaked in water 10 minutes

You'll need

Grill
Large skillet, ideally cast iron
Instant-read thermometer

Helpful: sheet pan with wire rack, stovetop.

Contains

Dairy. Bacon can contain added ingredients. Check the label.

Method

Par-cook the bacon so it crisps before the small grouse pieces overcook: lay the half slices in the skillet over medium heat, on the stove or on the hot side of the grill, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until some fat has rendered but the bacon is still soft and bends easily. Drain on paper towels and let it cool.
Set up the grill for two zones: one side hot, one side with no fire. Aim for about 375°F with the lid closed.
Season the grouse pieces with the pepper. Spread about 1 tsp of cream cheese on each piece and top with a jalapeño strip.
Wrap each piece snugly in a par-cooked half slice of bacon and pin it closed with a soaked toothpick. Sprinkle the tops with the brown sugar.
Set the poppers on the cool side of the grill, close the lid, and cook until the bacon is browned and firming, 10 to 15 minutes.
Move them over the hot side for 1 to 3 minutes, turning once, to crisp the bacon. Watch for flare-ups and sugar scorching.
Check the grouse in the center of a few of the largest poppers with an instant-read thermometer: it must read 165°F. Take them off as soon as it does; these are small bites and dry out fast. Let them cool 2 minutes, pull out the toothpicks, and serve.

When it's done: 165°F

The federal chart lists poultry at 165°F, and Kansas State University Extension says to fully cook game birds to at least 165°F. Check the grouse in the center of a popper, not the cream cheese, and cook the bacon until crisp.

If it goes wrong

Bacon still floppy when the grouse is done: The bacon was not par-cooked long enough. Render it a minute longer next time, just short of crisp.
Grouse dry and tough: The poppers stayed on the grill long after 165°F. Cut the pieces the same size and start checking at 10 minutes.
Flare-ups: The bacon fat is dripping on the coals. Keep the poppers on the cool side until the last few minutes.
Cream cheese leaking out: Use less, and wrap the bacon so it closes over the cheese.

Leftovers. Keep assembled poppers refrigerated until they go on the grill. Serve right away; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.