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!
I made one of these over the weekend. I made mine a bit different but oh my lord it was good. I included bell peppers and onions and mushrooms and brown sugar. I see areas of improvement I could take but over all This is an extremely good idea but of course my doctor is not going to be happy with me.
No… words…
hmm could this be cooked in the oven? i to live in an apartment without a grill.
Hey I have a friend who doesn’t like BBQ sauce. Would A1 sauce work? Suggestions please!
WHAT, no CHEESE? LOL! God, must have been a Pitmaster!
We made the Explosion one day for our night shift crew at the firehouse in Pa. Needless to say, it looked tasty, smelled great, and we all sat down to dig in. The flavor was overwhelmingly good but unbelievably salty. We all had varied levels of heartburn later that night. Would we do it again? Probably not. Was it fun to make? Hell yeah… Good luck and enjoy the 300 or so points your LDL will spike after this.
My kids are begging me to make this!
Is this thing legal???
I am going to try this with the outer sauce using a traditional Christmas Ham Glaze (Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, and 3/8 Inch Pineapple Round Slices toothpick-pinned all around). I’ll let you know how it turns out. Brian
I can’t even imagine the shock my chest pump is going to go through after woofing this badboy down!! WOO HOO! I am ready! Bought three!
Holy Heart Attack Batman!!!
This will come in handy for a get together I have coming up. Thank you.
I wonder how many of the first commenters from 2008 are still alive.
I just can’t wait to try this on our bbq party. You are all invited,lol..:)
I just bought all the things needed not to forget the bacon of course…lol.. And i am so ready to grill it!!
You sir are a genius
Just made my first Bacon Explosion. Only had one pound of bacon, someone (my dad) ate the other pound. LOL I used a little too much Bad Byron’s Butt Rub so it’s SPICY, HOT, but it’s darn tasty.
I may have to do this once every 2 weeks until I get it right.
😉 LOL
I made three for deer camp this year…. Made them with venison mushroom onions and Jalapeno peppers, Couldn’t resist took one for archery season AWESOMEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh yea i most definitly admire BACON!
i am cooking this friday and i may use deer syage or pork have not decide but either way sounds good
I just made one today. I swear that all 3 of us eating it got a “Meat High” off of it.
Here’s a serving suggestion: Slice into 1″ thick slices, insert a popsicle stick, dip into a beer batter, and deep fry. “Heart attack-on-a-stick!” Perfect for county fairs!
(Would go well with deep-fried twinkies or deep-fried Snickers bars for dessert!)
Today for our explosion we putting jalapeño and cheese in the middle layer, we skimped a bit with only 24 ounces of bacon, but I’m still excited.
FRICKEN AWESOME, I made this a few times, found the Italian Sausage a bit much, so I used Fareway’s Breakfast Sausage. OH MY GOD, with Scrambled eggs inside also. DAMN, DUDE, HEARTY. :0) PEACE
I just substituted the sausage for ground sirloin and added a five cheese blend to the center. This should be a spectacular heart attack waiting to happen!!!
… then for the FINAL step, you wrap it in dough and DEEP-FRY THAT SUCKER!!!
I love bacon.
Alas…………my heart be still.