A Bacon Explosion is a carnivore’s dream, and definitely something that all foodie thrill seekers and grilling enthusiasts must try at least once in their lives. Full credit for this juicy monster of meaty love has to be given to Jason Day and Aaron Chronister of BBQ Addicts, who first posted the dish on their blog a few months ago.
The Bacon Explosion consists of bacon, sausage, barbeque sauce and barbeque seasoning or rub. The bacon is first assembled in a weave to hold the layers of pork sausage, BBQ sauce and crumbled bacon. Once rolled up, the Bacon Explosion is cooked, basted, cut and served.
If you wish to create a Bacon Explosion yourself, here’s what you will need:
Ingredients:
2 lbs of thick cut bacon
2 lbs of Italian sausage
One jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
One large bottle of barbecue rub/seasoning.
Optional: jalapenos, shredded cheese, chopped onions
Directions:
1. Make sure your BBQ smoker is ready beforehand. Next, go back into the kitchen with your ingredients…
2. Weave together some raw bacon strips to create a 5×5 weave. This will be the base of the Bacon Explosion. If the strips of bacon are too small, feel free to add in a few more strips to fill it out, as the weave should be nice and tight.
3. Liberally sprinkle your favorite BBQ rub on top of the bacon weave. The choice is yours, although I personally like a good seasoning that hits on several different types of flavors: sweet, smoky, savory, and spicy.
4. Add the Italian pork sausage. Make a nice, even layer covering every square centimeter of the bacon weave base. Do not “smash” in the sausage into the bacon, because we will later want to (temporarily) separate the two layers when we roll up the ingredients of the Bacon Explosion into a tube.
5. It’s time for bacon layer number two. Unlike the weave, which uses raw bacon, this layer must consist of cooked bacon since it will be in the inside of your Bacon Explosion tube. Fry it to your liking; if you prefer extra crispy bacon, make it crispy; if you like it a bit more rubbery and soft, fry it less.
6. Add the barbecue sauce on top of this cooked bacon layer. Once done, go ahead and give another sprinkling of the rub on top of the sauce.
7. Next is an optional step. If you wish, you can add other ingredients to give additional layers of flavor and texture. Some of them I recommend are fresh chopped jalapeño pieces, shredded cheese (take your pick of cheddar, monterey-jack, colby, or your favorite), chopped red bell pepper pieces, or chopped onions. Sprinkle all over the BBQ sauce/seasoning layer.
8. Now you should very carefully take the front edge of the sausage layer and separate from the bacon weave (as eluded to above) and begin rolling backwards. During this step, you want to include all layers except the bottom bacon weave base in your roll. Try to keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to carefully “squeeze out” any air pockets that may have formed. After the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal in all of the bacon, BBQ sauce and other goodies inside.
9. We’re getting close! To finish construction of the Bacon Explosion tube, roll the sealed-up sausage roll back forward while bringing the base bacon weave with it, stuck to the outside of the sausage. When finished wrapping the weave on the outside, make sure the seam of the sausage faces downward to help prevent it from opening back up.
10. Sprinkle generous amounts of your BBQ rub on the outside on the outside of the bacon weave. And we’re done with the tube!
11. Take your Bacon Explosion outside and gently place your smoker’s grate, and cook at 225°F. Make sure you have a steady amount of wood smoke (I like using fruit woods like apple or cherry, but hickory and oak will work as well). Smoke until your meat thermometer gives an internal temperature reading of 165°F. It should take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but your mileage may vary depending on a number of factors. The BBQ Addict website recommends 2.5 hours, for a roll 2.5 inches in diameter.
12. After the smoking is complete, add a final layer of your chosen BBQ sauce.
13. The complete, finished tube of the Bacon Explosion contains a quadruple bypass-inducing 5,000+ calories and 500+ grams of fat, so you’re definitely want to eat this smokey delight in moderation! Slice the finished meat roll into several thin slices, and serve with your favorite barbecue sides. If you have leftovers, these slices make for great sandwich fodder the next day.