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!
This looks like something the Butcher from Word Girl would use in an attack. I can hear him now: “Bacon exPLOsion!” and hurling about 200 of these things at Word Girl and Captain Huggy Face (the latter would eat them).
I just made the bacon explosion. I don’t have a smoker so I made it in the oven… I know… blasphemy. I did, however, make my own Kansas City style bbq sauce for the center. Also, I added 5 cloves of diced jumbo garlic to my hot Italian sausage and ground pork mixture.
I’m going to slice and vacuum seal my leftovers to use as an ingredient. The possibilities are endless– on salads, baked potatoes, pizza etc.! Today, I’m using a slice of my bacon explosion in some homemade colby-jack mac and cheese. What a nice porky-carbohydrate bomb.
This recipe has made it all the way to Merry old England! Although I admittedly am an American!! Seriously tho… I’ve got a hankerin’ for some PORK PRODUCTS!!
Great Recipe!
al
alright, so i am a lover of not only bacon, bu anything that won’t eat me before i can eat it…. most recipes i am skeptical, if i don’t dismiss them right away, but i can’t wait to try this one out! what a good and simple combo.
I think I just found the official soundtrack to this recipe: http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/Pork/
@jtb: nice find. Good theme/soundtrack for this recipe. BUT!… it’s about 7(8, 9, 10…) minutes too long!
Jeeze… must be a “loop” cuz I never got to the end of it. Sheesh.
What a wonderful idea…Im a bacon fancier and yes it works well with Atkins but you cant have bread with it LOL
Also I cant understand why it has to be yukkied up with cheese and/or anything else…
its perfect just the way it IS YUMMMMM
I StumbleUpon’d this, and while I gave up red meat and haven’t eaten it in a good 5 years, I’ve got to admit that I can at least appreciate this.
I’d love to try it with turkey alternatives, but it just wouldn’t be the same… 😛
I would really love to try this one but I’m concerned about all that fat. Once my blood pressure’s gone down, this will be a great treat! 😀
Gotta love all that meat. Thanks for sharing!
My friend and I made 2 attempts at this. The first time, we used italian sausage and doubled the recipe just to see how far we could go. It was huge and good, but the sausage was a bit overpowering.
Last weekend, we substituted the sausage for hamburger and added sharp cheddar and american cheese inside along with the crumbled bacon. It turned out great! Each bite was like the best part of a double bacon cheeseburger.
Finally took the plunge and made the Bacon Bomb this past weekend. Everything went according to the directions. I did use a bit less sausage, 1 1/2 lbs., which was plenty. I am a fan of Bryons Butt Rub so I used that. I did add a thin layer of shredded cheese. I did not have any problem seperating the sausage to make the roll. I do think if you can get the size right, you don’t need to spread the sausage on the bacon and it might roll a bit easier. Other than that, the bomb went in my CookShack Smoker along with a meatloaf. Smoked for just under 3hrs to get to 165 degrees. Everyone loved it so it’s a keeper. The next morning I used a slice of it on an english muffin with a fried egg. My new version of the Egg McMuffin. Delicious.
By the way – you can comfort your friends who need some kind of material other than meat/protein in this creation, by adding roasted Portabello mushrooms to the dish, in place of the crumbled bacon in step #4. Cut portabellos into slices, then toss lightly with olive oil, while lightly sprinkling sea salt over them. Roast the slices on a cookie sheet for 1 hour in a 350F degree oven, occasionally moving them around on the cookie sheet during the roasting. At the end of an hour (approx – based on your oven), they will look like cooked bacon pieces, and surprisingly enough – they taste almost EXACTLY like bacon…
Could you just cook this inside a grill?? Or do you need a smoker?
@Josh – if you use a grill, turn off half the burners and keep the grease drippings away from the open flame, otherwise it will catch on fire.
@mr_melvis – cool idea on the portabellos, hadn’t thought of that. Adding salt might give it a little too much though, depending on what rub you’re using.
@jbt – man, that thing lasts forever…but cool
Glad everyone likes it! Stay tuned for more bacon explosion news soon!
dangit, now i wish i had a smoker to make this in 🙁 cause i want this sooo bad!!!!
@Mike: you don’t need a smoker.
Just fire up a grill, and slow cook the chub on indirect heat. Throw on some chips, and wait for the magic! Keep the kettle or lid closed for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours and you’ll be amazed at the results. Make sure you get the internal temp right. In the mean time, tell your wife/other/self, that you NEED a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker … deals for about $190 on the ‘net.
@Mike – HotSauceDaily’s advice is spot on!!! Now start working on convincing the wife that you need the proper equipment!!!
mmmmmmm……. that looks goods
Not quite of an explosion, more of a soup, but here is what I did with bacon and milk the other day. Turns out it tastes REALLY good!!
http://www.sponsorthatbike.com/blog/sabotaged-bacon-gone-right.html
If you listen closely you can actually hear your arteries hardening.
I made this up a few weeks ago with some freshly hunted venison and thick cut bacon. It was amazing. My roommates went nuts.
Well done, sirs.
Just finished making it around 2:00AM last night. Took exactly 3 hours to cook after I put it in the oven at 225 degrees near the top rack.
When I rolled it, I don’t think I used enough bacon bits in the middle because it wound up being mostly sausage, and the bottom was flat instead of completely round all the way.
But hey, I can’t complain, $16 for sausage and bacon, $4 BBQ sauce/rub, and a couple bucks for the oven bill led to a dish that I sure couldn’t get in any restaurant that I know of! If you’ll excuse me, I’ve some snacking to do
My sister and I did the following:
For the bacon weave, we alternated regular center-cut bacon with turkey bacon. For the filling, we used chicken Italian sausage and crumbled beef bacon in the middle. Smoked/grilled it for two hours and wound up in Bacon Explosion heaven… and my co-workers have seen the pictures and can’t believe I’m still alive. It was awesome. Thank you for the inspiration!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=15074&id=1555596295&ref=mf
wow! very great recipes…
Here’s a Canadian take on the Bacon Explosion.
I included Sun Dried Tomatoes, Garlic Powder, Blue Cheese but am using a slow cooker to extract the fatty goodness and maintain moisture.
Will post the results in 8 hours.
Oops, here’s the site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28517968@N06/sets/72157615949453733/