Bacon on a Stick

Salty, crunchy, delicious and so very simple. Bacon on a stick! Is it street food? Is it a snack? An appetizer? A dessert? Or maybe it is just a little slice of Heaven. This quick and easy snack is a sure way to please a crowd.

This past summer, my three-year-old son and I were cooking some food over a campfire. I thought to wrap a piece of bacon around a stick and put it close to the coals. He loved it and has been asking for it regularly. Bacon is one of his favorite foods. I promised him we would do it over the coals in my Weber kettle. So we did.

We served this alongside our other finger food appetizers. These are great and cook up quickly if you want to make them while your grill preheats and then serve them as the main course is grilling. I plan to make these at our next brunch. It is a little more of a sophisticated way to serve bacon. It definitely makes it more of a showpiece and the kids love it!

What do I Need?

All you need is bacon and some skewers. Seriously, there are no other ingredients needed! I soaked bamboo skewers in water for about three hours to try and avoid any small fires. I also recommend a thicker slice of bacon, it will be able to handle the higher heat of the grill well and less chance of it falling off the skewer. Bacon end cuts work well for this too. At my local butcher shop, you can get a really good deal on the bacon ends. It might not look as uniform and pretty as even bacon slices, but bacon is bacon and we want to keep these simple and easy.

Step One: Simply stick the skewer tip through the meat piece of the bacon strip and spin the skewer and the bacon will rotate around it nicely like a candy cane pattern. If you don't stick the skewer into the meaty part of the bacon, it won't stay as you spin it. The fatty part doesn't grip it well enough and it won't wrap nicely

Once the bacon is all wrapped around the skewers, you are ready to place them on the grill.

Step Two: I filled my charcoal starter with lump charcoal, you can use briquettes, and lit them. It took about 10 minutes for them all to be ashed over. I poured them into one side of my Weber kettle grill and placed the grate over them. I let the grate preheat for about 5 minutes then I laid the bacon skewers on the grate but not directly over the coals. There were two things I was taking into account, I didn't want to start a grease fire with the bacon dripping onto the coals and I did want to overcook one side of the bacon while the other side would still be raw.

I covered the grill and let it cook for about two minutes, I then carefully rolled the skewers over to the cook on the other side for another two minutes. Do this carefully so that you do not unravel the bacon. Once it does start to cook and crisp up, it will stay nicely in place on the stick.

Once they are cooked all around and have your desired level of crispiness, remove them from the grill. I like to place them on a piece of paper towel to remove any excess grease and then serve immediately.

Can I use my gas grill?

Absolutely. You could even make these in your oven on a baking sheet if you wanted to. The one thing to keep in mind with the gas grill is to not start a grease fire. If you haven't cleaned out your grill in a while, I recommend cleaning it out before cooking something this grease on it. Be sure to scrape any built-up grease off the sides and bottom. Make sure you also empty any grease catcher you may have on your grill.

When you go to cook the bacon, be sure to focus on indirect heat. For instance, I have a three-burner Weber gas grill, I would turn the middle and back burners on and place the bacon skewers in the front area. The grill will get plenty hot to cook the bacon and will reduce the risk of burning it or starting a fire.

What can I serve with bacon on a stick?

• Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
• Air Fryer Wings
• Smoked Meatballs
• Pork Ribs
• Smoked Cream Cheese
• Grilled Broccoli

How can I turn this into a dessert?

If you are looking to turn this into dessert or candied bacon, it is very easy and takes no time. Get one cup of brown sugar and put it on a plate. When the bacon is hot and comes off the grill, roll them in brown sugar. The sugar will melt and adhere to the hot bacon for a sweet treat. Your other option would be to drizzle them with maple syrup or provide it as a dip.

You could also dip these in chocolate or keto caramel sauce and coat them with a host of different toppings. Have some fun and try some new flavor combinations.

These could also be a great hit with a chocolate fountain. Put them right alongside your marshmallows, pound cake, and fresh fruit. Make a batch of Biscoff truffles too for an amazing spread.

For another great bacony treat make Bacon Jerky!