Roasted Honey Nut Squash with Cowboy Rub
Honey nut squash is small enough to serve by the half, with deep orange flesh that turns tender and sweet as it roasts. Cooking it on a pellet smoker brings hickory into the mix. The smoke comes through gently, leaving room for the squash and Revolution Barbecue Huckleberry Cowboy Rub to stand out.
The seasoning gives the sweet flesh a savory edge. Honey butter adds a glossy finish and collects in the hollow where the seeds were removed, so there is a little to spoon over each bite. The result is a warm side dish with soft flesh, some color on the surface, and enough seasoning to hold its own next to barbecue.
Serve the halves in their skins and let everyone scoop out the flesh at the table. They look good that way, and the skins hold the honey butter right where you want it.
Hickory Roasted Honey Nut Squash with Honey Butter
Glenn Connaughton
4
10 minutes
40 minutes
145
American
Side Dish
This recipe gives the squash two different kinds of heat contact. With the cut flesh facing down at first, it begins to soften and picks up color against the smoker grate. Facing up for the remainder of the cook, each half can hold the honey butter across the flesh and in its center.
A light coating of olive oil helps Revolution Barbecue Huckleberry Cowboy Rub spread evenly over the cut surface. You want seasoning in each bite, while still tasting the squash. The butter and honey go on later so they coat the exposed flesh without spending the entire cook over the heat.
Hickory pellets add smoke while the squash roasts at 350°F. At the end, check the thickest part of a half with a fork. The flesh should yield easily and be ready to scoop from the skin. If your squash are larger and still feel firm after 40 minutes, give them a little more time and check again.
Ingredients
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2 honey nut squash
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the cut flesh
2 teaspoons Revolution Barbecue Huckleberry Cowboy Rub, approximately 1/2 teaspoon per half
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2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
Directions
- Preheat the Pellet Smoker: Heat the pellet smoker to 350°F using hickory pellets.
- Prepare the Squash: Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Lightly coat the cut flesh with olive oil. Season each half evenly with approximately 1/2 teaspoon Revolution Barbecue Huckleberry Cowboy Rub.
- Roast Cut Side Down: Place the 4 halves cut side down on the smoker grate. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Make the Honey Butter: While the squash roasts, melt the butter and stir in the honey.
- Brush and Finish: Turn the squash cut side up. Brush the honey butter evenly over all 4 halves. Roast for another 20 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the thickest part of the flesh.
- Serve the Squash: Serve warm. Spoon any honey butter collected in the centers over the squash.
