Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts are a fun way to eat your veggies! Crisp maple and brown sugar glazed bacon wrapped around mouth-watering Brussel sprouts. These are the perfect appetizer!
Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts
I am always trying to whip together a new idea for appetizers around here. It might be because we love bacon, it might be because I have a house filled to the brim with adults, teenagers, and children who love to eat and are ALWAYS hungry. It might be a little bit of both. Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts came to life on a day when we were making also making Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms and had just got done making Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts. So, I happened to have a pile of Brussel sprouts and a pile of bacon. I guess there are worse problems in life, right?
How to Prepare Brussel Sprouts
It really couldn’t be any easier.
- Remove from stems. (if necessary)
- Remove any browned edges or imperfections. (Peel back any leaves that have spots or are discolored. We give these to our chickens!)
- Rinse well in cool water.
- Dry completely.
Pro Tip: You can prepare your Brussel sprouts ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
When preparing dishes with Brussel sprouts I take a couple of things into consideration:
- Size– if they happen to be large, I will cut them in half before wrapping in bacon. If they are smaller, like the ones we harvested from our garden, I will wrap them whole. (these are also the best tasting in my opinion!)
- Freshness– they should be green, not yellow or having black spots. They should also be very firm. If you can find Brussel sprouts still attached to the stem they will last much longer if stored in a cool, dry place.
Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts with Maple Glaze
This maple glaze is the stuff dreams are made of. Maple Syrup and brown sugar give it a sweet flavor, and the cayenne pepper gives this just the perfect amount of kick with just the right amount of spicy heat. You can adjust the heat up or down by adding more or less of the cayenne pepper. I believe what happens is that the fat renders from the bacon and seeps into all of the seasonings and naturally carmelizes the brown sugar and maple syrup and the result is a perfect blend of sweet and savory.
How to Make the Perfect Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprout
We made a few batches of these and we did learn a few things along the way, imagine that!
Bacon: Normally I suggest using thick-cut bacon, but in this case, I take that all back. Ok, I don’t take it ALL back, but for this particular recipe, I will recommend using high-quality thin cut bacon. Why? Cooking times. Thick cut bacon takes a bit longer to crisp up, and for this recipe, you really want the thin cut bacon. If you are set on using thick-cut bacon, you can solve this problem by pre-cooking the bacon to about half done. You still want the bacon to be pliable enough that you can wrap it around the brussel sprout. You also might want to wear gloves during the wrapping process so you don’t get a bacon grease burn.
Brussel Sprouts: Make sure they are fresh and relatively similar in size. You don’t want them too large, the extra big ones will need to be cut in half for this recipe or they will not cook all the way through.
Maple Glaze: Generously, and I mean generously, coat the inside and the outside of each piece of bacon. The oven will do the rest of the work for you. You will not regret this.
INGREDIENTS
- 24 Baby brussel sprouts, or regular sized halved
- 12 slices bacon
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400° F
- Line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Clean and trim the ends of brussel sprouts.
- In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.
- Cut bacon in half crosswise, then brush bacon with syrup mixture.
- Wrap a slice of bacon around each brussel sprout, and place it seam side down on the baking dish.
- Brush the tops of bacon wrapped brussel sprouts with the remaining syrup mixture.
- Bake until crispy about 30-40 minutes.
