I made these for a New Year's eve party and they disappeared quickly. I followed the hints of some previous reviewers and baked them for a total of 45 minutes, turning them over after the first 20 min. Also, I made the sauce using egual parts of mayo, Heinz chili sauce and brown sugar, then added about l Tbsp. of hot pepper sauce for some zing.... very delicious!
Holy cow! I too thought this was a strange combination of ingredients. After one taste though I can see why this one has such great reviews! I took these to an appetizer party last night and they were gone almost instantly. I followed what others did and used a whole waterchestnut (2 cans) to 1/2 a slice of bacon (1 lb). I cooked for 45 minutes to get them crispy and turned the midway to allow even browning. I poked toothpicks after cooking so everyone would have an easy time dipping into the sauce and am glad I did. This one is a keeper!
These went over really well at my birthday party. I cut the bacon into thirds and wrapped them around a halved chestnut. I made them one day in advance. First I baked them on a broiling pan for about 30 minutes and then turned on the broiler for about 10 minutes to ensure they turned out crispy. I let cool and then tossed them in the sauce. I refridgerated until 30 minutes before I was expecting company popped them in a 350 oven for about 25 minutes and served hot.
If I could give this one more than five stars...I would. They were incredible! I kind of hesitated as to making it at first as to the combination of the ingredients of the sauce but I am so so glad that I decided to. This will definitely be on the top of my list to bring to the first barbecue of the year but I know that I will be making them again even before then....many times I am sure. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
This recipe is good and is great microwaved (yes bacon gets crisped in a microwave!) I had to make this at work in the middle of the day so I didn't have any other options but this is the only way I'll make it from now on. I wrapped 1/2 slice bacon around the chestnuts and secured with a toothpick then placed 5 on doubled up paper towels on a paper plate and microwaved it for a minute. This half cooked them. Then I refrigerated and brought it in the next day. Microwaving for another minute did the trick - they were crispy and hot. The only thing I don't like about this recipe is that the sauce is enough for 4x the number of chestnuts in this recipe. Definitely half or quarter this sauce and you'll still have plenty. Beware the grocery store branded chili sauce - this is just cloaked cocktail sauce not chili sauce!
I'm not a water chestnut fan but I made these for a reception and they were a HIT! So simple...and so good. I didn't have one left. I used two cans of whole chestnuts and 1 lb. of bacon...using half a slice of bacon for each chestnut...secured by a toothpick (soaked in water to keep from burning) through the middle. GREAT appetizer!
These were pretty good the sauce helped their natural flavor really stand out. I used a wire rack set inside a shallow cookie sheet lined with tin foil to keep the little rolls out of puddles of grease as they cooked. Two things I would have changed: 1 turned them over halfway through cooking 2 kept them in the oven longer. It seemed they didn't turn out as crispy as I wanted my bacon to be- but no one was patient enough for me to put them back in the oven.
I made these a long time ago but never reviewed them. I made them solely on the basis of the reviews because the recipe looked pretty uninspiring to me. They were fantastic. As unappealing as that sauce sounds it tasted fantastic. This is a very nice little appetizer. They were a little time consuming to make and I doubled the waterchestnuts so I wouldn't have to halve them. I don't know if the brand I bought was particularly small but I wouldn't have wanted them cut in half.
These were YUMMY! My boss made them for a Christmas party at her house and we all loved them! Beware...once you start eating them you won't be able to stay away!
By slicing the water chestnuts in half you're making them weak and mine split and fell apart. I won't make these again.
