I have another highlight from Wizard World Philadelphia that I'd like to share with you. Midway through the day Saturday, my friend Bill Hollis (a
superb voice-over artist and professionally trained chef) and his wife brought over two incredibly tasty morsels they called
Bacon Explosion.
And not a moment too soon, because I had been sketching my butt off, and was badly in need of a little snack.
Of course, calling these things "snacks" is a little like calling Galactus "somewhat peckish," but man did they ever hit the spot. The next sketch I did may have had a few barbecue-hued smudges on it, but it was so worth it.
With Bill's kind permission, here's the recipe he sent to me:
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 Lbs of THICK-cut bacon (I just get 2 pounds, and go from there)
• Dry-spice package (McCormick's Pork Rub works well)
• 1 1/2 Lbs of uncased sausage meat (I use spicy-HOT- but you can use any italian style)
• Barbecue Sauce, of your choosing
• Liquid Smoke, 1 small bottle -- if you're cheating, and making it indoors.
Method:
Take 10 slices of bacon, and lay out a latticework. Keep it tight---you wanna have it hold together! Fry remaining bacon, crumble, set aside. Sprinkle lattice with spice, and spread the sausage out on top of it, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around. Then, sprinkle with cooked bacon. Wipe drool, and continue.
At this stage, I like to spread more dry spice on---AND, in a fit of experimentation that chefs like myself tend to do, I spread shredded CHEESE on top here.
Now, it gets to the point, where you need dexterity...judging by your work on Lightning Lady, you should do fine (VILF, indeed!). Carefully roll up the sausage base (but NOT the lattice--get it?), into a roll, finishing with the roll at one end of the latticework. Now, roll up the lattice, over the sausage innards roll. You should finish with a roll that's , say, 2 1/2- to- 3" thick.
If you're doing this in an oven (purists howl, if you don't use a smoker), use a 275 degree oven. Now,...use a pan, deep enough to hold some liquid a rack, and the explosion. Pour the Liquid Smoke into the bottom of the pan (if it doesn't cover the bottom completely, add a touch of water.) Place the explosion on the rack, so it doesn't touch the liquid.
Cover the whole shebang in foil, and slide her into the oven. Let it sit for about 2 1/2 hours...then, pull it out, take the foil off, and begin its bath,...in BBQ sauce.
Brush her up good, and put it back in the oven for another hour, basting gently as you go.
Now, comes the GOOD part. Pull it out, and let her rest for about 10 minutes. Slice it gently, as thinly as you feel is right, and drop that slice on a slider bun.
