Bacon weave wrapped smoked Scotch eggs

The cook

1. 01

   Step 1BOIL AND COOL

   Bring a pan of water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 7 minutes, then transfer straight into iced water for 10 minutes. Peel carefully and pat dry. They will finish cooking inside the sausage, so don't chase a fully firm centre here.

2. 02

   Step 2SORT THE FIRE

   Set up a kettle BBQ for two-zone cooking, with charcoal on one side and a drip tray on the other. For a kamado, fit the heat deflector with a drip tray above it. Stabilise at 160°C with the lid shut. Add one small chunk of apple wood to the lit charcoal just before cooking; wait for the thick white smoke to clear.

3. 03

   Step 3SEASON THE PORK

   Mix the sausage meat with the mustard, parsley, smoked paprika, garlic granules and black pepper. Divide into four equal portions. Keep it cold while you work — warm sausage meat sticks to everything except where you want it.

4. 04

   Step 4WRAP THE EGGS

   Flatten each sausage portion into a disc between sheets of baking parchment. Remove the top sheet, sit an egg in the middle and use the bottom sheet to bring the meat around it. Peel away the paper and gently seal every join, keeping the sausage layer even with no exposed egg.

5. 05

   Step 5WEAVE THE BACON

   For each egg, cut four bacon rashers in half crossways to make eight shorter strips. On baking parchment, lay four strips side by side. Weave the other four across them, alternating over and under to make a snug square. Sit a sausage-wrapped egg in the centre, use the paper to lift the weave around it, then tuck the ends underneath. Keep overlaps small so the bacon can cook through. Repeat and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

6. 06

   Step 6GET THEM SMOKING

   Place the eggs seam-side down on the grate over the drip tray, away from direct heat. Close the lid and smoke at 160°C for 35–45 minutes. Turn their positions once if one side of the cooker runs hotter, but leave the bacon seam underneath.

7. 07

   Step 7COLOUR THE JACKET

   Open the vents gradually to raise the BBQ to 200°C, keeping the eggs over indirect heat. Cook for another 10–20 minutes until the bacon is browned and the sausage reaches 75°C for at least 30 seconds. Push an instant-read probe into the thickest sausage layer from the side, not into the egg, and check each one. Temperature beats the clock; give them longer if needed.

8. 08

   Step 8REST AND CUT

   Lift onto a wire rack and rest uncovered for 5 minutes. Foil would steam that bacon jacket, and we've worked for it. Slice with a sharp serrated knife and serve with piccalilli for a sharp, crunchy kick.