I get asked about this a lot, so I'll repost it...

The ingredient list is simple.... 2 lbs of sausage, 2 lbs of thick cut (not market cut) bacon, BBQ seasoning, BBQ sauce, and a smoker!

Here's the link I received that made me try this recipe... http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/



Ok...got up this morning and started the Bacon Explosion recipe. First off, prep time is sorta lengthy, but it was kind of fun doing it. I used the Spicy Venison Sausage recipe I posted last night.

Step 1. The Bacon Weave...it's not as simple as it looks, but not terribly complicated, either...



Step 2. In an effort to keep costs down, I used ingredients I had onhand. Rather than a barbeque specific flavoring, I used "Bad Byron's Butt Rub"...

Step 3. The sausage layer. I found that trying to push the sausage layer out to the edges disturbed the bacon weave, so I took the sausage off and pressed it out on wax paper, then transferred it back to the bacon weave.

Step 4. I used Gwaltney's thick cut bacon...

Step 5. I like bacon crispy, so it was easier to crush than to chop...it turned out finer than the chopped bacon shown in the link to the recipe.

Step 6. I had some Kraft BBQ sauce onhand, so that's what I used. It doesn't lend itself well to "drizzling", though, so I poured some on, then daubed at it a bit with a BBQ brush.

Step 7. The recipe describes this as "the fun part"...it was more like "the tricky part"! Rolling the thick layer of sausage, while keeping the roll tight and the ingredients contained took a little patience.

Step 8. I used a spatula to get the edge of the bacon weave up and started, and it all rolled right up. I was patting myself on the back at this point, congratulating myself on how much like the picture in the link it looked!


So...it's on the smoker, now...should be ready around 3:30 or so...we'll see how it all comes out!


A word about the smoker...I don't have one. I'd LOVE a BGE, but haven't been able to find room in the budget for one, yet. I'm using a homemade smoker, borrowed from fireman...it's like a BGE...2 12" terracotta pots, with a grill and a hotplate for the heat source. I call it, the Big Orange Egg! This marks my first attempt at smoking anything, ever...seems to doing fine, though, and fireman swears it works like a charm!

Alrighty, then...I had the smoker's hot plate set around "Medium", so once the meat was in, the temperature built a lot more slowly than if I'd had a smoker with a thermostat. Rather than the 3 or 3 1/2 hours I anticipated, it took closer to 5 1/2 hours, but here are the results...

Hot off the grill...when the core temp. of the roll reached 165 degrees, it was done.

Applying the glaze...since my BBQ sauce was vinegar-based, I added some honey for a smoother, shinier glaze.

The finished glaze...took it about 20 minutes or so to set up...

The finished product...NOTE: use a VERY sharp knife to cut with, in order to maintain the integrity of the slice. Otherwise, you'll end up making a mess and spoiling your presentation.


Final step....the taste test! I gotta say, this didn't taste anything like I expected it to. With so much bacon, I sort of figured it would overwhelm the other flavors and dominate the roll. Not so. Using the venison sausage was a great idea, I think, since venison cooks to a whole different texture than pork does. The flavors were all well balanced. The bacon, the venison, the BBQ sauce, the Mesquite smoke, and the glaze all knew their roles and played their parts well.

YUM!!!!

Damn! I'm starving now! I'm gonna have to try this one! I have a few packs of venison sausage in the freezer that are just calling me to turn them into a "Bacon Explosion"!

Thanks!

i like the smoker. What all do you need to make one.

I just pulled 2 bounds of venison sausage out of the freezer to try this again. Can't think of a better way to spend a rainy Saturday than cooking on the BGE.

Yep, still good. I think I can feel my heart struggling just a little bit.

A friend made one of those things awhile back and also added chopped onion and bell pepper to the inside. It was truly to die for.

Dang it man!!!! Gonna have to try that

The smoker was 2 12-14" terra cotta pots with a small round grill that sat on the lip just below the rim, and something to hold the whole thing an inch or so off the surface it's all sitting on. A hot plate for the heat source, with the cord running out of the bottom hole, and an old aluminum saucepan for the wood chips, and a meat thermometer sitting in the hole on top. He probably has $35 in the whole thing...if that much, he's kinda a cheapskate about stuff like that! *L*

I tried that one time but the recipe I used called for plain hamburger meat. I did not like it. Would be better with sausage! Heatattack Roll!

neat smoker, the "Big Cheap Egg"

Ive made 6 or 7 and the sausage is a little bit too much flavor i would stick with the regular ground meat.

My heart just stopped beating just looking at these pics

I also mix in some onions, bell peppers, cheese, as well as a few other things in the middle before a roll it up.

you know when youre sittin aroung at night and your kinda hungry and kinda not but just dont know what you want....found it haha

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Will and I made one of these Thursday and then cooked it last night. It was great. HE loved making it.

I will be making a stab at this over the weekend. Already got meat thawing out. Gonna find some thick cut bacon on way home.