Pistachio Crusted Spiral Pork Chop Bites - 52 Pork Dishes and Grilled Appetizers

We had a Whoop de Doo last weekend!!!

15 guests, about 10 different dishes and a full back yard of grills (I used all three of my Weber Kettle Grills at once), fun and good eats!

Of course I don't need an excuse to hold a Whoop de Doo, just the perfect spring night weather would be enough.  Or a chance to cook for valued friends and family... Certainly more than an excuse.  But this day's cook had a special meaning.

What else would he do with this haircut???

My son, James has got his marching orders.  Despite our pull back from Afghanistan, there will still be about 10,000 US troops there next year.  My son will be one of them.  he is a medic in the Army, assigned to route clearance duty.  he will be busy closing bases and shuttling personnel and material as we consolidate our presence.

He leaves in August but he will have a busy schedule of additional last minute training (hurry up and wait since he has been mostly idle for the last two years while assigned to Ft. Riley) and spending his 30 day leave to visit his Mother, Sister and hunting down old girlfriends "back east".

So, this Whoop de Doo was held in his honor, one of the last few chances for dad to cook for his son for a year and a chance my neighbors and friends to shake a hand and wish him well.

Sniff... I'm tearing up just writing that...

But it also gave me a chance to cook up some of my favorites...  Like these beauties.

BACON, wrapped in PORK!

Slathered in a specialty BBQ sauce.  I used an Easy Mango BBQ Sauce.  Made this to sound even more exotic and special (and to taste more exotic and special)!  Then rolled in Pistachio Nuts.  Again... Exotic and special.  However I have made almost the same thing before... You can use chicken in place of pork.  I have used different sauces.  Use your favorite and it will work as well.  And the nuts... I like roasted pistachios.  But I have also used BBQ peanuts, regular peanuts and also Hazelnuts... All your choice!

They come out about an inch, inch and a half tall, about the size of a silver dollar.  They can be an appetizer, main course or a part of a main course like when I through a Whoop de Doo)!

Spectacular look... Exotic tastes... Perfect for your own Whoop de Doo!

OK... Here's what I did...

Pistachio Crusted Spiral Pork Chop Bites

Ingredients

• One 3 Lb pork Loin Trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch strip, width of a slice of Bacon, length of a slice as well.
• One Lb Thick Cut Bacon, each slice cut in half, Baked or pan fried just slightly cooked, still pink and flexible to render some of the fat.
• 1 Pint Easy Mango BBQ Sauce, Reserve 1/2 Cup (can use your favorite BBQ Sauce)
• 1 Pound Pistachio Nuts, shelled and smashed to half pieces and half dust (I have also used hazelnuts and BBQ flavored peanuts as well... works great!)
• Plenty of Wooden Skewers soaked for several hours in water

Cooking Directions

1. The Prep work... Make the Easy Mango BBQ Sauce or your own favorite sauce. Slice the pork loins into the thin long strips (1/2 inch thick, about the length of a slice of bacon.
2. Bake or pan fry the bacon for just a few minutes (I bake mine, about 10 minutes, about half the usual time) until slightly done but still very flexible. Cut in half.
3. Crush the nuts... part pieces for the look and part dust for the taste.
4. Soak your skewers to prevent them from burning wile grilling. At least 2 hours.
5. The Assembly... Take a meat mallet and carefully whack the strips of pork until each slice has doubled in width and been pounded thin. Be careful to only pound the meat so the strips get wider and not longer.
6. Lay 2 half slices of bacon on the strip length wise. Leave about 1 inch from the end,. Since each piece of tenderloin is twice the length of the half slices of bacon, there will also be a couple of inches left uncovered by the bacon at the far end.
7. Now, cut the tenderloins in half lengthwise leaving two pieces of tenderloin partially covered with half slices of bacon.
8. Brush a coating of the Easy Mango BBQ Sauce (or the BBQ sauce of your choice).on the bacon and exposed tenderloin.
9. And now the roll... Roll each piece of tenderloin in a loose pinwheel loose, but not too loose... tight but not too tight). As you roll up the center piece of bacon will curl to almost the end of the pork, leaving a pinwheel look to the edges. Each pinwheel should be about as tall as it is wide. Each should be the circumference of a silver dollar.
10. And for the Coating... GENEROUSLY coat the outside (not the pinwheel top/bottom) of the wheel in the Easy Mango BBQ Sauce (or sauce of your choice).
11. Then roll the wheels into the nuts so there is a coating of nuts.
12. Carefully skewer each so they will be easy to handle on the grill. I like to do three on each skewer and as shown, two skewers per (like a shish-ka-bob. You may need to repack the nuts onto the side as they can fall off during the skewering.
13. Time to Cook... Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling (I also make these on my gas grill when needed quick). Direct grilling over medium high heat and cook for about 7 minutes per side or until the edges of the bacon begin to crisp. Internal temperature should be 145 degrees, measured in several places. Serve with reserved Easy Mango BBQ Sauce drizzled on top of each pinwheel.
14. Serve warm from the grill (resting for about 10 minutes before plating) and ENJOY!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

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