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!
@branka
We don’t eat an entire sausage bacon roll every day.
I NEED a smoker, just to make this recipe. Thank you thank you thank you
For decades my favorite meal has required waking up drunk at a Marriott property and stumbling down stairs for their all you can eat breakfast. I routinely eat 3 to 5 pounds of bacon and spend the next 40 minutes reading USA Today back on my toilet (its how I roll). My friends marvel at the fact I’m not dead and still under 250 pounds. Not much under but I’m in the clubhouse at about half a stone under par (the British system tends to not make you sound so much like a/o – beast). I obviously appreciate (heavy stress on “ATE” part of that last word) any recipe that involves 2 pounds of bacon but I would like to add that in many butcher shops the thick bacon actually comes from Hog Jowls. I would invite the true bacon lovers to not overlook the possibility of buying hog Jowls (available at many grocery stores in the smoked meat area) and slicing it very thick. Let’s say 3/4 of an inch to make the wrapping of this feast much easier and the package much more sturdy. Using 3/4 inch cut hog jowls strips you could also turn this into an indoor oven backed feast. Not everyone can BBQ in the winter or at work in the breakroom for lunch. The only drawback to using bacon this thick is our public health requirement to avoid a neighborhood wide outbreak of Tricanosis. Because after all we all want live to eat more pork. I make a mean Hog Jowl casserole. It’s nothing more than hog jowls sliced and rolled up with 2 pounds of shredded cheese and sliced pepperoni inside. It great its like Pizza without all that pastry crap in the way. And baking lets a lot of the grease flow out not that its a health consideration but it does saves you from having to change your shirt after a good meal.
RaiderFrank, you are a gentleman, a scholar, and a poet.
Long live guanciale!
Sort of ironic that the bacon explosion resembles a burnt finger.
Is this site sponsored by the American Association of Heart Surgeons or something? Maybe they should let caskets.com in on the advertising for this recipe. I can’t WAIT to make this!
deJaDy Thanks for good post
Dammit why can’t u master bacon and KC people live in DC for pete’s sake??? I don’t think people on a plane (or in my vehicle for that matter) would appreciate me haulin all that piggy wiggy around to portland!!! mmmm…. ok, have to go drool at my desk while staring at porky pictures now. THANKS for the awesome idea!
Wow! I stumbled upon this and instantly was mesmerized…the possibilities!
I shall make slight changes, but what a beautiful concept! (thinking the cheddar cheese option)
For those that are “disgusted” and prefer Tofu and such…perhaps you should go suck a fat baby’s dick?
I will never understand a life eating horrible food, just to make it last longer?
Perhaps this is what was meant by heaven on Earth?
wow i didn’t know bacon can look that yummmyyy drooling…
Great. I’ll give some of these a try next summer. Thanks.
Great recipes! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! If pork didn’t rule before, it sure does now! Great job!
The only thing it’s missing is CHEESE! 🙂
I’m pretty much thoroughly disgusted right now! but I can’t look away…
Now that’s an artery clogger if i ever saw one, then add cheese and you have a colostomy
Bar-B-Que.
I’ve gotta try this. I should probably visit my attorney and have my will drawn up first.
Q manero… eu como isso com pão e umas fatias de queijo.
Nice!!
I don’t see why you need to cook it to 165 internally, that’s just ultra-well done and unnecessary. An internal temperature of 145-155 is perfectly safe! I mean I personally enjoy it a little pink especially if your using super fresh pork.
@PartyTime
Feel free to cook your pork to whatever temp you prefer. 165 might be a bit high for chops or loin, but it’s plenty good for sausage. There’s more than enough fat to keep the pork moist and delicious. In fact, I’ve taken fatties much high without any problems.
In case you’re interested, here’s a publication put out by the National Pork Board, a pork producers organization, that has some of the facts about cooking temperatures for pork. They advocate 155 F but their basic message is “140 F is safe”.
Either way, I’m sure the Bacon Explosion is delicious at whatever temperature you choose so cook it!
