Barbecue Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto →

This recipe for Barbecue Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto complements Gingery Grilled Vegetables perfectly and will wow your family and friends. The bourbon-barbecue sauce adapted from a recipe by Steven Raichlen at Epicurious.com is the best barbecue sauce I have tasted.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 16 large scallops (preferably air-chilled)

• 4 bamboo skewers-soaked in water for at least a half-hour

• 8 slices of prosciutto cut in half lengthwise

• Barbecue sauce (the sauce recipe below is highly recommended, but you can sub bottled sauce)

Preparation:

1. Rinse and dry the scallops and remove the tough whitish muscle on the side of the scallops.

2. Wrap a piece of prosciutto around each scallop and secure the prosciutto by threading the scallop through the prosciutto onto a skewer. Thread 4 scallops with prosciutto onto each skewer.

3. Brush the skewered scallops and prosciutto with barbecue sauce.

4. Heat your grill to medium-high heat

5. Once the grill is to temperature, oil the grill grates so the scallops don’t stick to the grates.

6. Grill the scallops for 2 minutes per side turning once. (total 4 minutes)

7. Brush the scallops once more with sauce before serving.

The Best Barbecue Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup Bourbon

• 1/6 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup molasses

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard

• 1/2 shallot or 2 teaspoons onion powder

• 2 cloves garlic minced or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle (or ancho) chili powder (or more to taste)

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Bay leaf

Preparation:

1. Saute the shallot and garlic.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, and simmer for 20 minutes. When finished the sauce should be a bit thin, but not watery. Allow to cool. Remove the Bay leaf.

3. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. The sauce is better if allowed to sit for a day.

*Note: the recipe as written yields a mild to medium-hot barbecue sauce. If you want to”kick-it-up-a-notch” increase the cayenne to ¼ teaspoon and the chili powder to ½ teaspoon, or more to taste.

Wine pair: as written the recipe would pair well with a light wine like a fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc or Dry Riesling, or fruit-forward Rose. If you prefer your sauce spicy-hot, you might want to try a Riesling or Gewürztraminer.

Adapted from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-and-Brown-Sugar-Barbecue-Sauce-359849?print=true @steven raichlen

Bacon Wrapped Barbecue Shrimp

We first tasted these shrimp 30 years ago while visiting the Outer Banks in North Carolina and have been making them ever since. The trick is to pre-cook the bacon up to just before it becomes crispy, so it’s partially cooked, but it is still flexible enough to wrap around the shrimp. If you don’t pre-cook the bacon, you will end up with raw bacon or over-cooked shrimp. The spicy, sweet, and savory Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is the perfect complement to the smoky bacon and delicate shrimp. Serve with a green salad or Rice Pilaf for a delicious complete 5TastesTable meal.

4 servings
Ingredients:

• 12 large shrimp (I used 13-15 count)

• 6 slices of bacon

• Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite bottled brand)

• 4 bamboo skewers

Preparation:
1. Soak the bamboo skewers while you make the Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:

• 1/2 cups ketchup

• 1/4 cup Bourbon

• 1/6 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup molasses

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard

• 1/2 shallot or 1/2 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 cloves garlic or

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle (or ancho) chili powder

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire

• 1 Bay Leaf

  1. Saute shallot and garlic.

  2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat. Stirring occasionally and simmer for 20 minutes. Sauce should be thin, but not watery. Allow to cool.

  3. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Sauce is better if allowed to sit for a day. Sauce will keep refrigerated for about 10 days.

Adapted from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-and-Brown-Sugar-Barbecue-Sauce-359849?

2. Precook the bacon: it should be cooked to the point just before it becomes crispy. Cut each strip in half so you have 12 halves.

3. Toss the shrimp in a bowl to coat with barbecue sauce and refrigerate for at least ½ hour.

4. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and thread onto a skewer so the skewer is holding the bacon in place on the shrimp; 3 shrimp per skewer.

5. Heat your grill to medium-hot; oil the grates.

6. Brush each bacon-shrimp skewer with barbecue sauce and place on a medium hot grill; cook for about 2-3 minutes per side depending on the size of your shrimp

Wine pairing: a balanced, fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc; Dry Riesling; Albariño.