Smoky Football Cheese Ball With Pecan Bacon Crust Recipes

SMOKY FOOTBALL CHEESE BALL WITH PECAN-BACON CRUST

Steps:

• Lay the bacon strips in a cold skillet, raise the heat to medium and cook, turning, until desired crispness, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, heavy cream, hot sauce, paprika and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and even. Scrape the mixture onto a serving platter and use clean hands to shape it into a football.
• Chop the bacon and combine with the chopped pecans in a medium bowl. Press the bacon-and-pecan mixture into the cheeseball to cover completely.
• Cut the slices of cheese into one long 3/4-inch thick strip and 5 to 8 small strips. Arrange the cheese strips on the cheese ball to look like the laces on a football.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for at least 2 hours before serving with crackers or bread.

SMOKY CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.
• Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
• Shape mixture into a ball.
• Combine pecans and parsley; roll cheese ball in pecan mixture.
• Let stand at room temp at least 30 minutes before serving.

SMOKY PECAN CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• COMBINE the cheese, pecans, mayonnaise, bottled smoke, and mustard in a medium bowl. Blend well with a fork, adding more mayonnaise if you want a softer, more moist consistency.
• ADD the Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and pepper to taste and mix well. Sprinkle with paprika. Pile the cheese into a crock and serve with crackers or vegetables and fruit (see head-note).