These pastrami bacon-wrapped pickles are asking to be dipped into creamy horseradish sauce. Serve these at a party, and they will disappear first. Best to make a few batches.
Bacon & pickles, you don’t need an excuse.
Who knew that bacon and pickles would be the perfect combo? I don’t know, but it’s pretty clear after that first bite. These bacon-wrapped pickles are a super easy snack to prepare on your smoker, or even your oven if you had to.
No – you do not need to use the pastrami seasoning. It’s dang tasty though.
Stepping up the flavor
You might be wondering why I mentioned pastrami. Well, the good news for you is that this recipe is very VERY easy to pull off. No, you do not have to make pastrami. We are simply going to mix a few magic spices together and create a seasoning blend, allowing the bacon to taste like smoked pastrami.
Pastrami Seasoning
Pastrami is one of my favorite flavor profiles to mess with on the smoker and grill. If you haven’t caught on yet, I have a few recipes already.
This version of my pastrami spices is aligned for bacon, to maximize that salty, porky, crispy flavor while tying it into the acidic profile of the pickles. I opted to use pre-ground spices this time, simply to make the recipe a bit more simple for the average home cook.
Pastrami Seasoning
- 3 tbsp black pepper, ground
- 2 tbsp coriander, ground
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
(Where’s the salt??)
It’s in your bacon! You can certainly choose to add salt into your seasoning, but the bacon and the pickles together are more than enough flavor with the nitrates and acid.
You’ll make enough seasoning for a few batches, at least 3-4. This rub also tastes incredible on a smoked steak, so go check out the recipe for Pastrami-Spiced Porterhouse for another fun spin on the classic flavors.
Creamy Horseradish Dip
These crispy, salty bacon-wrapped pickles are screaming for a dip. I’m giving you a delicious option to cool your mouth from those hot spices.
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp chives or scallions
- salt & pepper to taste
Mix these together, adjust to taste. I’ve also made this recipe using greek yogurt instead of sour cream with successful results. You can skip the mayo if you’re averse, but it adds a level of richness to the dip. I know that 3 tablespoons of horseradish seems like a lot, but the bold flavor mellows out through the cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t like horseradish? Feel free to drain some sauerkraut and use that instead for a more traditional pastrami experience.
Can I use thick-cut bacon? Absolutely. You will need to adjust the timing of your cook. The photos you see above are actually with thick-cut bacon.
My smoker setting doesn’t have 275˚F. This can be a challenge with some pellet smokers. Use 300˚F instead, and just monitor your time.
What type of pickles should I use? There’s no wrong answer. I have used many types, but I tend to love bread & butter pickles the most as their sweetness contrasts with the spicy flavors.
Pastrami Bacon-Wrapped Pickles
These pickles are wrapped with delicious bacon, spiced with a pastrami rub. The best thing you can do is find something to dip it in, like a creamy horseradish dip.
- Total Time: 55
- Yield: 5-6 1x
Ingredients
1 pack of bacon
Jar of pickle slices (2 pieces per strip of bacon)
Pastrami Seasoning
- 3 tbsp black pepper, ground
- 2 tbsp coriander, ground
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
Creamy Horseradish Dip
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp chives or scallions
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 275˚F.
- Open the pack of bacon, slice the entire pack in half, length-wise. You will use 1/2 slice per pickle slice.
- Fold each pickle into the half of bacon slice, and place seam-down on a wire rack (recommended) to make it easy for transferring to the smoker. Do this for the remaining pieces.
- Mix together the ingredients for the pastrami seasoning. Taste and adjust (remember, the bacon has the salt). Season both sides of the bacon with the seasoning.
- Place the wire rack on the smoker for 35-40 minutes. You may need to cook longer depending on the type of bacon you used, or the amount you’re smoking. At this point, if you’d like to turn up the temperature to 300-325˚F to crisp up the bacon more, you may, but you’ll want to monitor it closely.
- Mix the ingredients for the dip.
- Remove the bacon-wrapped pickles from the smoker and dip! Enjoy!
Notes
Use your instincts when cooking this recipe. This is a general guide for temperature and time, but your bacon & pickles will vary. Make sure you’re monitoring it after the 30-minute mark for the best outcome.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: snacks
- Method: smoking
- Cuisine: appetizers
Keywords: bacon, pastrami, snack, appetizer
