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!
Wow. My lowcarb is usually a lot more boring than this. My eyeballs nearly fell out of my head. And don’t start me on how it’s a phallic object to boot. Some foods are frighteningly perfect.
I’m seriously wondering about 101 variants on this. Like small-cubed pork with chili verde sauce in the middle. Or shredded bbq pork in the middle (both could be partly-cooked first). Or actually, three thin layers: bacon, canadian bacon, and pepperoni, maybe partly-cooked first so they were each more crispy, THEN something in the middle. Or, if you gotta make a meatloaf, why not make it like this? Or . . . my god. My house is going to smell like bacon for weeks but I’ve gotta try it!
PJ – I don’t consider a house smelling like bacon to be a bad thing. Good luck on your fatty experiments!!! Sounds like you’ve got enough ideas to keep you busy for awhile. 🙂
This is going to be the masterpiece of my Superbowl Sunday. I cannot wait to prepare, cook, and eat this!!
BA, you had me after the bacon weave. You are the first to be added to my blogroll…Very inspiring on many levels. From one addict to another, Push On Chef! theculinaryaddict
Shaun (2 posts above me), make sure to have 911 on speed dial at your SuperBowl party, bud.
DO U deliver? :}~ rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr where’s my BIB?
I’m going to become vegan 28 days a month so I can have one of these — the whole thing — every other Sunday …
Congrats on the NYT article, guys! You’ve made a lot of us Baconites pretty happy. And a lot of pigs very, very sad.
Daddy likey.
@Theo – Thanks for the support!!! Bacon Explosion now has a Facebook fan page as well. Now you can publicly declare your love for pork to all your friends and family. http://zi.ma/083c09
True genius! I can’t wait to try this recipe. If you have to die, you might as well die happy.
Unfortunately, I currently live on a heavily guarded compound in Baghdad. It’s just a tad difficult to get bacon and pork sausage here. I’ll be back stateside around Easter and this will be the first thing I will smoke. What a way to get back into pork, the missing ingredient in this current life….
@Eric
The Bacon Explosion awaits your safe return!
I don’t have a smoker.. how do you think I should cook this bit of luciousness on a Weber gas grill? Any suggestions would be great.
@Jon – Indirect heat is the key to grilling this bad boy. Turn off at least half the burners and set it above those. You may even want to use a drip pan so catch the bacon grease. It that grease hits the flames, then you’ll get flare ups and catch the whole thing on fire. Very unsafe, plus an extreme waste of good pork!!!!
Here’s the link to our ‘attempt’!
Bacon Explosion – A Love Story
Thank you BBQ Addicts – GREAT RECIPE!!
http://tinyurl.com/85hrsj
should this be put in an oven at 225 or 250? approx time to get to necessary internal temp of 165F?
@ Chris – Smoking it at 250 took about 2 1/2 hours. Same temp should work just fine in an oven. ADVICE – place the Bacon Explosion on a rack to lift it out of the grease pool that will form. Enjoy!
Add a slather of peanut butter between the cooked bacon and the sausage. Elvis woud be proud.
that is way more legal and tasty than taking recreational hydro. I actually bookmarked this.
I have the perfect Maple Bourbon glaze to finish this porker off:
Maple Bourbon Glaze
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup bourbon or sour mash whiskey
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Grated peel and juice of 2 juice oranges (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 cup brown or Creole mustard
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon coarse grain or sea salt
In a heavy nonreactive pot, add the maple syrup, whiskey, vinegar, orange juice and peel, brown sugar, mustard, and soy. Bring to a simmer and reduce the mixture to 1 cup. If grilling or roasting meat or poultry turn and baste with the glaze during the last 10 minutes of cooking. If grilling or roasting seafood, turn and baste with the glaze during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Yield: 1 cup
Its yummy!
As a representative of Swine Nation, I came here originally to protest the indiscriminate and reckless use of pork.
However, after viewing the photos, I cannot.
Well played, sir,well played.
I own “BUCKAROO PIT BBQ WEST TEXAS COOKING” and the Bacon/Sausage Combo sounds good however, I have many Workin’ Ranch Hands that like the fat off the top of my Smoked Briskets and placed between two sticks of bread. That would exceed the fat content of the Sausage/Bacon Combo!!!!!!!!!. But they love it!!!!
Once you finish this you could then the obvious next step would be to roll up a “cigarette” in a Bacon Flavored rolling paper 🙂
@Blake
Actually, the obvious *first* step would be to roll up a “cigarette” in Bacon Flavored rolling paper.
As an American living in Egypt – a nation where pork is legal, but of poor quality – I am unhappily pork starved. Just browsing the pics and recipe instructions on this site has me smiling and drooling all over the place!!!!!! :),,,, Love it! Love it! Love it!
If cooked in an oven, what temperature would you suggest to cook it at and for how long?
Ewwww.
@Ray – Although we recommend the smoker, you can cook it in the oven at 250 for around 2 1/2 hours (just make sure the internal temp reaches 165). After baking, you’ll need to crisp up the bacon either in a fry pan or in the broiler.
You are truly gods among men.
Extraordinary creation!
The Bacon Explosion: Each bite brings you closer to your maker!
Instead of serving it on a biscuit or roll, could you split a glazed donut in half and serve it in a sandwich like that?
@Spliff McGee
You have a valid point there. This way you wouldn’t feel the heart attack