Cherry Smoked Quail and More

I got a hold of a mess of farm raised quail and figured they'd make a wonderful Sunday dinner.

The Menu
Cherry Smoked Bacon Wrapped Quail
Garden Style Saffron Rice
Baked Apples with Ice Cream

Cherry Smoked Bacon Wrapped Quail
12 Quail, washed, dried and dry brined for 18 hours
12 strips of bacon, partially cooked
Season the quail and wrap in the bacon
Smoke over cherry at 375° till juices run clear and thigh temps at 165°

https://i.imgur.com/ZhgiC5h.jpg

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Garden Style Saffron Rice
2C Rice
4C Vegetable stock
1t Spanish Saffron
1C Mixed vegetables, frozen
4T Butter
1T Salt

Steep the saffron in the vegetable stock while it heats to a boil.
Add the butter, salt, frozen vegetables and rice, return to a boil then lower to fast simmer and cover.
Cook for 25 minutes.

https://i.imgur.com/nPSPNyk.jpg

Baked Apples with Ice Cream
7 Honeycrisp apples, large
7T Butter
3/4C Brown Sugar
1T Cinnamon
1/2C Walnuts, crushed
1/2C Dried cranberries, chopped

Mix all except the apple and butter together.
Core the apples without going all the way through, leave about a 1/2" bottom.
Put 1/3 each tablespoon of butter in the apple.
Fill apple with sugar mixture, tamp it down about 1/8" below the top of each apple.
Top with rest of 2/3T butter.
Smoke at 350°-375° over a nice fruit wood, I used cherry today.
Cook for about an hour, don't overcook or it'll get mushy.

https://i.imgur.com/q7HNCsf.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ke286JT.jpg

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The Finale

https://i.imgur.com/H2ciLxZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RZCVV1H.jpg