By March 2026. I am 67, and spring in Memphis is arriving with its usual lack of subtlety — everything blooming at once, the dogwoods and azaleas competing for attention, the air warm enough to sit on the porch again.
Walter Jr. and his family came by — the grandchildren growing with the speed of summer corn, each visit revealing new heights and new personalities.
Ribs on the smoker — spare ribs, dry-rubbed with the sixteen-spice blend, five hours at 225. The bark cracked like the surface of a good sermon, revealing layers of flavor beneath: smoke, spice, sweetness, the particular depth that only time and fire can produce. Rosetta ate two and said nothing negative, which is her highest rating.
Sunday at Mt. Zion, the music held me the way music holds everyone: completely, without asking permission. After church, the porch, the quiet, the knowledge that the week was good enough. Good enough is everything.
The ribs were the centerpiece, but a long smoke always calls for something to keep hungry grandchildren patient while the bark sets — and these Apricot-Glazed Bacon Spirals have become my answer to that particular problem. There’s something about the sweetness of apricot meeting the salt and smoke of bacon that echoes the same layers I love in a dry-rubbed spare rib: simple ingredients, a little heat, and time doing most of the work. Rosetta approves of these too, which is all the endorsement any recipe needs.
Apricot-Glazed Bacon Spirals
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 12 (2 spirals per serving)
Ingredients
- 12 strips thin-cut bacon, cut in half crosswise
- 24 thin breadsticks (about 8 inches long)
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Lightly coat the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the glaze. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the apricot preserves, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Wrap the breadsticks. Take one half-strip of bacon and wrap it in a tight spiral around a breadstick, starting at one end and angling slightly as you go so the bacon covers most of the stick. Press the end of the bacon gently to secure it. Repeat with remaining bacon and breadsticks.
- Arrange and glaze. Place wrapped breadsticks in a single layer on the prepared wire rack. Using a pastry brush, coat each spiral generously with the apricot glaze, reserving about half the glaze for later.
- Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven and bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the glaze is caramelized and golden.
- Cool briefly and serve. Let the spirals rest on the rack for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving platter — the glaze sets slightly as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 310mg