Ingredients

5-6 lb pumpkin, scrubbed
2 -3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausage
2 hot Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped
4 -5 cloves chopped garlic
1 lb roughly chopped mushrooms (cremini, brown Italian, mini portobellos, or a blend)
4 -6 cups cooked rice
½ tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp rubbed sage
1/8 tsp ground chipotle ( see instructions)
¾ cup grated parmesan, romano, asiago or a blend
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Chipolte
Set-up Joe for smoking
Wash and stem jalapeno peppers
Smoke peppers for 12 – 14 hours at 200⁰
When cool, remove seeds and grind into a powder
Important – avoid breathing in powder when grinding or you will be very sorry! I suggest foregoing your ego and wear a mask.
Set up Joe for indirect heat and bring to to 475⁰
Open a hole in pumpkin, remove seeds and the “stringy stuff” leaving the flesh
Season inside of pumpkin with salt and pepper
Bake pumpkin for 30 minutes, then remove and set aside
Reduce heat to 375⁰
Sauté onions in olive oil until soft – do not brown
Add garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant– do not let garlic brown
Remove casings from sausages and add to onions – break up into smaller pieces and cook until almost all pink is gone
Add mushrooms and continue cooking until sausage is lightly browned
Add rice, cheese, thyme and sage. Fold until rice is well coated
Season with salt and pepper
Remove from heat
Add parley to eggs and stir into rice/sausage mixture with maple syrup – do not allow eggs to cook
When well blended, fill pumpkin with stuffing