Fall Harvest of Slow Roasted and Stuffed Thanksgiving Pie Pumpkins

Slowly roasted stuffed pie pumpkins prepared to tender, sweet and savory perfection over a smoldering inferno of oak and hickory wood. The essence of outdoor cooking during the dwindling days of fall in northern Michigan!!

This harvest starts by brushing the carved gourds with a mixture of browned butter, brown sugar, roasted granulated garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg, chili powder, cayenne, paprika and kosher salt. The pumpkins are placed in my @TwinEaglesGrill pellet grill at 375F until the flesh is caramelized, just fork tender.

Meanwhile, I saute chorizo in white hot cast iron, then add beautifully trimmed chicken thighs to sear in the rendered pork fat. Both are set aside to cool and roughly chopped once the chicken is just cooked though.

In the same skillet, I caramelize shallots, garlic, shaved brussels sprouts, honey crisp apples, anjous pears and swiss chard, ensuring to scrape up all the browned bits along the way. When finished I fold in a mixture of wild grains prepared in an aromatic bath of smoked chicken carcass stock and fresh herbs. Finally, grated gruyère cheese and chopped dry roasted pecans are added for an elevated diversity of texture and taste.

Copious amounts of the prepared stuffing are spooned into the caramelized pumpkin, it’s dressed with a dusting of parmesan cheese and fresh herbs to finish, then loaded back into the Twin Eagles pellet grill for an additional 10-15 minutes to let all of this natural goodness meld together. The pumpkins are served family style alongside a fennel-winter kale salad, with a tall poor of cabernet sauvignon. Life just doesn’t get much better than this. Stay Hungry.  Eat Pumpkins. Drink Wine. Carry Forth. -Cheers, David

Print Recipe

Slow Roasted and Stuffed Thanksgiving Pie Pumpkins

Ingredients

• 4 large pie pumpkins, pulp and seeds removed

Pumpkin Rub

• Olive oil
• Browned butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet Paprika
• 1 teaspoon roasted granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 pinches cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Chorizo and Chicken Thigh Pumpkin Stuffing

• 2 cups wild grains
• 4 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
• 1 pound ground pork chorizo
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 6-8 shallots, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon roasted minced garlic
• 2 cups shaved brussels sprouts
• 1 honey crisp apple, finely diced
• 1 anjous pear, finely diced
• 4 cups swiss chard, stems removed
• Gruyere and parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Dry roasted and salted pecans, chopped
• Fresh parsley, roughly choppped, to garnish

Instructions

• Pumpkin and Pumpkin Rub: Preheat grill to 375F. Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin by carving out the pumpkin and scooping out the pulp and seeds, discarding both or reserving seeds to roast and use later.

  Brush the pumpkin flesh with olive oil and season liberally. Place pumpkins and their caps (separated) on the grill grates, close the lid and bake until caramelized & nearing fork tender, basting intermittently with browned butter, approximately 45-60 minutes. Remove and set aside.

  Wild Grains: Meanwhile, prepare the grains until al dente in a simmering pot of smoked chicken stock. Strain and set aside to cool.

  Saute and Braise: Once the grains begin their simmer, in a cast iron skillet of medium-high heat, warm oil and brown chorizo until just golden in color. Then toss in the chicken thighs and sauté in the rendered pork fat. Remove both the chorizo and chicken from the pan when liquids run clear and both are just cooked through. Caramelize shallots, garlic, shaved brussels sprouts, honey crisp apples, anjous pears. Once cooked down, add the leaves of swiss chard, cooking until all ingredients are well-combined.

  When finished, fold in a mixture of wild grains prepared in an aromatic bath of smoked chicken carcass stock and fresh herbs. Finally, grated gruyère cheese and chopped dry roasted pecans are added for an elevated diversity of texture and taste.

  Stuff the Pumpkin: Copious amounts of the prepared stuffing are spooned into the caramelized pumpkin, it's dressed with a dusting of parmesan cheese and fresh herbs to finish, then loaded back into the Twin Eagles pellet grill for an additional 10-15 minutes to let all of this natural goodness meld together. Remove from the heat, season additionally, to taste, and serve family style alongside a fennel-winter kale salad and a tall poor of cabernet sauvignon. -Cheers, David