Bacon Explosion!
"My husband sent me this recipe with a note reading, "You know I HAVE to make this." It is quickly making the internet and tv rounds and I saw it the next day on Good Morning America. It is from the BBQ Addicts website. You can see photos of the process at http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html I posted for your Superbowl eating pleasure (but you may not want to see the calorie count)."
photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 4
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 2 lbs thick cut bacon
- 2 lbs Italian sausage
- 3⁄4 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite)
- 3 tablespoons barbecue seasoning (your favorite rub, recommended Bad Byron's Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen)
directions
- To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5x5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t wide enough to span 5x5 inches, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
- The next step is to add some barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave. (BBQ Addict recommends Bad Byron's Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen's All-Purpose Rub).
- Now that your 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.
- Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast. If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy.
- Since this is a barbecue recipe, we need to add another layer of barbecue flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. (BBQ Addict recommends Burnt Finger BBQ’s homemade competition sauce). Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbecue seasoning you used on the bacon weave.
- 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 barbecue seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now it is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225°F in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your meat thermometer gives an internal temperature reading of 165°F 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. BBQ Addict recommends 2.5 hours, for a roll 2.5 inches in diameter.
- Now that the Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, you need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that barbecue sauce you used for inner flavor? You'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. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they’ll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don’t contain as much, so they won’t set up as well. If you’re dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you’ll get the same effect.
- 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, BBQ Addict recommends placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit.
Questions & Replies
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Here's my rub I've been using for 30 yrs. 2 parts brown sugar, 2 parts paprika of your choice, 1 part each of salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, cumin, chile powder (your choice, I like new mexico), 1/2 part cayenne or chipotle and I like to toss in a bit of ginger, ground cloves, cinnamon or allspice. Making baby backs right now ;-) -
Can you make this on a regular grill? -
Is the fried bacon placed in the bacon explosion? -
What is the purpose of the fried bacon?
Reviews
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I love this!!! I make it several times a year for Sunday football gatherings. If you really want to go all out, you can roll a pork tenderloin or venison steak/tenderloin up in the middle of it. I usually use venison, and all of my friends hover around the platter until it's all gone. I slow cook mine in the oven at 250 degrees until my meat thermo says it's done. If you want a crazy-crispy roll, flip it over and broil the bottom at the end of cooking to crisp up the bacon on the bottom. -
My husband found this on a blog and was determined to make it, but it was raining, so he did it in a hot oven instead, which worked, but unfortunately he overcooked it. He used only one pound of bacon and my turkey sausage recipe here on zaar to make it not quite so artery clogging. He created his own bbq sauce and used the top rated Kansas City rub recipe here on zaar. It kind of turned out like a jazzed up meatloaf, but I think if he had pulled it out of the oven sooner (or bbq'd it), it would have been even more yummy. Maybe would have been better to use the full amount of bacon, too, just to up the fat content since our sausage wasn't pork. -
This is a great recipe! I saw it several years ago on the smokingmeats.com website and I think Jeff Phillips added his version to his new cookbook. Other than the fillings, it's about the same. One tip he uses is to use a gallon sized ziploc bag to roll out the sausage, just put it in the bag and seal it then snip a very small piece of the corners off to let the air escape then roll or smash it out. It forms the perfect sized rectangle of meat and the thickness is very uniform. Cheese and Jalapenos and onions and bacon and greens are all good filling choices. It can be made with turkey bacon and turkey sausage but why??? Thanks for helping get this great smoking recipe out! -
A buddy of mine from Mississippi found this recipe and we made it... Awesome, there was none left. We slow cooked it on the grill for about 5 hours (As my southern friend says-In the south food always taste better when it is cooked for long periods of time- maybe because it took so long we were just hungry) This is not something you make all the time it is not healthy at all, but it sure is good. This is a guys meal-NOT- my daughters and their friends loved it... -
I don't know why one must eat this wonderful dish with something called football, what ever that is but it's just the perfect breakfast to start off the day while watching a marathon of The Walking Dead. Instead of Italian sausage I'll use mild breakfast sausage, runny sunny side up eggs on top of bacon fat fried potatoes. Talk about getting a wonderful pork fix.
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Tweaks
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I use Costco bacon bits, some from the package and some nuked for 30 secs in the middle instead of full strips of bacon. I also wrap the log with a couple of extra pieces of bacon to keep it tight during cooking. Then I baste with sauce 15 mins before pulling form the smoker. I like to serve on an onion or Kaiser roll with BBQ sauce, a slice of red onion and some romaine lettuce. Some folks like a slice of pepperjack cheese too.
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Used Owens sausage instead of Italian sausage .
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I don't know why one must eat this wonderful dish with something called football, what ever that is but it's just the perfect breakfast to start off the day while watching a marathon of The Walking Dead. Instead of Italian sausage I'll use mild breakfast sausage, runny sunny side up eggs on top of bacon fat fried potatoes. Talk about getting a wonderful pork fix.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Sharlene~W
Campbell, California
I live in the San Francisco area and love it here. I discovered Recipezaar (then Food.com..Genius Kitchen) in 2001 and have been so happy to have my favorite recipes stored safely here. I am mother to 7 and grandmother to 7.
I love to knit, smock, sew, etc., but my favorite hobby of the moment is traditional rug hooking. This is a sample of what I do.? It's called "November".? I dyed most of the wool myself. It is made from wool flannel, cut into strips a little less than 1/4" and then worked into a linen backing. This is my 3rd rug.
