Bacon Cheddar and Swiss Cheese Ball

March eighth. 10 years since Sangin. 10 years since Derek. I drove to the cottonwood spot by the river and sat in the truck for a couple hours. Came home. Cooked. Stood under the sky after dinner. The discipline holds.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Pulled pork from a shoulder I smoked Saturday. Twelve hours. Apple wood.

I sat on the porch with coffee Sunday morning before chores. The mountains were the mountains.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Mr. Whelan’s visit got me thinking about having something on hand when people stop by — the kind of food that doesn’t require an invitation or much notice, just a cutting board and a box of crackers. This bacon cheddar and Swiss cheese ball is that thing. I made it the same weekend as the pulled pork, mixed it up Saturday morning while the shoulder was still settling into its smoke, and it sat in the fridge until it was needed. It always gets needed.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Crackers or sliced bread, for serving

Instructions

Cook the bacon. Fry bacon strips over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and let cool, then crumble. Set aside roughly half for the outer coating.
Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add cheddar, Swiss, half the crumbled bacon, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well until fully combined.
Shape. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Scoop the cheese mixture onto it and use the wrap to shape it into a tight ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Coat. On a flat plate, combine the remaining crumbled bacon and chopped pecans. Unwrap the chilled cheese ball and roll it firmly in the bacon-pecan mixture, pressing gently so the coating adheres evenly on all sides.
Serve. Transfer to a serving board. Let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving alongside crackers or sliced bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bacon Cheddar and Swiss Cheese Ball — Something Worth Setting Out for Company