Wild In The Kitchen: Bacon Wrapped Quail

I doubt seriously if you will ever be called upon to cook quail for 600 people like my friend Ron Chamblee and I do every February, but let me warn you that if you ever do, don’t even consider frying that much quail. We manage to feed everyone at the Ashville First Baptist Wild Game Dinner each year by smoking the quail breasts and making appetizers of the legs. Here’s how we do it. I have reduced the recipe to a more manageable amount

1 dozen quail, legs removed
1 pound of thick-sliced bacon
1/2 gallon Frank’s Red Hot
1/2 pound butter
1/2 gallon BBQ sauce 

Wash the quail thoroughly, and remove any shot. Using scissors, clip off the legs. Wrap the breasts in a half-slice of bacon, and pin with toothpicks.  Set your smoker on 225 degrees. Place breasts on smoker. Place legs on smoker, being sure they don’t overlap. Smoke for several hours until bacon is done. Mix Frank’s Red Hot and butter and heat on grill. Put half the quail legs in this mixture. Heat BBQ sauce on grill, and add remaining legs.