Food and Drink Bacon Explosion - Page 7

**Fire Me Boy!** · 01-11-2009, 11:38 AM

Special thanks to Bugeater at Fatchatter.

Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes

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…

2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque 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 weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.

The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Being the barbeque addict that I am, I whipped up a batch of Burnt Finger BBQ’s competition pork rub for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, I would recommend trying Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen’s All-Purpose Rub.

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 barbeque recipe, we need to add another layer of barbeque flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. Personally, I prefer to use Burnt Finger BBQ’s homemade competition sauce, but if you’re torn on what brand to use I recommend 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.

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 complte the constuction 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 barbeque 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 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 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 barbecue 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. 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, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana is no time flat!

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 03:34 PM

Taking the smoker I finished yesterday on it's maiden voyage with this today. Just put it on. Had a fire going since noon, coated everything with Olive oil then so the grill should be good and seasoned.

Here's a couple of pics of the smoker (It's little compared to the Church's smokers).

blueballs · 01-24-2009, 03:54 PM

Can a person be charged with
recipe homocide

**penguinz** · 01-24-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVE

Eh, stick with your hummus and wheat grass and cran water and all that stuff. THAT is what you call nasty.

Hummus is damn good!

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueballs

Can a person be charged with
recipe homocide

It can't be as bad as a home-made pizza. I usually use a pound of the sausage, pepperoni and a ton of cheese.

I just made my 30 min check and spray-down. It's looking really good. Cooking with a mix of fruitwood and fairly green Hickory.

KCChiefsMan · 01-24-2009, 04:05 PM

I want to make this too, but I have no smoker

damaticous · 01-24-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PastorMikH

Taking the smoker I finished yesterday on it's maiden voyage with this today. Just put it on. Had a fire going since noon, coated everything with Olive oil then so the grill should be good and seasoned.

Here's a couple of pics of the smoker (It's little compared to the Church's smokers).

very nice smoker. put it on some wheels and I might be interested in taking it off your hands.

Where u get your hickory? Currently I have to buy it from Ace Hardware

expensive.

blueballs · 01-24-2009, 04:09 PM

slice it thinly
and put on a block of cheese
top with sour cream and make out a will

googlegoogle · 01-24-2009, 04:14 PM

would love to try that

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damaticous

very nice smoker. put it on some wheels and I might be interested in taking it off your hands.

Where u get your hickory? Currently I have to buy it from Ace Hardware

expensive.

Thanks.

Got the hickory from dad - he cut it himself in NE MO. Made a smoker just before Christmas I traded him for the hickory. I have about a rick right now and am trying to talk him into bringing more when he comes out this spring.

The has wheels. Still, if you're planning on taking it, you'd better bring 6-8 friends with you. I can't believe how heavy the thing turned out to be. It is made out of 1/4 inch thick 20' pipe -cooking chamber is 42" long, firebox is 20 inches long. I used bathroom scales on dads and came up with about 300 - 350 pounds (made it out of a 18 inch diameter propane tank and 16" pipe for the firebox) . I wouldn't be surprised if this one is close to double the wieght. It was all I wanted rolling it from the garage to the back patio - and I was on concrete most of the way.

I figure I have a little over $200 bucks in this smoker. The only thing I bought for dad's was 2 cans of paint, the rest I was able to scrounge up from my scrap metal and a few other sources.

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 08:17 PM

It's a stinkin' shame that I had to get full before my tastebuds could enjoy a third helping.

Awesome!

I did a few things different. After looking at Buehler's pic, I decided to try making the sausage patty to the side of the bacon weave on foil and extended it to twice as long as the bacon square. This allowed for more thin rolls of sausage so everything wasn't so clumped. Then I added a light mixture of cheddar and colby/jack cheese on top of the sausage patty/bacon bits mix before rolling the sausage. Instead of basting with BBQ sauce towards the end, I sprayed apple cider on it every 30 minutes which made a nice glaze.

I served the slices on bakery style hamburger buns (not from the bread isle, the really good ones from the bakery), topped with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese.

I can't wait until I'm hungry enough for leftovers!

*Several have commented on the grease. Mine wasn't all that bad - no where near as greasy as some of the ribs I've had.

BigVE · 01-24-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PastorMikH

It's a stinkin' shame that I had to get full before my tastebuds could enjoy a third helping.

Awesome!

