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Bacon Explosion Recipe

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What is a Bacon Explosion?

The Bacon Explosion is a BBQ experience that requires a few hours of your time and a winning attitude.  You will need Bacon, ground pork, sauce, cheese, veggies, tinfoil, parchment paper and a turkey baster.

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By Eric Campbell

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Bacon Explosion on Kamado Grill

What is a Bacon Explosion?

The Bacon Explosion is a BBQ experience that requires a few hours of your time and a winning attitude.  You will need Bacon, ground pork, sauce, cheese, veggies, tinfoil, parchment paper and a turkey baster.  You will also need a physiotherapist to help you recover from the shoulder injury you will have from repeatedly patting yourself on the back after its cooked. 

The Bacon explosion is an entrée that is typically served for dinner.  But, it’s a lot more enjoyable when you have a bunch of people over for a BBQ and you want to impress them.  Not many people have seen or even tried a bacon explosion, and it will surely get a lot of attention.

Where did the Bacon Explosion come from?

The origin story of the bacon explosion goes back about fifteen years to a Labor Day BBQ.  Family friend and fellow BBQ aficionado, Andrew Boschman, tells the story as an outdoor BBQ event where the fridge was full of a variety of ingredients, and after a couple beers they came up with an idea to stuff it all into a bacon weave before a Football game. 

Over the last 15 years, the Bacon explosion has transitioned from a hodgepodge of ingredients into a specific recipe that uses a variety of ingredients to complement each other and enhance its flavor.  The end result is pleasing to the pallet, but certainly not so pleasing for the arteries. 

How To Make the Bacon Explosion: Recipe Overview

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4-6 Adults

Cook Time: 2 hours at 325 degrees. Longer if cooking at lower temps.

Ingredients:

The photos below are ingredients for two Bacon Explosions. The list below if for one bacon explosion.

Bacon Explosion Ingredients

Here is the ingredient list for one Bacon explosion:

  • 2-3 packages of bacon (2lbs)
  • 1 bottle of your favorite hickory or spicy BBQ sauce. Try Mikes BBQ Sauce Recipe.
  • 1-1.5 lbs. of ground pork (option for spicy)
  • 2-3 chopped jalapenos (optional)
  • 1/2 yellow pepper
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • ½ cup sliced mushrooms 
  • ½ cup grated marble cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped white onion (not shown and optional)

Tip:

Find bacon that is cut well and looks like each slice will remain intact.  If you are wondering if those frozen packages of bacon are still good to serve, find out in our post How Long Does Bacon Last.

For ground pork you will need about 1 to 1.5 lbs. for each Bacon explosion you make.  I prefer the spicy variety, if you can find it.

I chose to make two for this example, one spicy and one not. In fact, the hickory flavored BBQ sauce pairs extremely well with the pork so we used it on the non-spicy one. 

Equipment:

  • Smoker or Grill
  • Tin Foil
  • Knife
  • Hickory Smoking Wood (Optional)
  • Frying Pan
  • Spatula
  • Parchment Paper
  • Sauce Brush

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your grill to 300-350 degrees.  You can cook it slower if needed, or crank it up to cook it faster.  We found that at 350 degrees on indirect heat,  it takes about 90 minutes to cook. I recommend 325 for two hours if you have the time.
  2. Collect your ingredients, chop your vegetables, and grate your cheese.  Set aside.
  3. Cook 4-5 strips of bacon on a frying pan – chop, set aside. Cook more if you are going to make a garnish for a Caesar (Canada’s official drink).
    Frying Bacon in Pan
  4. Bacon Weave: Lay parchment paper on your counter, about a foot long. Lay slices of bacon horizontally on the sheet in a row. Fold every other piece back, then add a vertical strip to start the weave. Place the vertical strip where the flipped up horizontal bacon was, then flip the horizontal bacon back down.  Repeat from both ends. In the picture below on left, take the vertical strip and put it where the flipped up strips used to be. Picture on right is weave complete.
    Bacon WeaveCompleted Bacon Weave
  5. Lay another piece of parchment paper down and spread the ground pork on it.
    Ground Pork on Parchment Paper
  6. Rub BBQ sauce on the bacon weave.
    Sauce on Bacon Weave
  7. Flip the ground pork onto the weave and remove the parchment paper.
    Ground Pork on Bacon Weave
  8. Add more BBQ sauce on the ground pork and make a row of vegetables and chopped bacon on one end of the ground pork. Sprinkle on cheese.
  9. Now roll out the mixture so it’s about the length of the bacon weave.
    Pork rolled to same length
  10. Roll the mixture, veggie and cheese mixture in the bacon weave. Remember to tuck in the ends of the bacon about half way. 
    Roll pork and weave together
  11. Once wrapped, wrap single bacon slices around the end to help keep the insides from falling out. Slather all areas in BBQ sauce.
    Sauce over bacon
  12. Next, create a tinfoil boat to put your Bacon Explosion in.  Then put it on the grill on indirect heat. Check the grill every 20-30 minutes and suction the grease from your tinfoil boat.  Use a turkey baster.
    Bacon Explosion in Tin Foil Canoes
  13. After about 90 minutes. Remove Bacon Explosion from tin foil boats and place on direct heat.  Be cautious of grease flare ups. I added my chicken to the grill just before I transferred the Bacon Explosion to the direct heat.
    Bacon Explosion on Charcoal Grill
  14. Once the outside of the bacon weave is crispy, remove it and let rest for 8-10 minutes. The internal temp should be approximately 165F. Slice in 1″ thick pieces and serve.

