Planked Crab-stuffed Peppers

This recipe is from Food Network.

Ingredients:

●  3Tbsp butter

●  ¼ Cup onions, finely diced

●  1clove garlic, crushed

●  3- 4 whole medium bell peppers or 10 to 12 whole baby bell peppers

●  ½- ¾ lb cooked crab meat, chilled (fresh is best, or use two cans of drained lump crab meat)

●  1- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

●  6- 8 Tbsp panko or regular breadcrumbs

●  Salt and black pepper

●  1 cedar plank, soaked for 2-6 hours

Directions:

Step 1

Melt the butter in a sauté pan on low to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow cooling.

Step 2

Wash the whole bell peppers. Cut off one side of each pepper so you can fill the inside. Dice the portions of peppers you’ve removed (you’ll need 3 to 4 tablespoons) and set them aside. Remove and discard the seeds and white pith.

Step 3

In a clean bowl, combine the crab, sautéed onions and garlic (and pan juices), the diced bell peppers, dill and panko (or breadcrumbs) until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the bell peppers with the crab filling.

Step 4

Prepare your grill for direct grilling, medium heat. Place the plank on the grill and close the lid until you smell the plank starting to smoke (and you may hear it crackle) for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the peppers on the plank, close the lid, and grill them. Smoke them for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on their size, or until the peppers are soft and cooked through.

Oven Use:

Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees Celsius.

When using a grilling plank, be sure to put the plank on a cookie sheet or place foil underneath it to catch drips.

Once the planked food is in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375.

BBQ Use:

Turn BBQ on high to warm up

Once hot, place your rubbed or marinated food on the plank, skin side down, and onto one side of the BBQ, reducing only that side’s temperature to low. Reduce the other side’s temperature to medium. (If you have an extremely hot BBQ, consider turning the plank side burner off after the plank has started to smoulder)

The plank should start to crackle and smoulder. This creates the smoke!

Check your plank occasionally. If you have a flare-up, which is normal, use a spray bottle filled with water to spritz out the flames. You want your plank to be smouldering, not flaming. Make sure that a very minimal amount of smoke escapes while you’re checking your plank.

Remember that when cooking with a cedar plank, your cooking time will double!

When cooked to desired tenderness, carefully remove the plank and place it on a cookie sheet or foil before plating.

Enjoy!