You may think of carrots as uninteresting and tasteless, but this meal will alter your mind! Plus, everything tastes better when it’s wrapped in bacon.
The delicious maple syrup, salty bacon, soft softness of the carrot, and pleasant whiff of smoke are all must-tries.
This is an excellent dish to attempt if you want to mix things up a bit and try something new that will wow your family and friends! It’s shockingly simple to create while remaining distinctive and, most importantly, flavorful.
Contents
How to make Bacon Wrapped Carrots
1. Prep the carrots
For appearance considerations, I prefer to purchase carrots with the tops still attached. I’ll clip them with a few inches attached, saving the leaves for plating later. This isn’t strictly essential, but it’s a nice way to use up all of the carrots and add some color to your dish.
debris. The first step is to thoroughly wash your carrots. Water at room temperature is acceptable; just massage them with your hands to remove any debris.
Then, using a vegetable peeler or scraper, peel off the carrots’ outer skin from top to bottom.
2. To parboil or not?
Carrots are typically 1- to 2-inch thick at their thickest point. I skipped the par-boiling step since the carrots I used for this recipe were approximately 1 inch thick at their thickest point.
If your carrots are a little thicker, parboil them for 3-5 minutes to soften them up. Otherwise, you risk getting a crunchy carrot, which is not what you want. The finished delicacy should have crispy bacon on the outside and a soft bite-through carrot on the inside.
3. Wrap
I prefer to use a thin cut of bacon while wrapping. I stretch out one piece and wrap it as tightly as I can from top to bottom. You should be able to wrap one slice of bacon around each carrot.
Once the carrot has been wrapped with bacon, lay it down with the bacon ends beneath.
4. Season
After wrapping each carrot securely in bacon, season with your favorite BBQ rub.
For this dish, I used Honey Hog from Meat Church, but you may use whatever pork or chicken rub you choose.
Check out these 10 BBQ Dry Rubs You Can create at Home if you prefer to create your own BBQ rubs.
Seasoning can help you get a better color and taste. If you’re managing your salt consumption, you can skip this step!
5. The cook
Heat your smoker to 250F.
I smoked using Bear Mountain BBQ Pecan Pellets in my Pitboss Pro 1150. For this dish, cherry or applewood would be excellent choices. You want to select a wood with a lighter taste profile so that the smoke flavor does not overpower the carrots.
Place each carrot carefully on the grill and cook for approximately an hour.
After an hour, increase the temperature to 350F for the final 20-30 minutes to crisp up the bacon and cook the carrots fully.
Brush some maple syrup on top of the carrots. The maple glaze adds a beautiful sheen and, of course, a sweet finish to these carrots.
To test for doneness, use an instant-read thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 195-200F or a toothpick to poke into the carrot to see if it is soft enough. If they are not entirely soft, keep them on the smoker for 10 minutes at a time until they attain the necessary tenderness.
What to serve your bacon wrapped carrots with
These are an excellent side dish for a variety of dinners, but they truly shine when paired with your Christmas favorites!
Here are some delicious dishes to go along with your bacon-wrapped carrots:
- Smoked Prime Rib Roast
- Smoked Turkey Recipe
- Grilled Porterhouse Steak
- Whole Smoked Chicken
- Smoked Duck Breast
