Bacon Wrapped Sweet Plantains

Ripe plantains are a household favorite here.  We usually just fry them on a cast iron pan indoors.  It is normally served as a side dish, usually with steak.  We're also huge fans of bacon.  So why not combine the two?  Weather was nice, so I fired up the Kamado Joe Classic. 

Green plantains are used to make tostones (patacones).  Yellow and black plantains are great for grilling.  

 You bet I will!

Ideally you want your plantains very ripe for optimal sweetness.  The peel should at least be as black as this one, preferably more.  You may have to purchase an unripe plantain and wait a week or two for it to ripen.

Soak the toothpicks in water for 15-20 minutes so they wont burn on the grill. 

 

Sliced at about 1" thickness. 

No need to season, plenty of salt in the bacon.

Insert toothpick through both ends of the bacon.

 

Preheat the grill to 350-375F.  I am using a Lodge cast iron pizza pan. 

You want to turn the plantains over so you can get the bacon nice and crispy on all sides.  It takes roughly 15-20 minutes to cook. 

The contrasting flavors of sweet and salty make this a great appetizer!