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!
Used burger instead of sausage, put cheese in the burger and made the best bacon cheeseburger sliders ever! Everything else the same.
Will smoke my second explosion this Saturday. The first was Fall 2011 and I’ve been talking about it ever since. Now this one has cheese…get your fat pants on. Cook low and slow, avoiding direct flame. Jason’s recommendation for cook time 1hr/1″ thickness @ 225F is nice even if there are other meats involved in the smoker (e.g., using the 3-2-1 pork rib method). Cheers!
Looks great!!!
I gotta try it!
I will make this with turkey bacon and ground turkey, as a healthy alternate, although I love pork bacon.
Does anyone know if this could be assembled and frozen to make ahead?? Was thinking of doing this for a Christmas wedding brunch
HEY… good job on that bacon, so i would like to ask you some things about your great bacon finger, i just discover your site, and will stay in mexico about 6 months, here can´t find all i need to make it, some another in spanish to look find and make it??. i will try to traslate in spanish all i need to try reach all of them. thanks 4 your help
Someone suggested I make a B.E. for Thanksgiving. Our Holiday celebrations will now never be the same–OUTSTANDING!!
looks like a good checkerboard to play on but not to eat.
ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
just made one last sunday morning switched it up. took out the bbq sauce completly added brown sugar instead of pork rub and glazed in syrup after was done cooking. sliced and put on biscuits and put more syrup on it. served with eggs and coffee
I bought a couple of these from your site. Very nice blend of flavors. Especially like the fennel sausage. I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.
Just prepped mine for xmas morning. This will be the 2nd Christmas morning in a row, officially making this a family tradition.
I just posted a picture of the one I made last night (12/25/2012) on Facebook along with my choices for sausage (spicy hot), BBQ sauce (Bull’s-Eye Texas Style) and run (Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub). It’s got a nice tingle to it, yummy!
I won one of these in a contest. Frankly I thought someone was joking.
We cooked it on Monday. My God. It really is everything you think it could be.
…with Bacon.
Try Bacon weave, sausage, cream cheese (smeared thin), Swiss slices,
pastrami
Roll sausage & innards, then bacon weave……
Deli fatty….
Pork products are very important to me….
Thanks for the original…..
Hi!
My fiance found this recipe about 2 years ago and has been asking me to make it ever since. I think he has forgotten about it now, so I’m going to surprise him with it for dinner on Valentine’s Day. If I am just making the recipe for 2 people, how much bacon and pork should I use?
I guess my real question is how many servings does the above recipe make?
Thanks!
want to find a meat somkring class, i work at a meat market.thats putting together a smoker this summer.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh MY!
It looks so good!
I can only eat pork sparingly, eating this much pork would send me to hospital.
How ever instead of sausage, I put a mix of lamb and veal, I might be able to handle it.
I would though have to invite the children, and some neighbours to help eat it, that way it would insure portion control.
I like the idea of it on a biscuit.
This is a definite try.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
I’ve got two of these smoking right now, one question, do you glaze after removing these from the smoker or glaze then smoke a little longer? If longer, how much. Okay that was two questions.
@Rick – Sorry for the slow reply. You should glaze at the end of the cooking process. Shoot for the last 15 minutes that the BE is on the smoker. It should be just enough time to set the sauce, but not burn it. Good luck!
Currently cooking this in my oven as I don’t have a smoker. Added cheese in the centre as per other comments. I have to say the comments about insta-heart attacks, oh how gross ect ect have me shaking my head. No one said “Make this for one person and then sit down and eat it in one sitting.” >_> I plan on slicing this like a meatloaf and serving with homemade coleslaw and bread rolls to 4 people, and left overs will be for sandwiches. 🙂
I wonder how this would go with maple syrup and a light breakfast pork sausage rather then BBQ flavouring…
Wow this recipe looks amazing!
Slice it up and add a slice of cheese on a split and grilled Krispy Kreme donut. Nirvana
Thanks Jason, Guess I did it correctly.
I made two, other than being a bit too smoky for my taste I was very pleased with the results. I’ll make more and add cheese, onions , and maybe peppers next time.
We made this a couple years ago and 1 month later my dad actually had a heart attack so now we call it “Heart Attack on a Plate” We plan on making it again tomorrow!
I had mine with a pound of mild cheddar and several varieties of sour farmhouse ale/Saison and Pliny the Elder imperial IPA. Now; it’s a health risk to consume.
A friend dared me to make one of these and it seemed the perfect thing for my teenage son’s birthday meal. She suggested pre-baking it and then finishing on the smoker to keep it from drying so I’ll see how it goes. Don’t hate but I did substitute 1# ground turkey for sausage and to hide the turkey taste slathered some homemade garlic scape pesto before the cooked bacon chunks went on. Only worry I have now is what kind of sauce will marry well with that pesto. My son isn’t a sweet-bbq fan so maybe it will be sauceless. I think it will still get devoured and for those in attendance who are too good to sully their pristine arteries they can always have a serving of the ham I’ll be baking. 😉 Thank you for the recipe and great photos. The comment thread has been a riot.
Wow! I’m not even a man and this looks amazing! I must make this for my 26 year old son’s upcoming birthday. You are an excellent chef and an even better writer. This Grandmother is very impressed! (But…can’t I throw a little Kale in there? One needs a hint of healthy)
How long would I cook this on the grill?
@jennifer – you don’t want to grill this. The bacon grease wil drip on the coals and catch everything on fire. Setup your grill for indirect heat, and watch the internal temp of the meat.
OMG! I need to go set up the bbq right this minute!! Those pics have made me so hungry.
my heart exploded reading about this. 1 slice equals cardiac arrest. A nice way to go!
This looks so freaking gross. And I am a bacon lover too haha
We were making these back in 2004 on the BBQ competition circuit on the front range in Colorado. These and everything else bacon we could do on the smoker. Bacon Fatties, Bacon Nirvana, Bacon Ecstasy, Bacon Logs, Bacon Extravaganzas, Bacon Bombs, whatever you want to call them, we did them with breakfast sausage and later with Farmland Pork and Bacon Sausage back then and recently have done them with jalapeno peppers (fire roasted first) and cream cheese in the very center of it all (the Fat Boy or A[tom] bomb). We also did things like ABT or Atomic Buffalo Turds (Poppers to most now days)Peppers cored, stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in Bacon and then smoked for up to 3 hours, Pig Candy which is bacon with a brown sugar coating and then smoked. We were doing just about anything bacon and smoked we could to take up time those nights we were up tending the smokers for competition.
Never really thought about using hamburger instead of sausage, but it sounds good and worth a try.
I’m sending one to 100 of my best patients.