BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Ingredients

20 strips bacon (about 12 ounces)

20 medium-large shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Soak 5 to 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill or under the broiler.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until halfway done, about 4 minutes or bake in the oven on 350 for ten minutes. Drain and cool on paper towels. Wrap a piece of bacon around the middle of each shrimp; skewer with bamboo through the point where the bacon ends meet to keep it from unraveling. Thread 3 to 5 shrimp on each bamboo skewer.

Puree the barbecue sauce, oil, lemon juice, mustard, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper in a blender. Set aside half of the sauce for dipping.

Preheat a grill, grill pan or broiler. Grill or broil shrimp (on a foil-lined baking sheet, if broiling) for 5 minutes, basting with the sauce once they begin to turn pink. Flip, baste again and grill or broil until just cooked through, about 4 more minutes. Serve with extra sauce.