U R B A N B B Q – #hiatus #food #foodporn #foodie #barbeque #bbq #urban #urbanfood #meat #protein #kalesalad #pickles #hiatusbbq #losangeles #midcity #bakedbeans #veggies #chicken #plates (at Hiatus Urban BBQ)
My first #cmnm barbecue, and my first barbecue for the season. So glad to be meeting with these two lovely friends, even if it’s still social distancing. It’s still difficult adjusting to the new social distancing life style. But it’s with it to spend time with loved ones.
To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your bacon weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
The next step is to add some BBQ Seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Being the BBQ Addict that I am, I whipped up a batch of our Burnt Finger BBQ pork rub for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, nor the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, I would recommend trying Plowboys Yardbird, Cowtown Sweet Spot, Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry, or Smokin’ Guns Sweet Heat.
Now that you’re pork is well seasoned, it’s time to add more pork. Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores carry loose sausage, so just pick out one you like. I chose to go with a mild sausage, but spicy would work just the same. If you really want to get crazy, take a stab at making your own homemade sausage.
Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or a midnight snack). If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy. If you like your bacon burnt to hell so the smoke detectors go off, then burn it to hell so the smoke detectors go off. These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way. Personally, I like my bacon right at the point when it starts to get crispy, but hasn’t quite lost all of the softness yet. Regardless of how well done you like yours, you’ll need to crumble or chop the cooked strips into bite size pieces and place on top of the sausage layer. (Note-It’s okay, and encouraged, to snack on these pieces while your chopping/crumbling. But keep in mind that once those bacon morsels touch the raw sausage, you’ll need to resist all temptations to nibble. This can and will be difficult, but hospital trips are no fun, so stay strong.)
Since this is a BBQ recipe, we need to add another layer of BBQ flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. Personally, I prefer to use our own Burnt Finger BBQ Smokey Kansas City sauce, but if you’re torn on what brand to use I recommend EAT Barbecue’s The Next Big Thing, Three Little Pigs Competition Sauce, or Plowboys Sweet 180. Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the BBQ Seasoning you used on the bacon weave.
Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.
Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.
At this point we can start to see the final shape of our Bacon Explosion, but we’re missing one key item. To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.
Sprinkle some BBQ Rub on the outside of the bacon weave, and now this bad boy is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. Mine took about 2.5 hours, which was right on target with its 2.5 inch diameter.
Now that our Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, we need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that barbecue sauce we used for inner flavor? We’ll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked bacon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they’ll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don’t contain as much, so they won’t set up as well. If you’re dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you’ll get the same effect.
Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice bacon pinwheel pattern throughout the sausage. Obviously pork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meat monster into a sandwich, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana in no time flat!
This was my mom’s favorite burger spot growing up and it became one of ours when I was growing up.
W&M is a burger place in a section of Honolulu called Kaimuki, where my mom grew up and went to school. I remember the original W&M location before it was shut down in the late 70′s, which made a lot of people panic. “Where are we going to get our BBQ burger? It opened down the street on Waialae Avenue, where it remains today. The parking lot is extremely small so people who visit have to find a spot, drive around the block a few times while someone runs in to make an order, or be sneaky and park the car next door at City Mill.
W&M stands for Wilfred & Mary Kawamura, the couple who started it in the early 1940′s. The only thing that has changed about this menu are the prices. Before they closed in the late 70′s, it was your burger spot where one could go in and sit. Now, there are no seats, you just walk up to the window, make your order, and go eat somewhere.
I got this meny when I went back home either in 1986 or 1988 and I’m posting this to see the differences in prices between then and now. A “BBQ Plain” was $2.25 in the late 80′s and now it’s about $3.60, which isn’t too bad.
For the record, their BBQ is a “teriyaki BBQ”, not a Southern style BBQ as BBQ throughout Hawai’i is generally on a hibachi. I have only had their “BBQ Plain”, I have never had a Deluxe, a Cheeseburger, or their Royal, nor have I ever had their steaks. Just a BBQ Plain and fries. A part of me wants to have the one with cheese or a royal but their onions are “raw”, not grilled although I could ask if they could grill it. The way my parents had their burgers is the way I have it, and I haven’t had a W&M in 17 years. I can still smell it now.
I don’t even have the words to describe how good this sandwich is. Unfortunately, we can only take about 40% of the credit, since the meat was bought from our neighborhood market, where a row of women sell freshly cut, slow roasted pork sliced from whole pigs lining their stands. But if you’ve never tried a fried egg on meat, now is the time. It’s delicious and adds a whole different flavor aspect to an already incredible meal. Top it off with slaw and you’ve got the best sandwich ever made.
The barbecue sauce was created by A in a fit of desperation for some good Southern cooking, which he misses so much.
BARBECUE SAUCE:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil ½ small onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 cup ketchup ¼ cup white distilled vinegar ¼ cup honey 1 tablespoons brown sugar ¼ cup spicy brown mustard 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon ground oregano ¼ teaspoon hot sauce (optional) Kosher salt Black pepper
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 2. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. 3. Add the ketchup, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, hot sauce (if using), ¾ cup water, salt, and black pepper. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. 4. Let sauce sit off of heat for five minutes to allow to thicken more.
The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
We had such a great Family Fun Night yesterday with students from the past, present and potentially the future. Thank you to all that showed their faces to roast marshmallows, hot dogs and spread the word about GlassRoots’ programs. We’d also like to send a huge thank you to Dorothy Gilliard; founder and president of FASNA LLC. For the past 10 years she has provided personalized financial aid services to college-bound families throughout New York and New Jersey. She is also a frequent workshop speaker for high schools, community colleges, and civic associations and did an marvelous job of helping our students in their journey to higher learning.
Rewriting Christmas carol lyrics: Pomfrets roasting on an open fire…on banana leaves. Cooking them slowly in anticipation for the spicy sambal that we’ll be spreading atop these beautiful, silvery fish. #grill #BBQ #fish #barbeque #seafood (at Cookery Magic)
