Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Camp Version
Dates wrapped in bacon over a fire, with sriracha and honey stirred in a cup.
- calories
- 310
- weight
- 3 oz
- cal / oz
- 103
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pitted dates | 16 | medjool if you can get them |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 8 strips | thin cut, thick cut will not crisp in time |
| Honey | 1/4 cup | squeeze bottle |
| Sriracha | 2 tsp | |
| Dried chives | 1 tsp | optional |
| Cooking oil | 1 tsp | for the foil |
Method
- Build the fire early and let it burn down. You want coals and a grate, not flames licking the pan.
- Cut each bacon strip in half. Wrap one half around each date and set it seam side down on an oiled sheet of heavy foil with the edges turned up.
- Set the foil on the grate over the coals. Cook about 15 minutes, turning the dates once, until the bacon is browned underneath.
- Move the foil directly over the hottest coals for the last minute or two to crisp the tops. Watch it; the honey has not gone on yet and the bacon will still burn.
- Stir the honey and sriracha together in a cup or a corner of the foil.
- Pull the dates off the heat, drizzle the sauce over them, scatter the chives, and eat them warm.
This is a party appetizer that happens to suit a fire pit better than an oven. Bacon renders its own fat, so the dates fry in it rather than sticking, and a foil sheet on the grate means the only thing to clean up is the fire.
The order matters. Sugar burns long before bacon crisps, so the honey and sriracha go on after the dates come off the coals. Bacon is the one cooler item here; the dates and honey keep indefinitely, so this is a first-night dish on a car-camping or paddle trip and not something to plan for day four.
Packing
Dates and honey ride in the dry box. Bacon stays in the cooler, still sealed, and goes on the fire the first night out. Carry a sheet of heavy-duty foil folded flat so it does not tear in the pack.
Variations
- Push a piece of hard cheese or an almond into each date before wrapping if you are not worried about nuts.
- No fire: a cast iron skillet on a two-burner camp stove does the same job in about the same time.
- Swap the sriracha for any hot sauce you already carry. The honey does the balancing.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/bacon-wrapped-dates-with-sriracha-honey-drizzle