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!
Looked awesome: I had to mess it up of course with a layer of provolone cheese and some sauted baby bellas (portobella). It leaked all over so don`t put in the cheese just the shrooms. Keep doin`what you do and thanks for a great recipe!
I made two of these this weekend. My weave came out 6×6. For both, I used Sweet baby Ray’s honey BBQ sauce and Famous Dave’s rib Rub. I added Diced yellow onion and diced jalepenos to both. For one log, I used Hot Italian pork sausage and added shredded pepperjack cheese. For the second log I used sweet italian pork sausage and added slice American cheese. I smoke with apple wood shavings for about 1.5 hours then hickory wood shavings for 1 hour. I baked in the oven for the remainder of the cooking time at 225 F.
Delicious!
Next time I will try it with some of my homemade elk Hot Italian sausage.
pictures at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
images are perfect thanks
This Sunday will make the third Easter breakfast that I’ve served this at church. My wife will only let me make it for this holiday, and the church ladies will only let me make two logs.
There will be a line, and there will not be enough.
It is that good.
Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us.
I made the ‘breakfast-bacon-explosion’!!! It is amazing. The above with eggs, potatoes and veggies rolled up inside!!! BBQ Addicts are the BOMB! I love how he always says ‘make it your own way’. ~ Lucas
i weigh 148 pounds. I never knew there was a limit to how much Bacon could be consumed in one sitting. Now there is. I just ate 2! I think im in love.
hickory smoke that thing
brown sugar in the bbq sauce and hickory chips yo
I made a Fiery Explosion which included hot sausage, Stubbs spicy bbq sauce, and some mozzarella cheese…. It was/is incredible….
WOW this looks yummy! However should be label as suicidal if you attempt to ingest this. On that note I think i am gonna go make a smaller version of this later tonight!
The 4 of us are trying new recipes for a contest in two weeks. We put together one of these explosions…This is going to be the LONGEST 2 hours and 15 minutes!!! We cannot wait to try this!
omg, this sounds so good. and also very unhealthy …
I’ll be making one of these this weekend at my Farewell Osama party 😉
What is this? I don’t even…
If you add apples, onions, and peppers to the bacon filling, and then a layer of sliced apples between the sausage and woven bacon, it only gets better! Oh, and don’t forget the cheddar!
Just ordered one of these bad boys. Can’t really say what it tastes like yet, but COME ON! Look at it!! Its gonna be epicly delicious no doubt. Probably gonna share this with the roomies and drown a case of beer with it.
Will add update once i get it and eat it! Thanks to the BBQAddicts team who worked with me regarding shipping issues and tossed in some complimentary items for the trouble. Very thankfull for this. Most sites never provide that kind of support. I’m extemely pleased so far with the service and site, and I haven’t gotten a thing yet.
Do you have to turn the bacon explosion once it’s in the smoker or do you just let it sit in one position?
Marcus,
Place it in the smoker with the seam on the bottom (seam down is so it’s stays together in a tight weave) and leave it.
If you’re using an upright or modified smoker, make sure you have a water pan or an aluminum pan to catch the bacon grease so it doesn’t catch on fire!
Aaron
This is the physical manifestation of a heart attack, but it is soooooo good.
I love the bacon-strocity. I’ve taken your recipe one step further w/ pepperoni/salami/capacola and velveeta! The cheese goes amazing with this since it melts and goes through all the layers. DELICIOUS!!
http://www.tipsforbbq.com/Recipes/Pork/BaconExplosionRevisited/
Thanks!
Just to let ya’ll know. We had my son’s B-day party and made 3 of these… WOW I could barely get a slice… They were such a hit that I was giving out this web page… can’t take credit for something this glorious… Great job guys thx for this EPIC bacon monster!
So you just got a huge bump from Shoemoney about this bacon explosion, So i just had to see what it was all about. AND DAMN! That is one mean piece of meat. Cant wait to try that!
even the pictures seem tasty, great recipes
you have invented the best thing ever…..bacon porn
Great recipe, something to try out this weekend bbq.
I’ve made this dish in the oven before and while it doesn’t get the smokey flavor it’s still damned good. I rolled mine a bit differently though, I laid my square out on parchment paper and rolled the meat and sausage together like you would a cinnamon roll. For my square I made as wide and as long as a slice of bacon and I only used one lb of sausage. I ended up with a roll about 2″ thick and as longs as a piece of bacon. I also used homemade breakfast sausage from a wild boar I’d shot. YUMMY!