Spicy, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Buffalo Shrimp: Bottle Rocket Shrimp

Last Updated on June 25, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein: Shrimp, Seafood

Appetizers and Sharables

Method: Grill

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These jumbo shrimp are seasoned with Cajun seasoning, wrapped in crispy bacon, and then finished with a spicy and flavorful buffalo sauce.  They make for a delicious appetizer for your summer BBQ, at your game Day party, or cook them on skewers as "bottle rocket shrimp" for your 4rth of July celebration.

We got our inspiration for this dish by the bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer known as Shrimp Atascadero, at C.C's City Broiler in Columbia, MO. This great restaurant was also the inspiration for our Filet Mignon with Goat Cheese Sauce and Grand Marnier Sautéed Peppers. If you are ever in CoMo check them out.

Why you will love these grilled buffalo shrimp

Help celebrate the 4th of July with these Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp: They make for a quick and easy appetizer to enjoy while you celebrate Independence Day. 

The Shrimp Atascadero may have a hard to pronounce, but there is nothing hard about making them. This is a simple but delicious grilled shrimp recipe.

Make it a shrimp fest with some of the other best shrimp recipes from around the world:

• Spicy Trinidad Style Pepper Shrimp Recipe
• Greek Grilled Shrimp with Basil-Orange Orzo
• Pina Colada Shrimp Skewers
• Shrimp Mozambique: Spicy Portuguese Shrimp
• Spicy Caribbean Shrimp with Mango-Chile Sauce
• Cast Iron New Orleans Barbeque Shrimp
• Roasted Chicken and Shrimp Curry Stuffed Coconuts

Making the Spicy Firecracker Shrimp

These Bottle Rocket Shrimp are super simple and only requires a few ingredients. You will need about one pound of raw shrimp with the tail on, bacon, your favorite hot sauce or buffalo style sauce, and a little of your favorite Cajun style seasoning. We like to make our own Cajun seasoning and have included a recipe below, but you can certainly use a store-bought seasoning like Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, Emeril’s Essence, or your personal favorite.

Prepare the shrimp

You want large plump shrimp for this recipe. U-15 shrimp or jumbo shrimp work very well, but you can go larger as well.  For best results use tail-on, deveined shrimp.

If your shrimp have not been peeled, then peel them leaving the tails intact of you can remove the tails if desired. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and arrange on a plate or baking sheet. Liberally season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning on both sides of the shrimp.

Make the Bottle Rocket Shrimp Skewers

To make the Spicy Buffalo Bacon Wrapped Shrimp you will need one piece of bacon per shrimp and wooden skewer for each shrimp. We find that center cut bacon or thinly sliced bacon works best in the recipe. You can use thick cut bacon if you desire but you will want to "sweat" or precook the bacon slices about half-way before wrapping if you do this in order for the bacon to fully cook without overcooking the shrimp.  If you are using smaller shrimp, you may only need a half slice of bacon per shrimp.

Wrap each piece of shrimp in the strip of bacon and hold in place with a toothpick if needed. We find that a toothpick is not typically necessary if you use the skewers to hold the bacon in place. 

If you are looking for more great bacon wrapped recipes, then check out our Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.

Once all of your Firecracker Shrimp skewers are made it is time to fire up your grill!

Cooking the Bottle Rocket Shrimp

Heat your grill or smoker to medium-high heat, about 375 degrees and set up for indirect heat.

Grill the bacon wrapped shrimp until the bacon has crisped up to your liking and the shrimp is cooked though, flipping every 2-3 minutes.

The firecracker shrimp typically takes about 15 minutes to cook and for the bacon to crisp up but cooking time can vary, so cook until the bacon is crispy and cooked through.

Remove the shrimp from the grill and dip them in the hot sauce or baste them directly on the grill with a basting brush. Throw the shrimp back on the grill and cook them for a couple minutes per side to set the sauce, then remove from the grill/smoker.

For more spicy meat on sticks check out our Grilled Tiger Cry Beef or Moroccan Grilled Kefta Kebabs or for something more mild try our South African Sosaties: Lamb and Apricot Kebabs or Peruvian Anticuchos de Pollo: Peruvian Chicken Skewers.

Serving the Bottle Rocket Shrimp

Serve the firecracker shrimp warm with some extra buffalo sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

We like to make a "fireworks display" with the shrimp. They make a great centerpiece for your Independence Day inspired finger foods.

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