Chef Jason's World Famous
 Stuffed Mushrooms 

There are an infinite number of variations for stuffed mushrooms, of course. I do seafood, Italian, and Asian versions. This one is neither and is one that is more of a chameleon recipe in that you can serve it with whatever you're BBQing at the time. It'll go with anything. You make the stuffing and de-stem the mushrooms at home ahead of time. You can pre-stuff the mushrooms if you like, but I prefer to do it at the campsite. And also, feel free to add or subtract any of the ingredients I use here. Just stick to the wet ingredients for the maximum effect. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 20-30 white mushrooms, stemmed (the bigger the better!)
• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Half an onion, finely minced (in fact, do the onion and garlic in a processor if you can with a bit of oil)
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black or white pepper (more if desired)
• 1 tsp fresh cracked sea salt
• Juice of one lemon plus zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (an absolute necessity)
• 1/4 lb good sage breakfast sausage or 1/2 lb country style boneless pork ribs (I use a mixture. This specific cut of pork is the tastiest and tenderest and not very expensive. I don’t use any other meet in stuffed mushrooms personally, except when doing seafood varieties.)
• 3/4 cup good bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or a good sharp cheddar
• Half of the mushroom stems pulled from mushrooms, finely chopped

OK, here we go. Chop the pork as fine as you can get it. This may take a little time, but you don't want to have big chunks. You don't have to ground it, but 1/8th inch pieces are about what you're shooting for here. In a large mixing bowl, add the pork and/or sausage with the butter or margarine (at room temp), salt, pepper, parsley, basil, olive oil, garlic and onion, lemon juice and zest, and the chopped mushroom stems. Combine this well. And use the best tools in the kitchen. You'll find them at the ends of your arms. Get in there and squish it up good. Then add the bread crumbs and cheese and combine until uniform. The mixture should look wet. If it doesn't, add a little more olive oil.

Take it with you to the campsite in a zip-top bag. Get the grill going and lay down some foil on the upper rack. If your grill doesn't have an upper rack, turn off one or two of the burners and place the foil over the non-lit burners. Use a spoon and mound the stuffing into the mushroom cavities good. Place mushrooms on foil and let them go for about 20 minutes. Internal temperature of the grill should be around 275 to 300 degrees. Next, place the mushrooms over the open fire and discard the foil. Let them roast for about 3 to 5 minutes over the open heat. The top of the stuffing should be browning and crisping by now. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 8 minutes before serving. These tasty morsels are perfect as an appetizer or served with your main course. My mouth is watering just thinking about these…