When I was growing up, my family took a few vacations to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Many of the restaurants we went to offered barbecue bacon-wrapped shrimp on their menus. It became a popular entree for members of my family to order. When we returned to Minnesota, my mom would sometimes duplicate it at home for us. After I grew up, I started making it for my own family and it became a favorite for them as well.
When I was following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I couldn’t use bottled condiments and sauces because of the added sugars and additives, which motivated me to create a barbecue sauce I could use to make these delicious shrimp while adhering to my dietary restrictions. I still prefer this sauce over bottled sauce, but you can use any BBQ sauce you like with this recipe. Enjoy!
Barbecue Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 pounds of 21/25 count raw peeled and deveined shrimp
16 strips of bacon
barbecue sauce
Ingredients for Barbecue Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 dates pitted and chopped
4 tsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, no added sugar
1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cut strips of bacon into 3 pieces each.
- Place the bacon pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak in warm water for 20-30 minutes before using.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around a shrimp and slide on a skewer.
- Repeat with remaining shrimp and bacon to make 6 skewers.
- Brush each skewer of shrimp with the barbecue sauce on both sides.
- Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp.
- Serves 6 as an entree or 12-18 as an appetizer.
Directions for Barbecue Sauce:
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and dates and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the salt, cumin, chili powder, and pepper and mix well.
- Add Dijon, honey, vinegar, tomatoes, and water.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours.
- Blend in a blender until smooth.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
