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BACON EXPLOSION

2lb Thick Cut sliced bacon
1-1/2 lb Italian Sausage, casings removed
3 TBS Barbecue Rub
¾ cup Barbecue Sauce

1. Using ten slices of bacon, weave a square lattice like that on top of a pie: first, place 5 slices of bacon side by side on a large sheet of aluminum foil, parallel to one another, sides touching. Place another strip of bacon on one end, perpendicular to the other strips. Fold first, third and fifth bacon strips back over this new strip, then place another strip next to it, parallel to it Unfold first, third and fifth strips; fold back second and fourth strips. Repeat with remaining bacon until all 10 strips are tightly woven.
2. Preheat oven to 225 degrees or light a fire in an outdoor smoker. Place remaining bacon in a frying pan and cook until crisp. As it cooks, sprinkle bacon weave with one tablespoon barbecue rub. Evenly spread sausage on top of bacon lattice, pressing to outer edges.
3. Crumble fried bacon into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle on top of sausage. Drizzle with ½ cup barbecue sauce and sprinkle with another tablespoon barbecue rub.
4. Very carefully separate front edge of sausage layer from bacon weave and begin rolling sausage away from you. Bacon weave should stay where it was, flat. Press sausage roll to remove any air pockets and pinch together seams and ends.
5. Roll sausage towards you, this time with the bacon weave, until it is completely wrapped. Turn it so that the seam is down. Roll should be about 2 o 3 inches thick. Sprinkle with remaining barbecue rub.
6. Place roll on a baking sheet in oven or in smoker. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 1 hour for each inch of thickness. When done, glaze roll with more sauce. To serve, slice into ¼ to ½ inch rounds.

Yield: 10 or more servings.