Football Explosion

It’s time for football! And that means Football Food. I love great appetizers and meals you can cook out on the grill for a football party or tailgate. And this Football Explosion is a great one…

I’m calling it a Football Explosion. And it combines a bacon explosion and a jalapeño popper (cream cheese, jack cheese and fresh jalapeño peppers).

First, I started with 8oz room temperature cream cheese. Then mixed in 8oz jack cheese and 3 diced fresh jalapeños. Once I got this mixed, I seasoned it with Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub.

Then I placed a piece of Saran Wrap on the table. I used it form the cream cheese mixture into a log. And this cream cheese log goes into the fridge for at least 15 minutes (but you could leave it overnight).

Next I laid out a piece of parchment paper and flattened out 2lbs of hot breakfast sausage. Once the sausage was even, I liberally seasoned it with Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub.

Then I took the cream cheese log out of the fridge. Using the Saran Wrap, I rolled it directly onto the middle of the sausage. The goal is to wrap the sausage all the way around the cream cheese log – even the ends. The parchment paper really makes this an easy job since you can use the edges to roll the sausage around.

Next it’s time for the best part – the bacon weave. I started with 2lbs of thick cut bacon (but I didn’t use the full 2lbs). I laid 7 pieces of bacon on a sheet of parchment paper. Then I pulled up every other piece of bacon – and laid another piece across. I just kept “weaving” the bacon pieces until I had a complete “bacon mat”. I used a total of 7 pieces x 9 pieces.

Then the sausage log goes right in the middle of the bacon weave. The parchment paper can really help you out – so use it to roll the bacon. I covered the sausage completely. Once it’s nice and tucked in, I seasoned the outside of my Football Explosion with another good dose of Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub.

Using my UDS Smoker, I got the cooker up to 300 degrees. Then I placed the Football Explosion right on the rack.

After 30 minutes of smoke, I checked the Football Explosion and it had a great color. This is when it’s time to start keeping an eye on the internals. I placed my Chef Alarm in the center to monitor the internal temps. You need to take it to at least 165 to make sure the ground meat is completely cooked.

But when the Football Explosion hit 150-155, I heated some Killer Hogs The BBQ Sauce. I poured it into my Yeti Rambler to keep it warm. Then I went out to the smoker and brushed the warm sauce all on the outside of the Football Explosion.

This allowed the sauce to glaze on the Football Explosion for the last 10 degrees – without it burning the sauce.

One my Chef Alarm went off, I knew the internal temp was at least 165. I took the Football Explosion off the smoker and let it rest. The cheese and everything inside was really hot and I didn’t want it to run everywhere. So I let it rest for a full 15-20 minutes.

Then I sliced this bad boy into 1″ slices… and dug in!

You have got to try this Football Explosion for your next football party. It has the smoked bacon, the sausage and the jalapeño popper inside – so it’s a real crowd pleaser.