Tips For Success

  1. Use bacon that has less fat.  The fatty bacon doesn’t hold together when stretched and it doesn’t weave very well.
  2. If you are making a spicy version, use more jalapenos and spicy BBQ sauce than you think you should.  A lot of the spicy flavor gets cooked out. In fact, the BBQ sauce and jalapenos add an entirely different flavor, rather than just a spice.  I prefer this spicy flavor to the original. 
  3. Hickory BBQ sauce can be used in place of spicy BBQ sauce.  The hickory and the jalapenos will pair well together.
  4. Use excess bacon strips to seal the weave in any soft spots or at the end.  Just wrap it around, like a scarf.
  5. Cook lower and slower if you have the time, suction grease often to prevent grease fires. I have cooked this for as long as 6 hours and as short as 2 hours.  
  6. Use a hickory wood if you are going to smoke it for a while. I recommend this.
  7. Do a good job of your tin foil boat, or you will have a mess to deal with. I also recommend this.
  8. One bacon explosion will feed 4-6 adults.
  9. Use a sharp knife to cut your bacon explosion, one-inch slices are ideal.
  10. This is not a meal you can just whip together, it’s perfect for Sunday football or a big BBQ.  You can prep your bacon explosion at any time and cook it as fast or slow as you want.  

How do you eat a Bacon Explosion?

Finished Bacon Explosion

After removing it from the grill, let it sit for 8-10 mins.  Otherwise, it will be too hot to cut. You can cut this into one-inch slices and lay it on a plate.  I prefer it this way.  My guests sometimes put it on a bun with any remaining bbq sauce.  Add lettuce, pickles and tomato to the sandwich for extra texture. Fresh white buns are ideal for this sandwich.

The possibility of a meat sweats is real after a couple of slices, but I promise you won’t be disappointed.  If you like bacon, you will love this meal.

Finally, while you are grilling your bacon explosion, enjoy a Caesar while you wait.  Garnish your Caesar with bacon, pepperoni, and a pickled bean. It will help get you ready for an amazing meal. ENJOY

Bacon Explosion on Kamado Grill
5 from 1 review

Bacon Explosion

Author: Eric Campbell
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American,BBQ
Keywords: Bacon Explosion,Bacon recipe,bacon smoker recipe,pork recipe
Servings: 6
Tasty seasoned ground pork wrapped in bacon makes for an amazing heart stopping BBQ dish.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

Equipment

  • Smoker or Grill
  • Tin Foil
  • Knife
  • Hickory Smoking Wood Optional
  • Frying Pan
  • Spatula
  • Parchment Paper
  • Sauce Brush

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. of Bacon
  • 250 ml BBQ Sauce
  • 1.5 lbs. Ground Pork option for spicy
  • 2 Jalapenos Optional
  • 1/2 Yellow Pepper Chopped
  • 1/2 Red Pepper Chopped
  • ½ cup Mushrooms Sliced
  • ½ cup Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • ¼ cup White Onion Chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your grill to 300-350 degrees. You can cook it slower if needed, or crank it up to cook it faster. We found that at 350 degrees on indirect heat, it takes about 90 minutes to cook. I recommend 325 for two hours if you have the time.
  • Collect your ingredients, chop your vegetables, and grate your cheese. Set aside.
  • Cook 4-5 strips of bacon on a frying pan – chop, set aside. Cook more if you are going to make a garnish for a Caesar (Canada’s official drink).
    Frying Bacon in Pan
  • Lay parchment paper on your counter, about a foot long. Lay strips of bacon horizontally on the sheet in a row. Fold every other piece back, then add a vertical strip to start the weave. Place the vertical strip where the flipped-up horizontal bacon was, then flip the horizontal bacon back down. Repeat from both ends. In the picture below on the left, take the vertical strip and put it where the flipped-up strips used to be. The picture on the right is weave complete.
    Bacon Weave
  • Lay another piece of parchment paper down and spread ground pork on it.
    Ground Pork on Parchment Paper
  • Rub BBQ sauce on the bacon weave.
    Sauce on Bacon Weave
  • Flip the ground pork onto the weave and remove the parchment paper.
    Ground Pork on Bacon Weave
  • Add more BBQ sauce on the ground pork and make a row of vegetables and chopped bacon on one end of the ground pork. Sprinkle on cheese.
  • Now roll the ground pork and veggie mixture so it's about the length of the bacon weave.
    Pork rolled to same length
  • Roll the ground pork, veggie, and cheese mixture in the bacon weave. Remember to tuck in the ends of the bacon about halfway.
    Roll pork and weave together
  • Once wrapped, wrap single bacon slices around the end to help keep the insides from falling out. Slather all areas in BBQ sauce.
    Sauce over bacon
  • Next, create a tinfoil boat to put your Bacon Explosion in. Then put it on the grill on indirect heat. Check every 20-30 minutes and suction the grease from your tinfoil boat. Use a turkey baster.
  • After about 90 minutes. Remove Bacon Explosion from tin foil boats and place on direct heat. Be cautious of grease flare-ups. I added my chicken to the grill just before I transferred the Bacon Explosion to the direct heat.
    Bacon Explosion on Charcoal Grill
  • Once the outside of the bacon weave is crispy, remove it and let rest for 8-10 minutes. The internal temp should be approximately 165F. Slice in 1" thick pieces and serve.
    Finished Bacon Explosion

Nutrition

Calories: 659kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 51gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 4328mgPotassium: 491mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 673IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 2mg
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