| The Bacon Explosion | ||||
| Makes 1 loaf, serves 8-12 | ||||
| Ingredients | ||||
| 2 lbs | bacon, hickory smoked, thick sliced | |||
| 2 lbs | Italian sausage, ground, mild or spicy | |||
| 3 tbls | Emeril’s Essence | |||
| 3/4 cup | your favorite BBQ sauce | |||
| Directions | ||||
  Preheat the grill to 250° and start soaking
some wood chips for smoking the meat.On a large cutting board, place a piece of parchment paper to work on. On the paper, weave together strips of bacon (like an old school pot holder) to make a 6x6 or 7x7 grid. Make sure you get it nice and tight. This will take about 1 lb of the bacon. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Essence over the bacon. |
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 Pull the ground Italian sausage apart and press it onto the bacon weave.
Make an even layer pressing it on and out to the edges of the weave.Dice up the remaining bacon and fry it up crispy. Drain off the bacon bits and let them cool for a few minutes. Evenly scatter the bacon bits over the Italian sausage layer and pat them in place. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the BBQ sauce over the bits and sprinkle on another tablespoon of Essence. |
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  Carefully
separate the back edge of the Italian sausage layer from the bacon weave
below and begin rolling it towards you. You want to include all the
layers except the bacon weave. Roll it tight, push out any air pockets,
form it into a nice loaf shape, and pinch/poke/pat the ends and seams to
seal it up.Now pick up the front edge of the parchment paper and use it to roll the bacon weave onto the loaf. Squeeze and form the loaf together tightly. Peel off the paper. Sprinkle on the remaining tablespoon of Essence over the loaf. |
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 Place a cooling rack on a disposable foil cookie sheet. Transfer the
loaf to the cooling rack and place it seam side down. The rack will keep
the loaf out of the bacon drippings. Place the pan with the loaf on the
grill and get your wood chips on there, too. Close the cover on the
grill. Check your grill frequently to keep it at temperature and to make
sure there are no flare ups. Do not try to turn the loaf over or mess
around with it. You want the bacon to shrink-wrap around the loaf. This
will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours total. |
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  When the internal temperature reaches 165°, remove the loaf from the
grill and place it on your serving platter. Baste the loaf with BBQ
sauce to make a pretty glaze. Cut it into 1/2" thick slices; an electric
knife will make it easy. You can serve the slices straight up or on roll
or biscuit. Offer some more BBQ sauce or some spicy mustard to top
things off. |
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