Smoked Bacon Bomb Food

SMOKED BACON BOMB

Steps:

• Stack and weave 1 1/2 pounds bacon slices into a 12-inch square lattice. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon barbeque seasoning.
• Place the remaining bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Chop the cooled bacon slices into chunks.
• Place sausage in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag most of the way; flatten and shape the sausage into a large square. Cut away the plastic bag and discard; place the sausage square on the bacon lattice.
• Sprinkle bacon pieces over the sausage square. Sprinkle Cheddar Jack cheese, jalapenos, green onions, and garlic on top. Drizzle with 1/2 the barbeque sauce and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons barbeque seasoning on top.
• Roll the sausage square into a log. Wrap the bacon lattice over the sausage log and roll tightly.
• Place the roll, seam side-down, onto wire racks. Place the racks into the smoker. Add wood chips according to manufacturer's directions. Smoke until no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours, basting the roll with the remaining barbeque sauce during the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
• Remove bacon bomb from the smoker; let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

BACON EXPLOSION

Steps:

• Preheat smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).
• Reserve about 1/2 pound bacon for cooking. Lay 2 strips of the remaining bacon on a clean surface in an X. Alternate horizontal and vertical bacon strips, weaving them tightly in an over-and-under pattern to create a lattice pattern. Sprinkle woven bacon with 1 teaspoon barbeque rub.
• Arrange reserved 1/2 pound of bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble.
• Place sausage in a large resealable plastic bag; do not close bag. Roll sausage out, still in the bag, to a square the same size as the woven bacon. Cut bag off the sausage and arrange sausage over bacon; discard bag. Sprinkle crumbled bacon, Cheddar cheese, green onions, and garlic over sausage. Pour about 3/4 bottle barbeque sauce over sausage and season with remaining barbeque rub.
• Roll woven bacon tightly around sausage into a loaf.
• Cook bacon-sausage loaf seam-side down in the preheated smoker for about 1 1/2 hours. Brush woven bacon with remaining barbeque sauce and continue to smoke until loaf is no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Allow loaf to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

BACON EXPLOSION!

Steps:

• To kick off the construction of this pork medley you'll need to create a 5x5 bacon weave. If the strips you're using aren't wide enough to span 5x5 inches, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
• The next step is to add some barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave. (BBQ Addict recommends Bad Byron's Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen's All-Purpose Rub).
• Now that your 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.
• Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast. If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy.
• Since this is a barbecue recipe, we need to add another layer of barbecue flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. (BBQ Addict recommends Burnt Finger BBQ's homemade competition sauce). Once you've sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbecue seasoning you used on the bacon weave.
• 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 barbecue seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now it is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225°F in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your meat thermometer gives an internal temperature reading of 165°F 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. BBQ Addict recommends 2.5 hours, for a roll 2.5 inches in diameter.
• Now that the Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, you need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that barbecue sauce you used for inner flavor? You'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. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they'll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don't contain as much, so they won't set up as well. If you're dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you'll get the same effect.
• 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, BBQ Addict recommends placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury's Grands Biscuit.

SMOKED BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Brine:.
• Pour the water into a pitcher then add the salt.
• Stir until the salt is dissolved and the water returns to clear. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Pour the brine over the chicken breasts until covered, cover with lid or plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge to keep cold.
• Soak the 6 chicken breasts in a deep glass container for 2 hours flipping them over at the halfway mark to make sure they were evenly submerged.
• Preparing the Chicken Breasts:.
• After rinsing the breasts to make sure there was no extra salt on the outside of the meat, Lay the breast down in the brining bowl and cover them with rub.
• Lay 3 strips of bacon butted up against each other on a cutting board or flat surface. Lay one of the breasts across the bacon leaving enough bacon on the left side to wrap it over just a little.
• Roll the breast over a couple of times to completely wrap it in the bacon and use toothpicks to hold the bacon in place.
• Smoking the Chicken Breasts:.
• Setup the smoker for about 230 degrees for best results, and add dry and soaked wood chips.
• Once the smoker is ready, go get the chicken breasts and place them directly on the grate leaving about 1 inch of space between them to allow the smoke to completely surround them.
• Estimate about 3 hours of cook time but that will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts that you purchased.
• About 30 minutes before they are finished, brush a light coating of barbecue sauce all over the top of them.
• There done when a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached.

