Next Saturday Cheryl and I are going to be hosting a little get together for our friends.  We have aptly named our impromptu soiree Shrimp’O de Mayo. We’ve decided to prepare a taste test of our shrimp and grits recipe for our friends, bracing ourselves for possible public ridicule, but actually hoping for culinary accolades, maybe even a round of applause or spontaneous cheering.  Whatever the outcome may be, we’ll still need to fortify the menu with additional grub to quell the appetites of the masses.  Enter, The Mysterious Moink Ball. 

Our parties center on the food and, in the past, we have occasionally served dishes that were subpar.  I know that sounds impossible, but it has happened.  Our guests, a polite group by nature, wanting to ensure a future invite, and maybe having imbibed in a few too many high-octane libations, always respond with positive marks for our first time creations.  BUT…I know the truth.  Not every new dish is a homerun and some should have been counted as “out” as soon as they hit the table.  Sometimes my ego gets the better of me, and prevents me from reading time tested cooking directions or doing the proper pre-party research.  I think I can cook something perfectly the first time and, as we all know, that doesn’t always happen. 

This time, to ensure our guests will receive quality eats, I cooked up a test batch of Moink Balls and presented them to a controlled focus group for their review.  Pretty much, just Cheryl and me. Before I go any further, I know what you’re thinking…just what is a Moink Ball?  Well, it’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.  No, wait, that’s a conundrum.  It’s actually a meatball, wrapped in bacon, seasoned and slow cooked on the grill, finished with a delectable slathering of your finest BBQ sauce.  This is the gastronomic brainchild of BBQ guru, Larry Gaian, from The BBQ Grail. It’s everything I love about a great recipe; it’s easy and requires bacon. Here’s the link to Larry’s Moink Ball recipe that I didn’t bother to read before I started cooking. When my Moink Balls didn’t turned out like Larry’s, I reached out for a little help and Larry, being the grate guy he is, gave me some BBQ tech support on Twitter.  He a said the Moink Ball needs to be slow cooked at 225F for 90 minutes not 450F for 19 minutes. That important nugget of information was in the recipe that I was too lazy to read.

For my first attempt, I wrapped the meatballs in bacon, seasoned them and put them on the grill.  That was where I made my mistake; I put them on a hot grill, over direct heat.  Not sure why I did this, as I know that bacon over a hot grill is nothing but trouble and this was no exception.  It cooks fast and the drippings cause flare-ups that will scorch and burn the food. I had to frequently move the meat around the grill, keeping them to the cool side.  Although the Moink Balls were a little scorched and not quite ready for their pictorial debut, they were still very delicious.

I hope my friends appreciate all of the hard work and research that goes into our parties. They probably think we just wave our enchanted wooden spoon and culinary delights just appear on the table, I wish it was that simple…but what fun would that be.  Maybe if my friends actually read my blog, as opposed to ogling the pictures, they would truly appreciate our efforts just a bit more. That being said, I’m sure they will love the Shrimp & Grits and the Moink Balls.  If they don’t love the food, more than likely they will at least be drunk enough to lie to us.  Like I always say, the best thing about BBQ is that you can eat your mistakes…most of the time.