Many people enjoy deep-fried pickles, whether they are spears or chips. Served with a side of ranch dressing, deep-fried pickles have become a staple at many restaurants and pubs. But they can become boring after a while.

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A Different Way to Serve Pickles

I thought there has to be some other way to serve pickles as an appetizer or snack. Some way to smoke the pickles with a new flavor or a twist.

So when I saw a picture of bacon-wrapped pickles, I thought I have to make this. But I always have to add my own twist to anything I make. After a bit of thought, I decided that smoking the bacon-wrapped pickles could work. Add a side of barbecue sauce instead of ranch and maybe it would make a great appetizer or snack.

The results were amazing! They are like a new kind of Pigs in a Blanket or more of a Pickle in a Blanket.

How to Make Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Pickles

I used jarred dill pickles in garlic but you could use any type of dill pickles. The rub I used was my own blend, that is until Stacy knocked over the bowl containing the last of the rub and it spilled on the ground. Then we just used a Cajun spice blend we had on hand.

Applewood was our choice for smoking these pickles, but you can use your favourite wood.

For dipping, we used Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon Bar-B-Q Sauce but you could also use ranch (we tried ranch as a dip but preferred the BBQ sauce), or a garlic sauce. You could even serve these with a side of BBQ Ranch dip.

These pickles are also good without any dip at all. They have a lot of flavour on their own.

However you serve them, I am sure you will enjoy them as much as we did. They make a great game day snack and would be perfect for Grey Cup Parties if there was a Grey Cup this year. But they would also be a great appetizer for your next BBQ or for a family and friends get-together.

Tips for making Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pickles

The pickles will need to be dried a little but not too much, before smoking. You don’t want the pickles too wet or too dry so the rub sticks to them but doesn’t get goopy.

To make it easier to coast the pickle in seasoning, I pour some seasoning into a shallow bowl or on a plate. Then the pickles can be rolled in the seasoning easier than trying to sprinkle the pickle with seasoning.

This recipe is also very easy to half, quarter, or double since there are few ingredients.

You can cut the pickles in half lengthwise and skip poking them. In this case, you would only need 6 pickles.

If you would like to make your own BBQ sauce, which is how we usually serve these, here is Stacy’s recipe for BBQ Sauce. As well, we like to use our homemade pickles.