Summer just screams time to barbeque. Just about anything tastes great when you pop it on the grill. Stuffed peppers are no exception to this rule. Use three colors of peppers for a pretty presentation. Pick a peck of peppers and fire up the grill!

Photos by Harry Katz

GATES BAR-B-Q BELLS

Courtesy of Gates and Son’s Bar-B-Q

Ingredients: 

6 medium size bell peppers
2 stalks chopped celery
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
2 cloves crushed fresh garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 bottle Gates Bar-B-Q Sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut tops off bell peppers and clean out the seeds and pithy parts. Leaving the peppers whole.
3. Blanch the peppers and the chopped celery by submerging them in a wire basket into a pan of boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
4. Lightly brown the meat in a large skillet. Add cooked rice and blanched vegetables. Add crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stuff peppers loosely with mixture, about 3 ounces in each.
6. Place on cookie sheet. Top each with 2 tablespoons of Gates Bar-B-Q sauce. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes. You can place the cookie sheet directly on the grill rack over hot coals and cook or you can cook them in a 350 degree oven.
7. Serve warm.

Serves 6

Article originally published in the June 2017 issue of Missouri Life.

Check out Missouri’s Best BBQ joints here!