Sausage, Pecan, Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

On the eighth day of Christmas my MAK Grill made for me: eight cornbread stuffings, seven potatoes a smoking, six asparagus a grilling, five golden shrimp kabobs, four prime ribs, three smoked turkeys, two ham glazes and ribs competition ready.

Sausage, Pecan, Cornbread Stuffing (Serves 8-10)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. (approximately 9 cups) cornbread stuffing mix
• 1 lb. breakfast sausage (if links, remove the casings), savory sausage meat is preferred
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2-1/2 cups chopped yellow or white onions
• 1-1/2 cups celery, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 1-1/4 cups toasted and chopped pecans
• 1 cup of cranberries (optional)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sage (powder or fresh. If fresh, chop)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. Start your MAK and set the temperature to 250F.
2. On a cookie sheet, spread the pecans out in a single layer.
3. When the grill reaches temperature, place pecans inside and toast for 45 minutes.
4. You do not need to flip the nuts over.
5. After toasting, remove from grill, allow to cool and then chop.
6. Optional: leave some of the pecans whole for garnishing dressing after it’s been cooked.
7. Raise the setpoint temperature to 300F
8. Cook sausage in a griddle or a cast iron skillet large enough to accommodate the meat, breaking up the sausage into small pieces, approximately 10 minutes of cook time.
9. When cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add cornbread mixture.
10. Next, place butter, onions and celery into the griddle and cook until just soft.
11. Pour vegetables into the bowl with the cornbread and sausage.
12. Pour the apple cider vinegar into the sauce pan, scraping the browned bits from the pan.
13. Transfer to the bowl.
14. Now, fold in 1.5 cups of chicken broth and all of the chopped pecans, add spices and gently mix ingredients together.
15. Allow mixture to cool for 15 minutes.
16. Whisk together 1.5 cups of remaining chicken broth and eggs in a small bowl.
17. Pour into large bowl with cornbread, etc. gently mix in with all of the other ingredients.
18. Transfer the mixture to a large rectangular, heat resistant casserole dish.

Cooking

1. Raise grill temperature to 350F.
2. Allow grill to come up to temperature.
3. Place casserole dish inside the grill and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until stuffing temperature reaches 165F with an instant-read thermometer.
4. Once cooked, remove and garnish with some whole toasted pecans or cranberries.