Happy Football Friday All Y’all! Did you enjoy last week’s Old Rivalry and Quirky Trophy Tailgate Treats?
This week we are going for bacon wrapped tailgate treats. We did this a couple of years ago and it was a huge hit. So, we found some new bacon wrapped recipes, because isn’t everything better with Bacon? I hope you enjoy some bacon wrapped greatness with your wild weekend of college football.
This week we are going for bacon wrapped tailgate treats. We did this a couple of years ago and it was a huge hit. So, we found some new bacon wrapped recipes, because isn’t everything better with Bacon? I hope you enjoy some bacon wrapped greatness with your wild weekend of college football.
Football Friday Tailgate Treats: Bacon Me Crazy
Bacon Roll-Ups
For those early kick off games these are the perfect pairing with your bloody-mary.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cups cubed day-old bread
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 10 bacon strips
Directions:
- In a small skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, celery salt, garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion mixture; toss to mix evenly.
- Add egg; toss to coat bread cubes.
- Roll into ten 1-1/4-in. balls.
- Wrap a bacon strip around each ball. Secure with a toothpick.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon roll-ups on all sides over medium heat for 18 minutes or until bacon is crisp and a thermometer inserted into stuffing reads at least 160°. Drain on paper towels.
Pineapple Cream Cheese Pig Shots
This one is a must try just because of the name.
Ingredients:
- 1 package smoked pork sausage or kielbasa
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 1 cup crushed pineapple
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons of sweet rub of your choice
- 1 pound bacon cut in half width wise
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. This method is also adaptable for the smoker if you have one.Simply preheat to the same temperature.
- Make the pig “shot glasses.” Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Wrap each slice of sausage with a half of a slice of bacon so it forms a little “shot glass” of meat. Season the shots with the sweet rub.
- Make the pineapple cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, brown sugar, and most of the pineapple chunks, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the pineapple to top the shots with later.
- Fill the pig shots. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a quart sized zip top bag and snip off the bottom corner. Fill each shot glass with some of the mixture, leaving just a little room at the top. Spoon the remaining crushed pineapple into the top of each shot and season them all again with a little sweet rub.
- Bake the pig shots. Carefully transfer the shots to the grill grates (or a foil lined pan if using your oven) and cook for 75-90 minutes, or until the bacon gets crisp.
- Serve warm. Serve the pineapple cream cheese pig shots warm with plenty of napkins. Enjoy!
Mushroom Bacon Bites
Veggies with your bacon.
Ingredients:
- 24 medium fresh mushrooms
- 12 bacon strips, halved
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Directions:
- Wrap each mushroom with a piece of bacon; secure with a toothpick. Thread onto metal or soaked wooden skewers; brush with barbecue sauce.
- Grill, uncovered, over indirect medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the mushrooms are tender, turning and basting occasionally with remaining barbecue sauce.
Bacon Wrapped Avocados
Some “good fats” with your bacon.
Ingredients:
- 4-6 Strips of Bacon
- 1 Avocado
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2-1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
Directions:
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Heat the oven to 425
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In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder.
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Set aside
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Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
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Cut open the avocado and remove the pit.
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Slice about 3/4″ slices lengthwise through the avocado, and then cut through the middle to cut all of the slices in half so that you have thick chunks of avocado.
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Cut each slice of bacon into 3-5 pieces and wrap each piece around the avocado.
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Roll in the brown sugar mixture and place on the baking sheet.
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Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.
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Remove from the oven to a platter and stick a toothpick in each for serving.
Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients:
- 12 whole milk mozzarella sticks or low-moisture mozzarella sticks
- 1 pound bacon typically about 12 slices
- cooking oil
Directions:
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Unwrap mozzarella sticks from their wrappers.
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Use one piece of bacon for each mozzarella stick. Wrap one end of the bacon over one end of the cheese stick. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place, pushing the toothpick straight through the bacon and into the center of the cheese.
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Wrap the bacon around the cheese stick, overlapping each layer slightly until the bacon can be folded over the opposite end. Secure with another toothpick. A piece of bacon should completely cover the cheese stick. Set aside.
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Continue wrapping all of the cheese sticks with bacon.
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Place the bacon-wrapped cheese sticks in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
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Fill a skillet with 2 inches of cooking oil (vegetable oil) and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F.
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Remove several cheese sticks from the freezer and add them directly to the heated oil.
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Fry, flipping after a few minutes until the bacon is cooked to desired crispness.
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Use a strainer to remove the fried mozzarella strip from the oil and place on paper towels or paper bags to absorb the extra oil.
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Continue cooking the cheese sticks in batches until done.
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Remove toothpicks before serving.
Buffalo Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ pounds chicken wings
- ½ pound bacon
For the buffalo sauce
- ¼ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons butter
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking dish with foil.
- Wash the chicken wings, dry with paper towel, and cut into three parts at the joints (unless they are smaller pre-cut wings). You do not need to use the tip of the chicken wing.
- Cut bacon strips in half. Wrap a piece of a wing in each bacon half and place them into the baking dish, bacon seam side down.
- Add the hot sauce, honey and butter to a small saucepan over a medium heat. Let it melt together and simmer, stirring gently, for 2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the bacon-wrapped wings.
Oven Baked:
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Place the dish of sauce-covered bacon wrapped wings into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
Air Fryer:
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Make these chicken wings in the air fryer for an even crispier version! Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. Place the bacon wrapped chicken wings in the air fryer basket (don’t add the sauce yet), making sure not to overcrowd, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the basket, carefully turn each chicken wing over, and cook for an additional five to seven minutes or until bacon is crispy. Serve drizzled with the Buffalo sauce.
For crispy wings:
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Cook the wings under the broiler for about 3 minutes until crispy and golden.
On The Menu
After this weeks bacon wrapped recipes we all might need a doctor’s appointment to check our cholesterol. I hope you find the perfect bacon-wrapped treat for your tailgate party. Next week we will tackle more tasty treats. Have a great weekend watching your team win. Let us know which recipe is your favorite.
Photo Courtesy of Hey Grill Hey dot com