Cheers,
@UncleNate
@UncleNate
Thanks for the great info!!! But I would like to point out that there is a difference between “safe” pork and properly cooked pork. Many BBQ meats (especially pork) are cooked well beyond the “safe” zone. Pork butt can be taken as high as 210 degrees and will still be quite moist. It’s just a matter of how much fat you choose to render out of the meat. The low and slow cooking process is very conducive to retaining moisture while breaking down the tough connective tissue. This is the whole reason that BBQ is so tender and delicious. Ultimately though, it all boils down a matter of personal opinion. There is no right or wrong when it comes to BBQ, and as you said before, the Bacon Explosion is delicious no matter temperature you choose. So do what best suits your taste while staying safe.
i just made this and… and… and i….
oh yes.
You cant beat the bacon butty i just had… real farmers bacon from the Ribble Valley in the North West of England.. itss goooooodddddd eeeeaaatttiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn.
It made my fat meter go BONG! But I can not look at a thing like this without thinking of what to add to make it just a little better. Grilled chopped onion & jalapeños; Diced leftover baked potatoes & shredded cheddar cheese as a last layer inside. That should make a complete clog.
Speaking of additions, what about a whole pork tenderloin in the middle?
Wouldn’t it change the cooking time too much unless you did the loin first?
Perhaps it would, slightly, but I don’t see that as an impediment, especially because you’d probably want to sear the tenderloin first. Plus, the tenderloin can stand to be cooked to a lower temp than the sausage.
Haven’t made this bacony blob yet but plan to very soon. I’m thinking about some fresh cilantro, halved cherry tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese in the center mixed with the bacon to add some freshness. Bu either way, great recipe!
Oh my gosh, that is so much meat!!
You, sir, are a god!
Suicide by pork fat!
Looks like someone has been looking at The Smoking Meat Forum and using recipes from that site, we have been making “Fatties” (that is what we call them on the forum) for a couple years now
@Kurt
Yea, sorry I forgot you invented sausage and bacon. And fatties.
Frankly we’ve been accused of “stealing” this recipe several times and I don’t get it. It’s just sausage wrapped in bacon, and we did it well. You and the other fourteen people that have claimed to invented it can take credit, we just take credit for making this one 🙂
“but the longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to step it up a notch”
Nothing new here. Just looks like a regualar ole bacon fatty. Somewhat like re-inventing the wheel.
The folks here seem to enjoy the pics though.
Maravilhoso!!!!! Deve ser uma delícia… mesmo sendo uma bomba calórica e um poço de colesterol, eu como sem preconceitos!!!!
Vou até postar essa delícia no meu blog!!
Grande abraço!!!!!!!!!
@Dan
Yes, we’re making something that’s probably been made before, we just do it well 🙂
And Jason has a wife that’s good at taking pictures!
@Francesconi
My Portuguese is a bit rusty, but I think you said something about a calorie and cholesterol bomb..? And you’re right, just don’t eat it all at once! It’s good as leftovers and we ate it for about a week. great for breakfast!
by eating these horrifically raised factory farmed pigs you’re filling your bodies up with cancer causing heavy metals, hormones and antibiotics and destroying the efficacy of the antibiotics your children will need to survive by creating super bugs and ruining the planet they need to survive.. have you read about the waste that a pig CAFO creates? .. You’re all disgusting and karma will get you in the end for having such a lack of ethics.
@ethical
Sorry for ending the world. I’d rather eat some tasty food before Armageddon 🙂
Ethical,
I generally agree with your point of view—that’s why I almost never eat factory-farmed animals—but what I don’t agree with is your preachy fun-killing rudeness. You must know from experience that no one will listen to you when you take that tone. How about you go eat some organically raised soy products and leave the rest of us to our good time?
Wow! Fucking Wow! I wanna sink my teeth into that fucking juicy roll of a whatyoumaycallit.
The most difficult part seems to be the sausage roll. My suggestion is take a tip from sushi makers and create a rolling sheet from wax paper, butcher paper or plastic wrap. Cut a sheet that is the same size as the bacon layer. Do not cover the entire bacon layer offset the wrapping material an inch or two and then layer the sausage on top. Now you can easily pull the entire sausage layer at once and wrap it (obviously leaving the wrapping material out of the rolled sausage).