Personal Sized Smoked Bacon Wrapped Fatty

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With Father's Day looming upon us, I wanted to post a recipe that is worthy of this sort of manly and carnivorous occasion.

It had to be fate or perhaps destiny that caused my mind to wonder to the amazing and wonderful bacon wrapped fatty.

We all love this amazing sausage chub stuffed with cheese, jalapenos, and all sorts of other goodies and wrapped in a weave of bacon and there is no greater dish to try out on that new Father's Day smoker. Having said that, there is a great need for one that is more personal-sized and perhaps a little easier and quicker to make.

Most of you who have tried these know that there are a million and one variations on this popular smoked dish but we have always made them with a pound of sausage, and about a pound of bacon.

This new version can be stuffed however you like but it can be whipped up much faster and only uses a half pound of sausage and five pieces of bacon. Since the stuffed sausage chub is smaller, it is easy to wrap the bacon around it with no need for weaving it.

Well, anyway, for all of you who have told me that it takes a lot of time to weave the bacon and put these together, this is for you.

For those of you who have perfected the old style down to an art and have a notebook full of variations you want to try before you leave this earth, here is yet another variation for you to try;-)

I knew you'd appreciate that;-)

I also want to wish all of you Fathers a very happy Father's day!

• 1/2 lb of ground sausage
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 TBS pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 2 pieces bacon, crumbled
• 5 pieces of bacon (for wrapping
• Jeff's original rub
• Jeff's original barbecue sauce 

Cut the pound of sausage in half. Place the unused half in the fridge or you can make 2 of these if you prefer. For this experiment I only made one.

Place 1/2 pound of sausage in a 7×8 ziploc bag (quart size) and flatten out with your hand.

Tip: snip the 2 bottom corners of the ziploc to help release air while you flatten out the sausage.

Cut the 2 sides and bottom of the ziploc bag along the seam and peel back the plastic to reveal the flattened sausage.

Put 3-4 TBS of my barbecue sauce then shredded cheese on the sausage as shown.

Chopped pickled jalapenos.

Crumbled bacon.

Note: I just happened to have some candied bacon (pig candy) and I used that instead.

Roll it up as tight as you can.

Lay 5 pieces of bacon on the cutting board side by side.

Pull/wrap the bacon up over the sausage roll.

Done wrapping.

Once the sausage roll is covered with bacon, place the bacon wrapped roll on a Bradley rack or you could place it on a plank of wood as well.

Sprinkle a healthy dose of my original rub on the bacon wrapped fatty.

Another shot of the beautiful bacon wrapped fatty filled with cheese, jalapenos and bacon crumbles.

Place on the smoker grate and smoke with hickory wood or pecan wood for about 2 hours or until it reaches 160°F in the very center.

About 20 minutes before it is finished, glaze with my original barbecue sauce for an amazing finish.

Cheese oozing out is a great sign that it has reached a nirvana like state of deliciousness;-)

All sliced up and ready for some homemade biscuits.

Tip: I'm a big proponent of eating what you want in moderation but if you want to take this recipe a step further and make it a little healthier, I have very successfully used turkey sausage and turkey bacon with low fat cheese to make this a much healthier alternative. Yes, the flavor does suffer a little but it is still pretty doggone tasty if you ask me.

How to Season a Smoker and Other Need-to-Know Facts

I hope that many of you have asked for a new smoker for Father's day and if you do get one, you will need to season it and get it ready for smoking before your maiden voyage.

When you purchase a new smoker, there are often oils left on the smoker from the manufacturing process. It is important to burn these off before using the smoker to cook food for the first time.

1. Spray or wipe a little oil (any cooking oil will work) on the inside surfaces of the new smoker.
2. Run the smoker at 225 degrees complete with a little smoking wood for 2 hours.
3. You are now ready to smoke some food!

• For most smoking sessions, you will be maintaining a temperature of 225-240°F. This is the temperature that you need to learn how to maintain.
• Keep the smoke flowing for at least half of your total cook time for the best flavor.
• Use wood chips dry for best results (regardless of what you might have heard)
• If using wood chunks, use 4-6 at a time and replace with 4-6 more when they have burned up.
• Factory installed thermometers are known for being inaccurate. If your food is getting done too quick, too slow, etc. then it may be that your thermometer is off by as much as 40-50 degrees.
• Use bacon to wrap lean meats to keep them from drying out so much.
• Use a digital probe meat thermometer to get foods done to perfection. You can't guess or feel the temperature as well as a digital thermometer can read it.
• In spite of what anyone tells you, there are very few rules in barbecue. Do it the way you and your family like it and don't be swayed or  by those who try to impose their rules upon you.
• Smoking meat works best when the air and smoke can circulate properly. Make sure that air is able to get into and out of the smoker when cooking to create the perfect flavor.
• If your smoker has a water pan, then use it faithfully.
• Foil is your friend. Keep plenty on hand and use it as needed.
• The art of smoking is learned by practicing. Practice often and keep good notes so you can continue to improve.