Easy party food ideas are something we all want. This is why we share things we love and get it out to our valued visitors! Delicious food can make an average party, exceptional and when it’s easy to make…. all the better!
Today we are sharing an incredible appetizer perfect for parties, holidays, or any occasion actually. A few years back, one of my friends, we’ll call him Todd, brought this to one of our New Year’s Eve gatherings. It was absolutely incredible and I just had to start making this for myself.
Who doesn’t like easy party food ideas?
Well as the saying goes… anything wrapped in bacon is good. This couldn’t be more true. So we are going to share with you this heavenly bacon-wrapped water chestnut recipe. It goes without saying that all easy party food ideas should involve bacon.
Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts in a Merlot BBQ Sauce – The Perfect Bite!
Everyone I have made this for raves about it! In fact, I have never met a person who doesn’t love this. Okay, actually one person doesn’t….my wife. She doesn’t like meat, therefore doesn’t like bacon. Oh well, her loss is my gain. More meat for me, which means more bacon-wrapped everything for me!
The good news is most of these ingredients you probably already have at home.
Here’s what you are going to need
- 2 cans of whole water chestnuts (make sure they are whole and not sliced)
- 1 package of your favorite bacon
- toothpicks
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup merlot (or any red wine will do, just make sure it’s a good wine) in this case we used a 2017 Ricord Merlot which can only be found here
- 2 shots of Tabasco sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Begin by cutting the bacon into 1/3 of its original length. I like to take several pieces at a time and cut them into three’s. Take your newly cut bacon and wrap a piece around a water chestnut and hold in place with one of your toothpicks. Repeat until all chestnuts have been wrapped.
Looking for more wine and food pairing ideas? Check it out here, we filled an entire category!
Place all of the chestnuts in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. If you run out of bacon simply place the remaining chestnuts in the dish and they will still be delicious cooked in the sauce without the bacon. Place the dish in a 425˚ F preheated oven. Set timer for 45 minutes.
While your dish is in the oven you can now begin making the sauce. Simply add the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend for about 10 – 15 seconds until everything is mixed together.
The sauce can be set aside until the timer is done. Once the timer goes off pull out the chestnuts. Check the bacon and now you have a decision to make. Do you like it less done and chewy or more done and crispy?
Personally, I like it on the crispier side as long as it’s not overcooked. So when the bacon is cooked to your liking you can now add the sauce to the dish and put back in the oven.
Once the sauce is all warm and bubbly you can take your dish out of the oven and let the chestnuts cool. They hold a lot of heat so be extremely careful before popping one in your mouth.
Now comes the best part! Pour yourself a glass of that Merlot you used for the sauce and pair these delicious little bites with some amazing wine!
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