Smoked Butternut Squash Soup

Directions

1. Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.
2. Peel the butternut squash and cut off the ends.
3. Cut the squash in ½ to expose the seeds. Remove the seeds.
4. Dice the squash into a rough large dice and place on a foil lined tray.
5. Smoked the squash for 1 hour.
6. While the squash is smoking, begin to prepare the rest of the soup.
7. Chop the bacon and render it in a stock pot over medium heat.
8. Strain the bacon but reserve the bacon fat. Set the bacon crumbles aside for later garnish.
9. Roughly dice the onion and chop the garlic. Peel and dice the apples.
10. Add 3 TB of the reserved bacon fat back to the pot and place it over medium high heat.
11. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
12. Deglaze with brandy.
13. Add the apple and smoked squash to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the squash starts to soften.
14. Add the vegetable stock to the pot and season with Apple Pie rub.
15. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the squash is fork tender.
16. Use and immersion blender to puree the soup, or do it in batches in a blender.
17. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
18. Adjust seasoning as needed.
19. Serve in a bowl with 2 TB of cooked bacon on top and garnished with freshly cut chives.