CLASSIC TRADITIONAL AMERICAN BACON RECIPE

Steps:

• Skin it. If the skin is still on the belly, remove it and use it to make cracklins. It is sometimes hard to tell if it is still there. It is usually a darker tan color compared to creamy colored fat. You should be able to make a cut in fat with your thumbnail. Your thumbnail will only make a dent in skin. Leaving skin on causes problems for salt penetration, and when you fry it, the skin gets very hard and you probably won't like the texture. Removing the skin can be tricky. Sometimes you can grip a corner with your fingers and run a knife under the skin to peel it back by running the knife between the skin and fat. Sometimes you just have to shave it off with a sharp knife.
• Cure it. Pour everything except the meat into a zipper bag large enough to hold the belly. A 1 gallon (4 L) bag will hold a single 3 pound (1.4 kg) slab. Zip the bag and squish everything around until well mixed. Now add the belly, squeeze out the air as much as possible and squish some more rubbing the cure into the belly and coat all sides. Put the bag in a pan to catch leaks and place in the fridge at 34 to 38°F (1.1 to 3.3°C). The belly will release liquid so every day or two you want to gently massage the bag so the liquid and spices are well distributed, and flip the bag over. NOTE: If you use more than one slab in a bag it is crucial that the slabs do not overlap each other. Thickness matters!
• Rinse off the cure. Remove the belly from the bag, and throw the liquid away. Quick rinse it to wash off any thick deposits of salt on the surface. Most recipes tell you to let the slab dry for 24 hours so the smoke will stick better, but, as the AmazingRibs.com science advisor Dr. Greg Blonder has proven, smoke sticks better to wet surfaces, so this extra step isn't necessary.
• Fire up. If you are using a grill, set up for 2-zone cooking or fire up your smoker.
• Cook. Smoke over indirect heat at 225°F (107.2°C) until the internal temp is 150°F (65.6°C), about 2 hours. You can use any wood you like. Hickory is the tried and true. I'm partial to cherry and applewood. After smoking you should slice off the ends, which may be very dark and more heavily seasoned, and taste them right away. They will be more salty than the innards and the fat will be a bit stringy, but you'll love it all the same. Just wait til you cook up an inside slice!
• Cool. Now let it cool on a plate in the fridge. Cold bacon is easier to slice. Use on a slicer if you have one, or use a long thin knife to slice it. Try some thin and some thick slices. You can also cut bacon in cubes to make lardons and use them like bacon bits in salads, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, baked beans, in sauces or to garnish chops, or roasts.
• Wrap it tightly with several layers of plastic wrap, and then a layer of foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Do not wrap in foil alone because it can react with the salt.
• Slice. Slice it across the grain. For evenly thick slices, a slicing machine is the best choice, but I rarely use mine because it is a pain to clean. Besides, I like to keep the slab intact and tightly wrapped in the fridge or freezer to reduce exposure to oxygen which can make the fat taste funny in a week or two. When I make bacon I usually shoot for hunks 6 to 8" (15.2 to 20.3 cm) wide across the grain to make sure my thin 9" (22.9 cm) knife and frying pan fit. If you put a slab in the freezer for 15 minutes or so it gets stiffer and easier to slice.
• Save the bacon drippings. While your bacon is cooking lay out a section of newspaper several sheets thick, and cover it with a layer of paper towels. As soon as the bacon is done, move it to the paper towel to drain. Let the fat in the pan cool a bit and then pour it in a glass jar and refrigerate. Hot bacon can melt a plastic tub, so be careful. Save the fat for up to a month and use it to fry. Broccoli and potatoes are especially good cooked in bacon grease.