Barbecued Pig In Blanket

A giant barbecued pig in blanket! Here sausage meat is wrapped in a bacon weave then cooked over charcoal & glazed with honey.

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The ultimate pig in blanket!

Here, we’re making one massive sausage & wrapping it in a streaky bacon weave. This is then barbecued over charcoal & glazed with honey. Perfect for eating on its’ own, in a sandwich or on a roast dinner. It’s a smoky twist on a festive classic!

For more festive recipes, take a look at our Christmas section. We’ve got recipes for all the classic side dishes, as well as impressive starters & desserts. Or if you’re after recipes that use up festive leftovers, we’ve got plenty of those as well!

What Are Pigs In Blankets?

Here in the UK, our pigs in blankets are made by wrapping chipolata sausages in streaky bacon (not to be confused with the American “pig in a blanket” which are sausages wrapped in pastry). Pigs in blankets tend to be eaten as part of a roast dinner & are especially popular at Christmas.

What You’ll Need

To make the ultimate barbecued pig in blanket!

• Sausage Meat (750g)
  A good quality pork sausage meat is key here. If you can’t get any, use sausages with the skins removed.
• Unsmoked Streaky Bacon (15-20 Rashers)
  Streaky bacon works best for bacon weaves. As we’re cooking the pork in a barbecue, we’ll need to use unsmoked bacon so that it’s not overly smoky once cooked.
• Vegetable Oil (1 tbsp)
  Coating the pig in blanket with some veg oil before cooking helps crisp the bacon up in the bbq.
• Honey (2 tbsp)
  Brushed on towards the end of cooking, to glaze the pig in blanket. If you’d prefer you could use maple syrup instead.

Making The Pig In Blanket

The full, printable recipe card for this pig in blanket can be found at the bottom of this post!

Step 1 – Sausage Meat

The first step, is to form the sausage meat into a 30 cm long cylinder. To do this, we roll the pork in either a double layer of clingfilm or in baking parchment (I prefer clingfilm) then refrigerate whilst we make the bacon weave.

Step 2 – Bacon Weave

Next, it’s bacon weave time! Here’s how to make one…

1. Lay a double layer of clingfilm (big enough to roll the sausage in) onto a worksurface.
2. Place 10-12 rashers of bacon*, facing lengthways on the clingfilm, making sure that the rashers are sitting right next to each other, leaving no gaps.
   *The width of the bacon weave should be the same length as the sausage meat.
3. Fold back alternating rashers by 3-4 cm (towards you) then lay another piece of bacon horizontally across the unfolded rashers, so that it sits level with the top. Unfold the folded bacon back over the horizontal rasher.
4. Next, fold the bacon that wasn’t folded in the previous step away from you, so that it folds over the first horizontal piece of bacon. Lay another horizontal rasher across the unfolded bacon, so that it’s sitting right next to the first rasher then unfold the folded bacon back over.
5. Continue the weaving process, alternating which rashers of bacon are folded back until you have a bacon weave that is big enough to wrap around the sausage. You’ll need between 6-8 rashers of bacon in total for the horizontal pieces.
6. Using a pair of scissors, trim any excess bacon from the weave & save for another recipe.
7. Next, unwrap the sausage meat then place at the top of the weave.
8. Using the clingfilm, wrap the weave around the sausage meat then roll into a sausage & tightly tie the ends. Refrigerate overnight or for at least a couple of hours.

Step 3 – Overnight Chill

Now that we’ve made our pig in blanket, it needs to chill in the fridge, so that it holds its’ shape whilst it cooks. I’ve found that an overnight chill works best but a couple of hours would also work.

Cooking The Pig In Blanket

In A Barbecue

We’re going to be cooking the pig in blanket indirectly in a barbecue. This means that the charcoal will be at the opposite side of the barbecue to the meat, which provides a gentler heat. This technique is perfect for low & slow cooking or for when you don’t need such a high heat.

First, light a barbecue with charcoal then preheat to 175°c/350°f & set up for indirect cooking.

Next, unwrap the pig in blanket, place onto a baking tray then brush all over with the vegetable oil. Place the pig in blanket in the barbecue, seam side down. We’re cooking this indirectly, so the sausage should be on the opposite side of the barbecue to the charcoal.

Cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/149°f, turning/flipping it over every 15 minutes or so, to prevent it from burning. The pork will take roughly 35-40 minutes to reach this temperature.
If the bacon starts to brown too much, move it away from the charcoal. If it needs crisping up before glazing, give the pork a quick sear directly over the charcoal.

Next, brush the pig in blanket with the honey/maple syrup then continue cooking until the internal temperature is 75°c/167°f. This should only take 5-10 minutes. If the glaze starts to colour too much, move the pork further away from the charcoal.

Once cooked, take the pig in blanket off the barbecue, leave to rest for 5-10 minutes then slice into portions.

In The Oven

First, preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).

Unwrap the pig in blanket then place onto a lined baking tray. Brush all over with the vegetable oil then cook until the internal temperature reaches 65°c/149°f. This will take roughly 30 minutes.

Next, brush the pork with the honey/maple syrup then continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 75°c/167°f. This will take around 5-10 minutes. If the glaze starts to colour too much, cover the pork loosely with foil.

Once cooked, let the pork rest for 5-10 minutes then slice into portions.

How To Reheat A Barbecue Pig In Blanket

If you have any pig in blanket leftover, it should be stored in the fridge & will keep for up to 3 days. You can serve this hot or cold, it will taste great either way!

To reheat, place any leftover barbecued pig in blanket onto a baking tray (preferably left as a larger piece instead of slices) then cook in a 180°c/356°f oven until piping hot (an internal temperature of 75°c/167°f). Alternatively, cut the cold pork into slices & pan fry in a small amount of oil until nicely browned on each side.

Equipment Used

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• Weber Kettle BBQ
• Thermapen Digital Food Probe

More Christmas Recipes To Try!

• Turkey Stuffing Scotch Egg
• Cranberry & Orange Cured Salmon
• Brie & Cranberry Stuffed Dough Balls
• Marmalade Glazed Carrots
• Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
• Cheesy Creamed Brussel Sprouts
• Goose Fat Roast Potatoes
• Mulled Cider Roasted Pork Belly
• Sausage & Bacon Stuffing
• Classic Mince Pies
• Baileys Mince Pie Ice Cream
• Sticky Toffee Gingerbread
• Chocolate Orange Fondants

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