Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Onion Rings

Russell Bird

When I was competing in the bacon category at the world food championships, I needed a side for my Mole Bacon Cheeseburger that would stand up to the umami kick brought on by loads of wagyu beef fat in the burger. This recipe for bacon wrapped onion rings was just the trick. Glazing the bacon wrapping with jalapeno BBQ sauce at the end makes these things into a sticky, greasy, crunchy bite of absolute goodness. They are a lot of work for only a few bites, but if executed right, these are sure to make you the king of the backyard BBQ.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Pork

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Hickory Wood Pellets
BBQ Tongs
BBQ Gloves
Camp Chef Woodwind Wi-Fi 36 Pellet Grill
Yonedas Okami Chef Knife
You Need a BBQ Cutting Board
BBQ Basting Brush

Ingredients

1 lb Bacon
2 each Large Sweet Onions
¼ cup Smoke Show Lightly Smoked Jalapeno BBQ Sauce
¼ cup Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeno rub

Instructions

Prepping the Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings

Preheat Your smoker or BBQ to 300 degrees.
Slice the onions so that they create 1/2-inch-thick rings. Lay the rings out on a cutting board. Wrap each onion ring in approximately 1 strip of bacon, trim off any excess bacon because you are aiming for each one to be 1 layer of bacon. You can overlap the bacon slightly because it will shrink during the cooking process.

Seasoning the Bacon Wrapped Onion rings

Lightly coat each of the bacon wrapped onion rings with Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeno Seasoning. Flip them over and coat the other side as well.

Smoking / Grilling the Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings

Place the bacon wrapped onion rings onto the smoker and let them smoke for about 20 minutes. Flip them over and smoke for an additional 20 minutes.

Saucing the Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings

Increase your grill temperature to 400 degrees F. Using a silicone BBQ brush, paint on the Smoke Show lightly smoked Jalapeno BBQ Sauce. Flip them over and repeat on the other side. Continue flipping every 2-3 minutes until the bacon and sauce start to caramelize and then remove and serve hot.

Step By Step

Preheat your grill to 300 F
Slice the onions into ½ inch thick rounds
Wrap each ring in bacon, tightly
Season the rings with Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeno Seasoning
Place on the smoker for 20 minutes
Flip the rings over and smoke for an additional 20 minutes
Paint each ring with Smokeshow Jalapeno BBQ Sauce
Flip every 2-3 minutes until caramelized all over
Serve hot!

Notes

How do you get the bacon to stick?

When you wrap bacon around itself, it tends to stick well to itself, so you should not need to pin it with a toothpick. Just make sure the ends are both on the bottom of the onion ring for the first bit of the cook and as the bacon shrinks and crisps up, it will take on the shape of the onion and be less likely to unroll.

What Type of Onion is best?

I like using a large sized sweet onion like a Walla Walla, Vidalia or Maui or large Sweet onion. Smaller onions are more work to wrap the bacon around, but they would still work. Remember that white onions are typically “sharper” tasting than yellow onions, so consider staying away from white or purple or red onions for this recipe.

What if I am Gluten Free?

Unlike most onion rings recipes, these bacons wrapped onion rings are totally gluten free. They are a fantastic treat for people who are celiac because they do not contain gluten.

What If I want it spicier !?!

To crank up the heat on these bacon wrapped onion rings, you could substitute the Smoked Jalapeno BBQ Sauce for some Truff Hotter sauce. Or consider replacing the Heath Riles Garlic Jalapeno Rub with one of Kosmos Que Wing Dusts like Ghost pepper Wing Dust. You may also consider turning these into Nashville Hot Chicken Bacon Wrapped Onion rings.

Keyword Bacon, Different

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Onion Rings