The other day the guys from BaconToday.com contacted me in search for some barbecue bacon recipes. Of course I have plenty of great uses for bacon in a barbecue pit, but the longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to step it up a notch and clog a few arteries for those guys. Behold, BACON EXPLOSION!!! Here’s what you’ll need…
Bacon Explosion Ingredients
- 2 pounds thick cut bacon
- 2 pounds Italian sausage
- 1 bottle of Burnt Finger BBQ sauce
- 1 shaker of Burnt Finger BBQ rub
To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your bacon weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
The next step is to add some seasoning on top of your bacon weave. I used our Burnt Finger BBQ Smokey Kansas City seasoning (the label artwork has changed since this photo was taken), but many rubs will work. Here are some of my favorites that are available on Amazon.
The key here is to use a seasoning that is more sweet than salty. The bacon is already bringing a good amount of salt to party, so you want to avoid getting your Bacon Explosion over salted.
Now that you’re pork is well seasoned, it’s time to add more pork. Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores carry loose sausage, so just pick out one you like. I chose to go with a mild sausage, but spicy would work just the same. If you really want to get crazy, take a stab at making your own homemade sausage.
Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or a midnight snack). If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy. If you like your bacon burnt to hell so the smoke detectors go off, then burn it to hell so the smoke detectors go off. These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way. Personally, I like my bacon right at the point when it starts to get crispy, but hasn’t quite lost all of the softness yet. Regardless of how well done you like yours, you’ll need to crumble or chop the cooked strips into bite size pieces and place on top of the sausage layer. (Note-It’s okay, and encouraged, to snack on these pieces while your chopping/crumbling. But keep in mind that once those bacon morsels touch the raw sausage, you’ll need to resist all temptations to nibble. This can and will be difficult, but hospital trips are no fun, so stay strong.)
Since this is a BBQ recipe, we need to add another layer of BBQ flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. I use our Burnt Finger BBQ Smokey Kansas City sauce, but any BBQ sauce that you like will work. Here are some of my favorites that are available on Amazon.
Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the Smokey Kansas City Barbecue Seasoning you used on the bacon weave.
Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.
At this point we can start to see the final shape of our Bacon Explosion, but we’re missing one key item. To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.
Sprinkle some more Smokey Kansas City Barbecue Seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now this bad boy is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. Mine took about 2.5 hours, which was right on target with its 2.5 inch diameter.
Now that our Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, we need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that Burnt Finger BBQ sauce we used for inner flavor? We’ll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked bacon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce.
Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice bacon pinwheel pattern throughout the sausage. Obviously pork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meat monster into a sandwich, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana in no time flat!
My heart skipped a beat (mostly in anticipation of the impending angioplasty).
They should make drive-through angioplasty, it would make this much easier 🙂
This is what heaven looks like, isn’t it?
Alright this is going on Digg.
So dope.
How much Crestor do you take each day :.)
@Jason
Already there
Digg Link
Uh, wow! That. Is. Incredible! Can’t wait to try this out.
@Scott – Just a warning….the first Bacon Exlposion leads to many more!!!! Let us know how it turns out.
My heart hurts.
@Bloggeries – …from love or blockage?
Is it legal to marry food?
Marriages to any bacon or pork product is legal in at least all states that don’t end in “ZZ”, even California 😉
Whoa! You deserve some kind of medal or royal commendation for this. Well done!!
+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse
That actually goes so much over the top as to become unappealing.
@JP
Blasphemy! It was actually very tasty. You’re an Anti-Baconite aren’t you?
I am fucking discusted that you didn’t add extra bacon to the sausage meat, WTF!!
Everybody knows bacon make thing better, the more the better!
HO, HO, HO pappy needs a stocking stuffed with pork.
Now that is a lesson of love. I am going to have to give that a try.
That’s amazing! My mouth is watering.
The only things missing from this masterpiece is shredded cheeze in the middle and ranch dressing for dipping purposes. Other than that it’s perfect.
Bacon should be its own food group.
*drool* Perfect for X-MAS Dinner! *drool*
did I say I’d start my diet after Christmas? I meant after New Years! (That gives me this weekend to coat my arteries with this)!
Very nice. I will have to try this myself. So long as I eat a small portion along with a pound of salad I should be OK.
I had some trouble with the 2lbs of sausage on a 5×5 square. Seems to be too much on a small space and I couldn’t get it rolled up. I made 2 versions that works equally well. First was the 5×5 but I only used .5lbs of sausage. Worked great. Second version was 2lbs bacon, 2 lbs sausage on a 10×10 square. Worked good too. Not quite as bacon-y as the smaller version, but still good. Also, on the second version I added 1lb of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Excellent improvement!
Great recipe!!!!!
I am so gonna’ cook up a few dozen of those things and take to the box-social at the mosque this coming Saturday afternoon.
I’m courtin’ Betty-Lou and I just know I’ll earn big-time points with her and the congregation.
http://obbop.wordpress.com/
@armorer243 The size of the square depends on the width of your bacon. I was using some pretty hefty slices, so they may have covered more surface area than yours. Glad to hear the recipe treated you well!
PS. Cheese makes anything better!!!
Wow. Just…wow.
That looks amazingly fulfilling, but I would definitely not be brave enough to eat it without bread. =)
wow yeah, over the top.
it’s kind of like having a plate full of frosting and no cake. the frosting is the best part, who needs cake? or how about a bowl full of melted cheese? a warm glass of hollandaise sauce? or why don’t you just gnaw on a stick of butter? that’s rich too. yummy!
obviously butter is best served by itself. but I guess if you have to you could put it on a biscuit or something.
Hey would you be able to do this in a traditional oven? I’m sure it wouldn’t be quite as tasty, but with that much deliciousness I’ll live. Let me know, thanks.
wow, wrapped heart attack
It’ll probably take 10 years off my life but I love it.
Looks amazing, but I think I would have to spend the next week living on Oatmeal and drinking water to try and flush the salt and fat out of my system.
loveit
You sir, are going to Hell! This is the most pork-tacular creation I have ever witnessed. My wife is going to be furious when I make this. Thanks!
can this be baked at 225 (250?) degrees instead of barbecued? (my grilling skills aren’t accurate enough to measure fire at 225)
@han Yes, this can be cooked in an oven. Just make sure it cooks to an internal temp of 165. You will loose all of the delicious smokey flavor that truely makes this dish complete, but then again…it’s still bacon and sausage, so you can’t go wrong!!!
You could then slice it into patties and place it between two grilled cheese sandwiches, each having yet another layer of bacon within the cheese – sort of like a fatty melt.
This much meat can supply flavor to a lot of rice, corn, oatmeal, or potatoes.You are not even saving the drippings for cookies! In the post – (GRD) great republican depression times, when all foods are scarce, and gall bladder operations are priced out of reach by the Uber-Class, Ultra rich, who, by the way, don’t eat cheap greasy foods, we will look back on recipes like these and see the wrongness of our ways! we will be as thin as the Asian hoards of workers who drove us to this poverty, but we will be thin and healthy! In the mean time, as the clouds of darkness gather overhead and the dark curtain of un and under employment closes over us, – Chow Down !
Four day weekend + Bacon Explosion = Bliss. The house will be smelling of swine for days; no need for that pine-scented potpourri junk now!
How about some credit to the source of your inspiration?
You guys need help. Seriously.
I am in love with the pork!
Doug Larson
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
from:http://quotescollection.org/quote.php?aid=8294
Send one piece to Macedonia, please! 😉