Going on a Diet: Post-Bacon Explosion

So a few weeks ago, my friend, whom I will call Messiah (anyone who knows him knows exactly why), shared the bacon explosion with me. While I understand this has been floating around since Christmas time, he was the first to look at it and think of me.

I really do enjoy meat, as you can probably tell from some of the more recent posts, but I wasn't sure I could handle this kind of meat. Oh, the insanity. The bacon explosion is the type of thing that would make you wake up the next day 10 lbs heavier...and that is just from taking a bite. But I found some free time this morning while I was in the middle of prepping some orders and decided to take the plunge. Just so you know, I'm going on a diet...starting tomorrow. Ha!

Bacon Explosion (from NYT)

2 lbs thick-cut sliced bacon
1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage, casings removed
3 tbsp barbecue rub
3/4 c barbecue sauce.

1. Using 10 slices of bacon, weave a square lattice like that on top of a pie: first, place 5 bacon slices side by side on a large sheet of aluminum foil, parallel to one another, sides touching. Place another strip of bacon on one end, perpendicular to the other strips. Fold first, third and fifth bacon strips back over this new strip, then place another strip next to it, parallel to it. Unfold first, third and fifth strips; fold back second and fourth strips. Repeat with remaining bacon until all 10 strips are tightly woven.

2. Preheat oven to 225 degrees or light a fire in an outdoor smoker. Place remaining bacon in a frying pan and cook until crisp. As it cooks, sprinkle bacon weave with 1 tablespoon barbecue rub. Evenly spread sausage on top of bacon lattice, pressing to outer edges.

3. Crumble fried bacon into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle on top of sausage. Drizzle with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and sprinkle with another tablespoon barbecue rub.

4. Very carefully separate front edge of sausage layer from bacon weave and begin rolling sausage away from you. Bacon weave should stay where it was, flat. Press sausage roll to remove any air pockets and pinch together seams and ends.

5. Roll sausage toward you, this time with bacon weave, until it is completely wrapped. Turn it so seam faces down. Roll should be about 2 to 3 inches thick. Sprinkle with remaining barbecue rub.

6. Place roll on a baking sheet in oven or in smoker. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 1 hour for each inch of thickness. When done, glaze roll with more sauce. To serve, slice into 1/4-

to- 1/2-inch rounds.

Yield: 10 or more servings.

Notes: I made this in the oven b/c I don't have a smoker and it was still really good, but you don't want it sitting in its own grease for the whole time! So put it on a rack on top of a baking sheet so the fat drips off.

I also used only 1.5 lbs of bacon, and 1 lb of sausage. I think the bbq rub/sauce measurements up there are more of a guideline. Just feel free to sprinkle down as much as you want/need.

And unless you plan on expiring at an early age, you really shouldn't eat more than a thin slice at a time. I had a small piece and I can feel it being heavy at the bottom of my stomach.