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[ED (Seth): We picked up Joe Pichey from MMMGoBluBBQ to share his tailgating recipes, and Stubb's offered to sponsor it. This is one of those things where the BBQ sauce people really liked our blog and the bloggers really liked the BBQ sauce, and we let the insurance companies figure out the rest.]
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How about we FIRE up the grill and enjoy a tasty treat. This is one of my new favorite appetizers on gameday and couldn't be easier. We all love onion rings and I have yet to meet anyone that dislikes bacon, so why not combine the 2? You will love the way these take on the smoke flavor and melt in your mouth after a 60 - 90 minute cook. The great thing about this recipe (besides the bacon) is that it can also be done in the oven.
INGREDIENTS:
Sweet Yellow Onion
Bacon (Medium Thickness)
Stubbs Pork Rub and BBQ Sauce
Sweet Chili Sauce (Optional)
[See where this is going, after the jump]
DIRECTIONS:
Slice onion into 1/2 inch pieces and separate the rings. Leave 2 or 3 rings on each portion. This will help add stability throughout cook. If you leave them as single rings, they will be extremely limp after 90 minutes on the grill/smoker/oven. Brush each ring portion with BBQ sauce (optional) and wrap with bacon. I usually use 2–3 pieces of bacon per ring.
Once you have them wrapped, I like to put a toothpick or skewer in the side to keep the bacon from unwrapping. Sprinkle with some BBQ rub and they are ready for the smoker/grill/oven.
I ran these at 300 degrees (Indirect Heat) with some pecan wood.(Any fruit wood will work) It doesn't take long for these to start getting some nice color and filling the air with smells of BACON-GREATNESS!!! After about 60 minutes, start checking for bacon crispiness. I let the OINKIONS go for 90 minutes as I like mine rather crispy. Just remember, the longer you go, the softer your onions will get. (I promise, we are still talking about Bacon wrapped Onion Rings here) Once they are "crispy to your liking", they are ready to eat.
I went one step further and added some Sweet Chili Sauce. After 5 minutes, they have a nice layer of sweet and spicy, sticky gooey-goodness. It will also add a little more color to the OINKIONS
These are a winner and will keep your bacon loving guests happy. Let me know what you think and if you have any pics, please forward. Thanks for stopping by. GO BLUE!!!