Desserts

Smoked Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp

Smoke Bacon Bourbon Apple Crisp with Smoked Ice Cream

YIELD: Serves 8
METHOD: Smoke-roasting
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
SMOKING TIME: 45 minutes to 1 hour
FUEL: Apple wood, of course—enough for 1 hour of smoking
GEAR: A 10-inch cast-iron skillet
WHAT ELSE: You can cook this crisp low and slow in a traditional smoker, but you’ll get a crisper topping if you work at higher heat. This is a good dish to smoke-roast on a charcoal grill.

Smoked Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp

Ingredients

For the filling

2 strips artisanal bacon, like Nueske’s. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slivers
3 pounds crisp, sweet apples like Honeycrisps or Galas
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, or to taste
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons Sauce Goddess North African Moroccan Twist, or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons bourbon

For the topping

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and placed in the freezer until icy cold
1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies or granola
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Smoked Ice Cream or regular vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Recipe Steps

1: Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to 400°F.

2: Make the filling: Fry the bacon in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring with a slotted spoon, until crisp and golden brown, 4 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a large bowl. Pour off and reserve the bacon fat for another use. Don’t wipe out or wash the skillet.

3: Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the cooked bacon. Stir in the sugar, flour, lemon zest, Spice Goddess Moroccan Twist rub (or cinnamon), and salt. Stir in the bourbon. Taste the mixture for sweetness, adding sugar as needed. Spoon the filling into the skillet.

4: Make the topping: Place the butter, cookie crumbs, flour, white and brown sugars, and salt in a food processor. Grind to a coarse mixture, running the processor in short bursts. Don’t overprocess; the mixture should remain loose and crumbly like sand. Sprinkle the topping over the apples.

5: Place the crisp on the grill or smoker rack away from the heat. Add the wood to the coals and cover the grill. Smoke-roast the crisp until the topping is browned and bubbling, the apples are soft (they should be easy to pierce with a skewer), and the filling is thick, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6: Serve the crisp hot off the grill or smoker. Extra points for topping it with Smoked Ice Cream.