These crispy, cheesy, and slightly spicy bacon-wrapped tater tots are the perfect weekend snack, especially with a cold beer.
They’re easy to prep, packed with flavour, and cooked to crispy perfection on the smoker for a hint of wood-fired goodness.
We spotted these bite-sized snacks on various American websites. In the Netherlands, we don’t have tator tots but small potato croquettes that look the same.
Our version of bacon-wrapped tator tots has an extra kick and a cheesy layer. This BBQ snack is a little work to make, but once you have everything prepared en ready, you can roll up about 30 of these in just 10 minutes. There is no need to thaw the tater tots first. You can use them straight from the freezer. We use tater tots that have to be cooked in the air fryer. We find them to be a bit crispier.
We place the wrapped tater tots on a cooling rack for easy handling. This way, you can move them around effortlessly and even store them in the fridge if you want to grill them the next day.
We’re cooking these in our gravity-fed smoker, which is basically a giant air fryer. We’re using a small chunk of cherry wood for a subtle smoky touch.
To balance out the rich, crispy flavours of the tater tots, we’ve made a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce with a nice tangy kick. It pairs beautifully with these loaded tater-tot bombs. We’re also warming the sauce up on the grill for extra depth of flavour.
Grab a cold beer, stack up some napkins (you’ll need them), and dig into these cheesy, crispy, bacon-wrapped delights. If you try this recipe, let us know in the comments below. Or even better, take a photo, post it on Instagram, and tag @bbqhelden so we can see your creation!
Ingredients
- Frozen tater tots
- Thinly sliced bacon
- Aged cheese (sliced)
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Lay the bacon slices on a cutting board and place a thin slice of cheese on top.
- Roll a tater tot in the bacon until it’s wrapped completely. Trim any excess bacon if needed.
- Mix the dry rub ingredients and spread them on a flat plate.
- Roll the wrapped tater tots in the dry rub and place them on a cooling rack.
- Preheat your barbecue to an indirect heat of 200°C (400°F).
- Place the tater tots on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Let them cool slightly before serving them with your favourite BBQ sauce.
