Bacon Explosion
Encyclopedia
A Bacon Explosion is a pork
dish that consists of bacon
wrapped around a filling of spiced sausage
and crumbled bacon. The American-football-sized dish is smoked or baked
.
It caused an Internet sensation after being posted on the BBQ Addicts blog, and quickly spread to the mainstream press with numerous stories discussing the porcine feast. In time, the articles began to discuss the Internet "buzz" itself.
The phenomenon is international, with popularity in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Daily Telegraph
noted that the "recipe is most popular on the web" and that the "5,000 calorie
barbeque dish has become one of the most popular meal ideas in the world."
like meat." There are fan clubs and follow-up videos of various attempts to create the dish.
The inventors are experienced barbecue competition participants from Kansas City
, and compete in cook-offs as the Burnt Finger BBQ team. According to the Telegraph, "They came up with the delicacy after being challenged on Twitter
to create the ultimate bacon recipe." They christened their innovation the "Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes."
The Bacon Explosion is similar to a number of previously published recipes, and Day and Chronister do not claim to have invented the concept. Earlier in December 2008, Headless Blogger posted a recipe for the "Ultimate Fattie", which is made of sausage, chili pepper
, pepperoni
, and muenster cheese
rolled into a bacon lattice. This concoction was inspired by a bacon and cheese roll (again, lattice-based) posted by a user on the Foodroll blog.
technology (Chronister is an Internet marketer).
, one jar of barbecue sauce
, and one jar of barbecue rub/seasoning.
It is constructed by weaving the bacon together to serve as a base which is then seasoned, followed by the layering of sausage meat on top, with crumbled bacon sprinkled on top of the mass. Barbecue sauce is added, more barbecue seasoning is added, and it is rolled into a giant "sausage-shaped monster." It takes about an hour per inch of thickness to cook and is then basted with more barbecue sauce, sliced into rounds, and served.
A prepared bacon explosion contains at least 5,000 calorie
s (21,000 kJ) and 500 grams of fat, though a "healthy" 8 ounce portion "only" contains 878 calories and 60 grams of fat.
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
dish that consists of bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
wrapped around a filling of spiced sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
and crumbled bacon. The American-football-sized dish is smoked or baked
Baking
Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, cookies and crackers. Such items...
.
It caused an Internet sensation after being posted on the BBQ Addicts blog, and quickly spread to the mainstream press with numerous stories discussing the porcine feast. In time, the articles began to discuss the Internet "buzz" itself.
The phenomenon is international, with popularity in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
noted that the "recipe is most popular on the web" and that the "5,000 calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
barbeque dish has become one of the most popular meal ideas in the world."
History and origin
Jason Day and Aaron Chronister posted the dish in December 2008 on their "BBQ Addicts" blog. It quickly became an Internet phenomenon, generating more than 500,000 hits and 16,000 links to the blog, and was even included on political blogs because "RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
like meat." There are fan clubs and follow-up videos of various attempts to create the dish.
The inventors are experienced barbecue competition participants from Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, and compete in cook-offs as the Burnt Finger BBQ team. According to the Telegraph, "They came up with the delicacy after being challenged on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to create the ultimate bacon recipe." They christened their innovation the "Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes."
The Bacon Explosion is similar to a number of previously published recipes, and Day and Chronister do not claim to have invented the concept. Earlier in December 2008, Headless Blogger posted a recipe for the "Ultimate Fattie", which is made of sausage, chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
, pepperoni
Pepperoni
Pepperoni is a spicy Italian-American variety of salami usually made from cured pork and beef, but poultry may be added, if labeled correctly, for less expensive versions. Pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red in color...
, and muenster cheese
Muenster cheese
Muenster is a cheese from the United States, not to be confused with the French variety, Munster. The name Muenster is derived from an English transliteration of Münster, a city in Germany. The original name of the French cheese comes from Alsatian abbey of Munster in the Vosgian mountains...
rolled into a bacon lattice. This concoction was inspired by a bacon and cheese roll (again, lattice-based) posted by a user on the Foodroll blog.
Widespread popularity
The huge popularity of the recipe has led to international coverage; besides the US and the UK, German and Dutch media are paying attention to the rage. Some controversy has arisen about the high calorie, high fat dish. Commentary in major publications about the health/obesity of Americans quickly suggested dishes like bacon explosion as the reason for "Why Americans are fat"; another paper noted that it isn't something a doctor would recommend. It has also been cited as an example of the use of Web 2.0Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
technology (Chronister is an Internet marketer).
Preparation
Preparing a bacon explosion "requires the minimum of culinary talent" and the ingredient list is short. It is made from 2 pounds (907.2 g) of thick cut bacon, 2 pounds (907.2 g) of Italian sausageItalian sausage
In the United States, Italian sausage most often refers to a style of pork sausage noted for being seasoned with fennel and/or anise as the primary seasoning...
, one jar of barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce is a flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to very thick consistency. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually tops meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking...
, and one jar of barbecue rub/seasoning.
It is constructed by weaving the bacon together to serve as a base which is then seasoned, followed by the layering of sausage meat on top, with crumbled bacon sprinkled on top of the mass. Barbecue sauce is added, more barbecue seasoning is added, and it is rolled into a giant "sausage-shaped monster." It takes about an hour per inch of thickness to cook and is then basted with more barbecue sauce, sliced into rounds, and served.
A prepared bacon explosion contains at least 5,000 calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s (21,000 kJ) and 500 grams of fat, though a "healthy" 8 ounce portion "only" contains 878 calories and 60 grams of fat.
Popular re-creations
Popular recreations of this dish are numerous given the quick rise to popularity. Some renditions such as the Bacon Explosion Revisited add velveeta cheese and three other meats to the dish. Others have added jalapenos and eggs to the original construction.See also
- List of bacon dishes
- Luther BurgerLuther BurgerA Luther Burger, or doughnut burger , is a hamburger or cheeseburger with one or more glazed doughnuts in place of the bun...
- This is why you're fatThis is why you're fatThis is why you're fat is a website featuring submitted photos of over-the-top and extremely indulgent food creations. The blog of captioned pictures is subtitled "where dreams become heart attacks," and it has been covered by newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Germany.It was co-created...
External links
- BBQ Addicts - originating website
- Photos of 'Bacon Explosion' construction at The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- Video Instructions on Making a Bacon Explosion