Recipes

Boston Bacon Fatties

Preparation & Cooking Time:
Serves:

Ingredients

Recipe from Weber's New American Barbecue™ by Jamie Purviance

  • 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 ounce finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano® cheese
  • 32 slices thick-cut bacon, about 3 pounds
  • ½ cup packed, drained marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
  • ½ cup packed, drained marinated sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ cup roasted red bell pepper (from a jar), chopped

Method

  1. Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat (250° to 350°F). 

  3. Mix the sausage and cheese thoroughly but gently. Divide the meat into two equal portions.

  4. Lay a large sheet of wax paper on a work surface. On the wax paper, using half of the bacon slices (eight slices going in one direction and eight in the other), weave a tight square, as if you are making a lattice piecrust. The finished size should be about 11 by 11 inches (don’t be afraid to stretch the bacon strips a little to fit). 

  5. Lay a large sheet of wax paper on another work surface. Press one of the meat portions into an 8-inch square. About 2 inches from the side nearest you, arrange half of the artichokes, half of the tomatoes, and half of the peppers in parallel, horizontal lines, leaving about 1 inch at each end. Roll up the sausage tightly around the fillings, and then pinch the ends to seal everything in. This should look like a small meat loaf. Place this meat loaf at the edge of the bacon weave closest to you. Using the wax paper underneath the bacon to help, roll the bacon blanket around the sausage, tucking the ends in as you go. Set aside, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making a second wrapped fatty.

  6. Drain and add the wood chips to the charcoal or to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer’s instructions, and close the lid. When smoke appears, grill the fatties over indirect low heat, with the lid closed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 155°F, 1½ to 2 hours. Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes (the internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees during this time). Cut into 1-inch-thick slices and serve right away.