Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Shrimp with Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Shrimp with Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce full of flavor, sitting on the tongue with an exciting contrast of hot and sweet and savory. From the book Valerie's Home Cooking by Valerie Bertinelli.
Servings 16
Calories 99kcal
Ingredients
Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoons bacon drippings
- 1 cup red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 cups cherry cola soda
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup ketchup
Shrimp
- 16 extra large shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 1 jalapeño chile stem removed, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 16 thin strips
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
- 8 slices bacon halved crosswise
Instructions
Make the BBQ Sauce
- Heat the bacon drippings in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the salt, garlic powder, and dry mustard, and cook, stirring often, until the spices are toasted and fragrant and the onions are a deep maroon color, about 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the cherry cola and vinegar, and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the ketchup. Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until reduced to about 2 cups and the mixture coats the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Shrimp:
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium. Cut a long 1/4-inch-deep slit in the inner curve of each shrimp; insert 1 jalapeño strip. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Wrap each shrimp tightly with 1 bacon piece. Set on a plate, seam sides down.
- Place the bacon-wrapped shrimp, seam sides down, in the hot skillet, and cook, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp are just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve the shrimp with the BBQ sauce.
Make Ahead:
- The BBQ sauce will hold up to 2 weeks in the fridge. If you’re prepping for a party, the shrimp can be wrapped ahead of time and cooked later.
Trick Technique:
- If you’re someone who loves their bacon in the morning, start saving the drippings in a jar for uses like this one!
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg