quote:

Originally posted by Chris Wagg:
Sorry, but when I saw this recipe (a coworker sent me the link), I serously thought it was a joke. Who would make this?
I know that a lot of what gets cooked on a smoker is not healthy but this is just disgusting.
The fact that the bacon doesn't crisp up becomes kind of obvious in retrospect (thanks to those who tried it for me).
Anyway, I am actually really glad that I read this thread because there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept trying to get me to make this. Now I know better.
Chris

Aww Chris, I made this about two weeks ago and it was S P E C T A C U L A R ! !
I will certainly make it again! I used a good quality Italian sausage from a local butcher and some fine thick apple smoked bacon. The trick to crispy bacon is putting on the gasser after the bomb is fully cooked. The gasgrill will finish off what turns out to be a fantastic Italian meat loaf encased in bacon.
It did not sit well with me when I first saw this thing... but my other half talked me into it... and again, I'm glad I made it!
Planning on another for NYE or NY's Day.
Stop frownin' and Start Smokin'!

How do you put a log of bacon over an open flame on a gas grill and avoid burning your house down?

...do it next to the neighbor's house...?

quote:

Originally posted by JRPfeff:

quote:

Originally posted by Tim C:
saw this recipe. it looks fantastic.

The only "fantastic" thing about this recipe is the hype. The Bacon Explosion is without a doubt the worst thing to ever come out of my smoker. I am currently picking at the remains of the one I made on Sunday. It is even more disgusting than I remember.

There are three major problems with the recipe.

1. Barbecue sauce should not be applied to Italian sausage. The spices in the sausage do not mix well with the flavors in barbecue sauce.

2. Sprinkling the barbecue rub on the bacon makes the bacon extremely salty.

3. You cannot cook bacon at 225F, even two-plus hours in the smoker will not cook it. The result is a smoky layer of soggy bacon for the exposed portion of the weave. Worse yet is the layer of raw bacon that is underneath. It simply does not get cooked.

This is not fantastic. It is a culinary atrocity (my wife was not so kind in her description).

Save your bacon. Don't waste it on this mess.

DITTO, This stuff was nasty. My wifes first comment was what waste of good bacon. lol

ya know Joe, ya musta done something wrong.. and... you do not have to follow recipe, for pete's sake, make it the way YOU want to.

or... stick to pork ribs.
it's that simple.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
ya know Joe, ya musta done something wrong.. and... you do not have to follow recipe, for pete's sake, make it the way YOU want to.

or... stick to pork ribs.
it's that simple.

Ya know Jim, Thanks for the advice, enjoy your explosion.

As much as I love bacon and sausage and it looks awesome....I'm gonna pass on this recipe.

Looks like a heart attack waiting to happen.

I made this and it didn't want to cook thru well enough so I threw it in the convection oven for an hour at 450 and it cooked fine. It tasted good if I might add, but I could only eat part of it. I gave the rest to my pug.

I think that a large part of the issue with a recipe like this is the variance of ingredients we all use.

Using a very fatty sausage (like most mass produced brands) or thick sliced bacon will probably produce a less then appetizing product. I love fatties, and each one just needs some thought and common sense. If your meat is very fatty, then wrapping it in something just doesn't help.

I think a bacon wrap on a stuffed seasoned ground beef fattie would be great. Think is a gimmic recipe and honestly I think we all can do a LOT better.

I made one Wednesday before Thanksgiving more for the novelty of it. Used Venison sausage (that is mildly spiced) and some fresh chopped green chilis (Pablono, Anehiem, Jalapeno) and onion with sharp Chedder Cheese and a low salt rub.

Came out better than I expected and tasted good, I would think that if just using a plain ground beef for the roll would be very bland.

From one of my neighbors:
"Brad--
The pulled pork was Wonderful as always and the Bacon explosition-WOW- so very yummy!!! Thanks so much for bringing it by!!!"

Here's links to a photo Album I posted:
http://www.facebook.com/album....6888958&l=e24bf5ebc7

Brad.

Hey Brad, I think you're correct, "using a plain ground beef for the roll would be very bland."
I made this using a quality bulk Italian sausage and the flavour was outstanding... and the raves from guests having it were pretty tasty also.
I like your choice of peppers... all three are favourites here. And your photos top notch! Good work

Jason put on Twitter that today is the one year anniversary of his first Bacon Explosion.

I'm a bit late to this particular discussion, but I suppose it was about a year ago that a friend passed along an email with the "bacon explosion" recipe. This was at the height of the bacon craze. Seems things have settled down a bit since then.
Well, I didn't make one immediately, but about a month ago I finally got around to it. I skipped the sauce and cooked at a higher heat with thinner bacon than I'd usually prefer.
I have to say, it was delicious. So much more moist than the regular fatties I've made before.
Anyhow, I only have one pic, which is a shame. To do this recipe justice and allow it to live up to it's heart-stopping potential, I should've taken a pic of my next morning's breakfast... a slice of the fattie topped with a poached egg on a toasted english muffin. WOW! Next time I make this I'll get the proof. And don't roll your eyes... you like bacon, you like sausage, you like eggs, put em all together!!

Here's the one pic...
Bacon Fattie

man i didn't expect all the negativity when i read some of your comments. i've made at least a half dozen bacon explosions... first off, skip the ones with the cheese. second, higher temps are required (275-300). im sure that many of you have been smoking much longer than i have, but i wouldnt smoke anything at 225 besides butts and briskets. third, this is def food ****... you should know before you start if it's not for you. i like to slice the explosion and serve a slice open faced on whitebread with some no 5 sauce smeared on top.

I've never had one but FWIW at the last comp I went to, a bacon explosion won the miscellaneous category over lobster tails and similar fancy offerings, so they can't be that bad.

After reading all of the posts in this thread, that the widely differing opinions may come from trying to "cook" this at too low a temperature.

As an example, Mosef's picture shows a thoroughly cooked bacon surface.

I do appreciate the comments about using a salty rub with this. Also, the comments about a particular rub "clashing" with the sausage seasoning. A little thought may solve that (along with a bit of experimenting).

However, I suspect that I'll just pass. I just looked in the mirror and you do NOT need to be a physician to suspect I don't need THIS much fat in a single dish...

Mosef's suggestion Of "a slice of the fattie topped with a poached egg on a toasted english muffin WILL happen, sooner rather than later!"

I DO intend to do a fattie with spicy sausage:

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog...g-fatties/#more-4137

That not only looks good, but sounds quite practical.

FWIW
Dale53

The BE is fantastic and freezes well. As with any bacon wrap you don't want to overlap the bacon as the strips underneath will not brown.

I went light on the bbq sauce thinking it wouldn't be a good idea, and I was wrong. Even the rub makes sense.

Love them.

Here is my Bacon Explosion with ABT's. I also use the recipe from BB Addicts.