I did a few things different. After looking at Buehler's pic, I decided to try making the sausage patty to the side of the bacon weave on foil and extended it to twice as long as the bacon square. This allowed for more thin rolls of sausage so everything wasn't so clumped. Then I added a light mixture of cheddar and colby/jack cheese on top of the sausage patty/bacon bits mix before rolling the sausage. Instead of basting with BBQ sauce towards the end, I sprayed apple cider on it every 30 minutes which made a nice glaze.

I served the slices on bakery style hamburger buns (not from the bread isle, the really good ones from the bakery), topped with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese.

I can't wait until I'm hungry enough for leftovers!

*Several have commented on the grease. Mine wasn't all that bad - no where near as greasy as some of the ribs I've had.

Nice. Did you use italian sausage or regular?

JuicesFlowing · 01-24-2009, 08:25 PM

Any survivors?

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVE

Nice. Did you use italian sausage or regular?

Itallian. Local grocery store has J.C. Potter brand has italian sausage in 1lb rolls. I'd been using it in homemade pizzas for the last 6 months.

PastorMikH · 01-24-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuicesFlowing

Any survivors?

Believe it or not, I hear someone rattling paper in the kitchen as I type.

**Bugeater** · 01-24-2009, 08:28 PM

Outstanding work on the smoker, Pastor. Looks sweet.

01-11-2009, 11:38 AM
Fire Me Boy! Cast Iron Jedi Join Date: Nov 2004 Casino cash: $9999900 VARSITY	Bacon Explosion Special thanks to Bugeater at Fatchatter. Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes 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… 2 pounds thick cut bacon 2 pounds Italian sausage 1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce 1 jar of your favorite barbeque 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 weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with. The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Being the barbeque addict that I am, I whipped up a batch of Burnt Finger BBQ’s competition pork rub for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, I would recommend trying Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen’s All-Purpose Rub. 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 barbeque recipe, we need to add another layer of barbeque flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. Personally, I prefer to use Burnt Finger BBQ’s homemade competition sauce, but if you’re torn on what brand to use I recommend 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. 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 complte the constuction 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 barbeque 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 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 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 barbecue 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. 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, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana is no time flat! http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/
Posts: 35,253

01-24-2009, 03:34 PM	#91
PastorMikH Will KC ever be better? Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Land of Red Dirt & Necks Casino cash: $9905087	Taking the smoker I finished yesterday on it's maiden voyage with this today. Just put it on. Had a fire going since noon, coated everything with Olive oil then so the grill should be good and seasoned. Here's a couple of pics of the smoker (It's little compared to the Church's smokers). Attached Thumbnails __________________
Posts: 20,454

01-24-2009, 03:54 PM	#92
blueballs Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	Can a person be charged with recipe homocide
Posts: 14,233

01-24-2009, 04:05 PM	#95
KCChiefsMan AIC Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Roxbury, MA Casino cash: $10004900	I want to make this too, but I have no smoker
Posts: 11,478

01-24-2009, 04:09 PM	#97
blueballs Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	slice it thinly and put on a block of cheese top with sour cream and make out a will
Posts: 14,233

01-24-2009, 04:14 PM	#98
googlegoogle Banned Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	would love to try that
Posts: 4,700

01-24-2009, 08:17 PM	#100
PastorMikH Will KC ever be better? Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Land of Red Dirt & Necks Casino cash: $9905087	It's a stinkin' shame that I had to get full before my tastebuds could enjoy a third helping. Awesome! I did a few things different. After looking at Buehler's pic, I decided to try making the sausage patty to the side of the bacon weave on foil and extended it to twice as long as the bacon square. This allowed for more thin rolls of sausage so everything wasn't so clumped. Then I added a light mixture of cheddar and colby/jack cheese on top of the sausage patty/bacon bits mix before rolling the sausage. Instead of basting with BBQ sauce towards the end, I sprayed apple cider on it every 30 minutes which made a nice glaze. I served the slices on bakery style hamburger buns (not from the bread isle, the really good ones from the bakery), topped with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese. I can't wait until I'm hungry enough for leftovers! *Several have commented on the grease. Mine wasn't all that bad - no where near as greasy as some of the ribs I've had. __________________
Posts: 20,454

01-24-2009, 08:25 PM	#102
JuicesFlowing Losing with passion. Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oblivion Casino cash: $10004925	Any survivors?
Posts: 4,399

01-24-2009, 08:28 PM	#105
Bugeater The Maintenance Guy Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate Casino cash: $3992680	Outstanding work on the smoker, Pastor. Looks sweet.
Posts: 70,546