Bacon Explosion

Necessary ingredients:

2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

Step 1

All riiiighty then! To start off, make a 5×5 bacon weave. That’s right, a weave. If the strips you are using aren’t quite as think as the ones pictured, you may need extra strips to fill it out.

Tight weaves work best!!

Step 2

The 2nd step is to add barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. 

Recommended seasonings: Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen’s All-Purpose Rub.

Happy rubbing!

Step 3

Yes, really. Now you are going to add more pork!!

Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your seasoned bacon weave.  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.  Mild sausage is nice, but spicy would work just the same – only with a kick!

Step 4

You’re going to . . . add more pork!!! Oh my god, it’s a pork extravaganza!

“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 do it.  These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way.

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).”

Step 5

More BBQ flavor is next!

Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces.  Recommended sauces: Cowtown, Blues Hog, and Fiorella’s Jack Stack. 

Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbeque seasoning you used on the bacon weave.

Step 6

Rollin, rollin, rollin!

Be super careful as you separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards.  You want to include all layers except for the bottom-most 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 like a giant bacon tootsie roll to seal in flavor.

Step 7

Bacon Log

To make the log o’ bacon, 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.

Step 8

Sprinkle, spinkle, sprinkle all the way onto the BBQ!

Dust some more barbeque seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now you’re ready to get your BBQ on.  Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your thermapen gives an internal temperature reading 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 peek. 

Step 9

You’re not done with your Bacon Explosion yet!

Add some finishing flavor: Use the barbecue sauce was used for inner layer 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.”

Wow.

Step 10

“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.”

I. Don’t. Even. Knowwhattosay. Your amazing Bacon Explosion is ready to eat – hopefully you will share with friends!!

This recipe brought to you in this format by KareyAnn, a bacon-lover. KareyAnn was vegan for four long months until three slices of bacon and a polish dog sent her careening off the vegetarian wagon.

She has not tried this recipe – if you do, please let her know in the comments section of this guide!!