Here, I’m using some smoked venison kielbasa that I had left in the freezer and making some bbq venison cups. These delicious cups are simple to make, packed with flavor, and are perfect for a game day appetizer. They are smoky, sweet, crispy, and cheesy too! 

I elevated mine in a couple ways to take it a step above. First, I seasoned some bacon and smoked it for about an hour at 225°F. I wanted it to be a nice color, but not fully crispy before I chopped it up and rendered out the rest of the fat to build the base of the dish. After that, I cooked the onions in that seasoned bacon fat before adding my venison kielbasa, bbq sauce, seasoning, and whisky. I let that all reduce into a nice thick mixture so it wouldn’t make the phyllo dough cups too wet.

I also topped it with a beer cheese sauce that I made, but you can easily top them with just regular shredded cheese or no cheese at all!

You can buy pre-made phyllo dough cups, but I prefer to make them myself. I took the roll of phyllo dough and used 7 sheets for this recipe. For the first layer, I used 4 sheets and brushed them with oil so they stuck together while baking. I cut that into 9 rectangular pieces and laid them into the muffin tin. The next layer was 3 sheets, oiled again, cut into 9, and laid in the opposite direction in the muffin tin. I then baked them on the smoker at 350°F until the edges were nice and golden brown and crispy. 

Ingredients:

• 1  link smoked venison kielbasa, diced
• 1  half white onion, diced
• ½ cup of your favorite bbq sauce
• 2 tbsp your favorite bbq seasoning
• ¼ cup whiskey
• 5 slices bacon
• 7 sheets phyllo dough
• 4 tbsp avocado oil for brushing
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or your favorite beer cheese

Cooking Instructions:

• Start by dicing and rendering down the bacon in a pan. When crispy, remove and leave the grease in the pan. 
• Sauté onions in bacon grease until slightly translucent. Next, add in kielbasa and sauté until it starts to get some color on it. 
• Add bbq sauce, seasoning, and whisky. Stir to combine. Allow to reduce until thick. Set aside to cool.
• Make phyllo dough cups by oiling 4 sheets and cutting into 9 rectangles and placing them into muffin tin. Repeat the process with 3 sheets, laying in the opposite direction to form a cup. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. 
• Spoon meat mixture into cups evenly and top with shredded cheese or beer cheese if desired.
• Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is slightly bubbling. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.

Get Cooking!

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