You had me at “Bacon Wrapped Smoked Cheese Stuffed Onion Rings”.

We don’t often cook onion rings but when we do we have to get at least 3 adjectives in front of it.

If you’re looking for the perfect crowd pleaser for the next casual get together then look no further. Bacon Wrapped Smoke Cheese Stuffed Onion Rings bring a little something for everyone. This straightforward easy-to-do appetizer brings a multi-layer party of flavor to the otherwise forgettable onion.

Let’s check out the building blocks that make this BBQ enthusiast lollipop so tantalizing.

1. Onion

The onion serves as the base. When choosing onions for this dish it is important to find a solid healthy onion that can be sliced, separated and stand up to the forthcoming construction and cooking. We used a Spanish Onion in this recipe but a Sweet Vidalia would likely make a good option as well. When slicing the onion be sure to slice the rings thick enough to support the remaining ingredients. Also having an onion buried at the bottom of this cholesterol bomb provides the perfect out when asked if any vegetables were consumed.

Did you have any vegetables?
Of course.  Of course you did.

2. Cheese

We went with a string cheese option here. The thought being that when it came time to layer in a slice of cheese it would be super helpful to have malleable cheese that can be sliced to the exact width needed and bend without breaking. After slicing the onion we remove ‘every other’ slice to create cheese grooves. Slicing the cheese lengthwise into strips that are of equal width results in maximum cheese incorporation into the onion trenches. The goal is to have a thick solid ring of onion and cheese.  Two rings of onions and a middle ring of cheese.

3. Bacon

You can’t go wrong when you wrap your grill destined snacks with bacon.  We took this idea from our Atomic Buffalo Turds recipe.  The bacon, when cooked, will crisp up and work to hold the onion ring in shape.

4. Pork Rub

Any dry rub will do here.  We used our one handed dry rub and coated the bacon wrapped cheese stuffed onion slices generously.

One of the nice aspects of this recipe is that it is sure to be a hit and it is easy to make which will in turn provide many opportunities to try different cheeses, dry rubs and onions out.

How we did it

Ingredients

• 3-4 onions (medium to large)
• 4 packages of string cheese
• 12 skewers
• 2 lbs. bacon (2 packages)
• Pork dry rub seasoning to taste

Method

1. Slice the onion widthwise between a quarter of an inch and half an inch thick.
2. Separate the onion slices and arrange every other slice on a preparation platter leaving an empty space between slices.
3. Slice the string cheese lengthwise trying to keep the same width as space available between the onion slices. Use multiple slices of string cheese to fill the space entirely around the circle.
4. Wrap bacon around the onion rings being sure to cover the entire ring.
5. Skewer each onion ring through both sides. This will help hold it together and provide a handle for easy consumption later.
6. Generously season the onion rings with your dry rub seasoning of choice.

Time to hit the grill

Fire up your Big Green Egg and let it come up to 350 degrees and set it up for indirect cooking. We added hickory chips for one more little nuance of flavor.

Once the grill is up to temp place the onion rings on the cooking grid and allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes. then flip and continue cooking until the bacon is thoroughly cooked and has created a crispy shell.

Remove the Bacon Wrapped Smoked Cheese Stuffed Onion Rings and allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes.

Serve immediately and enjoy while hot!