Grilled Turkey Balls with HoneySuckle Ground Turkey and Turkey Bacon

Barbecue Master Goes High Tech with HoneySuckle White Turkey

Food Buzz (a web site for food bloggers) let members know that HoneySuckle White Turkey company would provide a Flip video camera and turkey products so bloggers who wanted to make the video leap could give it a try. That sounded like a lot of fun, so I sent in my application, and I was selected for the turkey grilling team.

This is my first grilling video, and I definately could have used a production team on a 100 degree day in North Carolina and with a phone call from my Mom on vacation right when the turkey balls needed to go on the grill. In any case, you will get the idea (and hopefully overlook my one handed grilling near the end and that turkey ball that plopped on me).

HoneySuckle White Turkey Balls Do Rock

One thing I can say for sure is that Turkey Balls are a fabulous appetizer grilled low and slow on charcoal, gas or electric grills. Bacon Wrapped Turkey Balls can also be done in a barbecue smoker. So, this is a recipe that anyone can grill or smoke at home, and it's easy to do too. Just put them on and check back a couple of times.

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Turkey Balls Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound HoneySuckle White ground turkey (85/15)
6 slices HoneySuckle White Smoked turkey bacon (cut in half slices)
¾ cup marinade like oil based Italian dressing
1 cup barbecue sauce (cranberry flavored bbq sauces are especially good)

Directions:

1. Set up a grill to offset cook. With charcoal, you want coals on one side only. For gas, heat only one side of the grill. With electric, a low temperature works fine.
2. Soak toothpicks for 20 minutes before putting together turkey balls.
3. Roll ground turkey into 12 golf ball sized balls.
4. Wrap a half slice of turkey bacon around each turkey meatball and secure through the center with a toothpick.
5. Pour marinade over turkey balls.
6. Spray a grill wok with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Place bacon wrapped turkey balls in the wok and place on the cooler side of the offset grill.
8. Adjust heat to low or around 350 degrees F.
9. Grill with the lid closed for around 45 minutes or until turkey balls are 165 degrees F in the center.
10. Dip each turkey ball in barbecue sauce and place back in wok. Close grill lid and heat until barbecue sauce sets.
11. Place on platter or in bowl and serve.

Here is what the HoneySuckle White Turkey Balls look like when they are done. And, yes, they do taste as great as they look!

Thanks to Food Buzz and HoneySuckle White for the chance to work on this project.