Turkey Version of the "Bacon Explosion"

An article appeared in the January 28 NYT Dining section about a new recipe sensation using lots of bacon and pork sausage called the "Bacon Explosion." The recipe appears on the BBQAddicts.com website.

I'll not repeat the recipe here but you make a loaf of three layers - bacon, sausage, and cooked-crumbled bacon.  The bacon layer is a crisscross of 5 X 5 bacon slices.  After adding rubs and sauces at appropriate layers, you roll this up into a loaf and smoke or bake adding a glaze at the end.

I tried the recipe using turkey bacon and chicken sausage.  It turned out fantastic and is great as a breakfast meat with your eggs.

If you're interested read the recipe and procedure on BBQAddicts.com.  I only did one thing differently.  Because turkey bacon is not as "strong" as pork bacon, I created the sausage and crumbled bacon layers on a greased cutting board (I found a grill press is great for creating a smooth uniform layer), instead of on top of the bacon layer.  I then rolled up the sausage/crumbled bacon layers before placing it on the 5x5 matrix of turkey bacon.  It was then easier to roll the bacon layer over the sausage layer.

I smoked the loaf at 231 degrees (internal temperature reading) in a Cookshack Smokette and it took 3 hours to reach 165 degrees.  At about an internal temperature of 155 I glazed the loaf with my BBQ sauce.  After smoking, I wrapped the loaf in aluminium foil and placed in the refrigerator until needed.  I suggest you use a fruit based BBQ sauce to add some sweetness and to reduce the richness of the food.