Jim Beam Bacon Explosion

Ingredients:

• 1 pound thick-cut bacon, divided
• 1 tablespoon Jim Beam Original Barbecue Rub (Click To BUY), divided
• 2 pounds bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bottle Jim Beam Bacon Barbecue Sauce (Click To BUY)

Directions:

1. Preheat smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).
2. Reserve about 1/2 pound bacon for cooking. Lay 2 strips of the remaining bacon on a clean surface in an X. Alternate horizontal and vertical bacon strips, weaving them tightly in an over-and-under pattern to create a lattice pattern. Sprinkle woven bacon with 1 teaspoon Jim Beam Original Barbecue Rub (Click To BUY).
3. Arrange reserved 1/2 pound of bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble.
4. Place sausage in a large resealable plastic bag; do not close bag. Roll sausage out, still in the bag, to a square the same size as the woven bacon. Cut bag off the sausage and arrange sausage over bacon; discard bag. Sprinkle crumbled bacon, Cheddar cheese, green onions, and garlic over sausage. Pour about 3/4 bottle Jim Beam Bacon Barbecue Sauce (Click To BUY) over sausage and season with remaining Jim Beam Original Barbecue Rub (Click To BUY). Roll woven bacon tightly around sausage into a loaf.
5. Cook bacon-sausage loaf seam-side down in the preheated smoker for about 1 1/2 hours. Brush woven bacon with remaining Jim Beam Bacon Barbecue Sauce (Click To BUY) and continue to smoke until loaf is no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Allow loaf to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.

Click to check out all of our great sauces and spices at http://peppers.com/