Bacon on the grill uses sweet and savory barbecue sauce smothered on top of thick-cut applewood bacon. While dripping with BBQ sauce, it's placed on the grill and kissed on both sides with a bit of char before being devoured.
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The best grilled barbecue bacon!
It's sweet, it's smokey, it's juicy and delicious all on its own or over a piece of juicy chicken, on top of a grilled burger, or beside a thick tender steak. So good, you'll wanna it for breakfast too!
What does grilled BBQ bacon taste like?
Y'all, this grilled bacon recipe IS the definition of meat candy!
Its sweet, it's crunchy, it's salty and savory, it's even the size and shape of a freaking candy bar. It's literally meat candy!
The sweet and tangy barbecue sauce melts into the bacon slices once the heat of the grill flames touch it, which leaves a sticky sweet outer coating. The sugar in the BBQ sauce almost crystallizes in the heat and adds a bit of crunch allow with the char from the grill marks.
It's savory and meaty, yet slightly sweet, tender with crisp edges!
What to pair with grilled bacon?
Whenever we are grilling, we find it the most opportune time to grill up some BBQ bacon to go along with our meal. Grilled pork chops? Sure! Filet mignon? Absolutely! Jalapeño Jack Burgers? Every time! Grilled Salad? Why is this even still a question?
Yes! yes! yes!
How to cook bacon on the grill?
It's ridiculously easy to make!
Take your bacon slices and brush on your favorite BBQ sauce on both sides.
Then, while the strips are dripping with sauce, they are placed on the grill and kissed on both sides with a bit of char from the heat of the grill before cooling and then devoured.
So silly simple.
Types of bacon:
- Thick cut bacon.Typically seen behind the butcher counter at the grocery store. This is the type of bacon that we prefer to use for this grilled bacon recipe.
- Turkey Bacon.“Bacon” made from turkey instead of pork.
- American-Style Bacon.The thinner strips of bacon served at many restaurants during breakfast.
- Low sodium bacon.The same American-style bacon, just with some of the sodium taken out.
- Canadian bacon.This bacon has fewer calories and less fat than American-style bacon listed above and tastes more like ham than other types of bacon.
- Smoked bacon.The bacon is cured by being smoked over burning wood chips, such as hickory, mesquite, or applewood flavors, for hours.
- Seasoned Bacon. Peppered bacon is one of the most common seasoned bacon options out there. Peppered bacon is also a GREAT option to smother with barbecue sauce and grill for this recipe!
- Pancetta. An Italian-style baconcured with salt, peppercorns, and cloves, and other spices.
Difference Between Cured and Uncured Bacon:
The difference between uncured and cured bacon is that the solution used in uncured bacon doesn't contain artificial nitrates, the nitrates in uncured bacon coming from natural items, like sea salt or celery juice.
What type of grill to use for BBQ Bacon?
Well I've made this BBQ bacon on a charcoal grill as well as gas and it's turned out deliciously perfect every time.
These days our family has upgraded to a bright red Kamado Joe that we absolutely LOVE!
It produces the most tender, moist meat I have ever had.
Hands down the BEST grilled foods on the planet come from a Kamado Joe!
What barbecue sauce to use for grilled bacon?
*We use this gluten-free barbecue sauceand love it!
BUT... you can use whatever barbecue sauce that you love. If you use a spicy BBQ sauce beware that it might seem spicer once the bacon is grilled.
I highly recommend that no matter which barbecue sauce you end up with that it has sweet flavor associated with it.
How to make Grilled Barbecue Bacon:
- Heat your grill over medium heat.
- Smother both sides of the bacon strips in BBQ sauce on a baking sheet or a plate.
- Place the strips on the grill over even heat, flipping at least once so to not burn the bacon strips.
- After bacon is sufficiently cooked, remove from the grill and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes (allows the juices to settle) on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Then devour!
Grilled BBQ Bacon notes:
I know y'all are looking at this recipe and thinkin'.... "dude...is this actually a recipe? It's got 2 ingredients."
And my answer is yes, it's a pretty idiot-proof ingredient list. But the key to getting this recipe right is in the instructions. You need keep the bacon over an even flame and be on the lookout for a good time to flip the strips so that they don;t burn. So pay attention to your grill's temperature and where the flame is in relation to these meaty strips and you will have yourself a 2-ingredient party in your mouth. You're welcome 😉
Another thing to take note of is grill flare ups. You are dealing with an open flame and grease dripping off of the bacon strips so be aware that a flare up from the fire in the grill may occur. It will settle back down after the grease stops dripping after a moment or two.
Grills vary in many ways, but they definitely vary in temperature regulation and evenness of flame. Keep this in mind when placing your bacon strips on the grill!
How to store leftover bacon:
You will likely not have any leftovers....
But if you do, you can store cooked Grilled BBQ Bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Want more bacon recipes?
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Cranberry Meatballs with Spicy BBQ Bacon
- Loaded Bacon Cheddar Crisps
- Bacon Goat Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Grilled BBQ Bacon uses sweet and savory BBQ sauce is smothered on top of thick-cut applewood bacon. While dripping with sauce, it's placed on the grill and kissed on both sides with a bit of char before being devoured. It's sweet, it's smokey, it's juicy and delicious all on its own or over a piece of juicy chicken, on top of a grilled burger, or beside a thick tender steak. You'll wanna it for breakfast too.
Ingredients
- Thick-cut bacon slices
- barbecue sauce *
Instructions
- Heat your grill (medium heat).
- Smother both sides of the bacon strips in BBQ sauce on a baking sheet.
- Place the strips on the grill over even heat, constantly flipping as to not burn the bacon strips.
- After bacon is sufficiently cooked, remove from the grill and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes (allows the juices to settle) on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Enjoy it messy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12Serving Size: 1 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 10Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 46mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
