Ingredients:
For the seasoning:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dash ground black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
dash allspice
For the dipping sauce:
1/3 cup ranch dressing
1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
5 pieces bacon
5 large shrimp
3 slices fresh jalapeno
1 ounce pepper jack cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to broil.
Mix the seasoning blend by combining the ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside.
Mix the dipping sauce by combining the ranch dressing with some cilantro in a medium size bowl.
Cook the bacon in a pan over medium to high heat, but don't cook it all the way until it's crispy. The bacon should be undercooked so that when cool, it will easily wrap around the shrimp.
Cook the bacon for about 3 minutes per side, but don't let it brown.
When the bacon is done, place it on paper towels to drain and cool.
Peel the shrimp, leaving just the last segment of the shell along with the tail.
Remove the dark vein from the back of the shrimp, and then cut down into the back of the shrimp (without cutting all the way through) so that the shrimp is almost butterflied open. This will make a pocket to hold the pepper and cheese.
Pour 1 cup of water into a small bowl, then add the shrimp and jalapeno peppers and microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. The shrimp should then be starting to firm up and change color.
Immediately pour the water out of the bowl, remove the jalapeno slices, and pour cold water over the shrimp.
Place the shrimp and jalapeno pepper slices onto paper towels to allow the excess water to drain off.
Start building the appetizer by cutting the jalapeno slices in half and removing the seeds. You should now have 6 jalapeno slices (you'll need 5 of these).
Place one slice into the slit on the back of a shrimp. Cut a one-inch-long chunk of cheese (about 1/4-inch thick), and place it on the jalapeno slice.
Wrap one strip of bacon around the shrimp, starting where the cheese is. Begin wrapping with the thinnest end of the bacon.
Go 1 1/2 times around the shrimp, then cut off the excess bacon and slide a skewer through the shrimp, starting with the end where the cheese is, piercing the cut end of the bacon on the other side.
Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp and slide them onto the skewer with the tails all facing in the same direction.
Place the skewer onto a baking sheet and sprinkle a very light coating of the seasoning blend over the shrimp.
Broil for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bacon begins to brown and the cheese begins to run.
Serve over a bed of rice if desired.
