Smoke-Baked Barbecue Chile Pie

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon crisp cooked chopped
• 1  deep dish pie crust frozen prepared
• 4 large eggs beaten
• 8 ounces pepper flakes seeded sliced into strips of varying size (see note)
• 8 ounces monterrey jack cheese shredded
• 0.5 teaspoon olive oil 
• 0.3 cup onion sweet chopped

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• grill

Directions

1. Fill your charcoal chimney with briquets, set the chimney on the bottom grill grate, and light or prepare a fire in your smoker. For a gas grill, turn half the burners to high.
2. Line the bottom and sides of the pie crust with the chile pepper strips, reserving a few to garnish the top of the pie. Top with the cheese, spreading it out evenly over the bottom of the crust.
3. In a small sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes. In a medium-size bowl, combine the eggs and onion, then pour the mixture over the cheese. Arrange the reserved chile pepper strips on the top of the pie.
4. When the coals are ready, dump them into the bottom of your grill, and spread them evenly across half. Scatter the drained wood chips on the hot coals, or put the dry wood chips in a metal container and place closest to a burner on a gas grill.
5. Place the pie on the indirect side of the grill. When the smoke starts to rise, close the lid.
6. Smoke bake the pie at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until the crust has browned, the filling has set, and the pie has a mild, smoky aroma.
7. Sprinkle with the bacon before serving.
8. Fire-roast the chiles by grilling them over hot coals until the skins blacken, then remove the papery skin, seeds, and membrane. (You should wear food-preparation gloves for this because the oil from hot chiles will stick to your hands. If you rub your eyes or other sensitive areas after working with the chiles, it can be painful. If the chiles are mild, however, gloves aren’t necessary.)
9. Reprinted with permission from 25 Essentials: Techniques for Smoking by Ardie A. Davis, (C) 2009, Harvard Common Press