Bacon Wrapped Dove

One of my favorite things to eat at this time of the year are bacon wrapped dove. Given a choice between white or dark meat I'll pick the dark every time. With dove being all dark meat these little birds are right up my alley.

This isn't going to be a true recipe in the sense of exact measurements but rather a post of suggestions. In the end it really boils down to your personal preferences. And besides, my husband is the one that makes these delectable tidbits and he (pardon the pun) wings it.

Quite simply you'll need a few dove breasts and one piece of bacon per bird. My favorite is plain, regular bacon, not sugar maple or apple wood smoked, or any other flavored bacon, just plain bacon. Each dove breast is wrapped with a piece of bacon which can be skewered into place with a toothpick. Lightly sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper.

We recently tried two different methods of cooking. The first was our usual way, in the oven. It is preheated to 400 degrees, and the birds are cooked for about 20 minutes.

The next time we cooked them on the gas grill. Two burners were on full blast and the birds were placed opposite. Due to the bacon grease dripping down there will be a lot of flare ups so that means they will need to be constantly attended to to prevent burning. Also on the grill they will need to be turned often so each side gets cooked evenly. We both agreed that although the grill method was more labor intensive we preferred that method over the oven method.

If you like the bacon a little crisper you can slightly precook it prior to wrapping the doves. That way it will cook to a crisper texture and the dove won't get overcooked. The time the birds are left to cook also depends on how moist you like the meat to be. This is something you'll have to play with.

Enjoy!