Naturally tender and juicy, quail’s flavor profile is a cross between dark-meat chicken and duck. For our Glazed Quail with Jalapeño Popper Grits, we glazed this hunted meat with a sweet and spicy sauce and served it over kicked-up cheese grits for a well-rounded supper.
Glazed Quail with Jalapeño Popper Grits
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup red pepper jelly
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4½ cups water
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup stone-ground grits
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup diced jalapeño
- ½ cup cooked, crumbled bacon
- ¼ cup sliced green onion
- 4 large jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, keeping peppers whole
- 4 (4-ounce) semi-boneless whole quail
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Garnish: sliced green onion, sliced jalapeño
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine pepper jelly, ketchup, hot sauce, and smoked paprika.
- In a medium Dutch oven, bring 4½ cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir together cream cheese, diced jalapeño, bacon, and green onion until well combined. Add half of cream cheese mixture to grits, stirring to combine. Fill whole jalapeños with remaining cream cheese mixture. Place 1 stuffed jalapeño into cavity of each quail.
- Heat a large cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Rub quail all over with oil and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Place quail, breast side down, on pan. Grill until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn quail and brush with pepper jelly mixture. Grill until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes more. Turn again and brush with pepper jelly mixture. Grill until caramelized and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 160°, 3 to 5 minutes more. Serve over grits. Garnish with green onion and jalapeño, if desired.
