The Breakfast Fatty
The fatty has been a staple of pitmasters for years. For me, they have been a "required food" at all brew days or anytime we plan on standing around and drinking beer for a prolonged period. Why the love? What is there not to love about pork sausage wrapped in a bacon weave and smoked on the grill? While it will not please your cardiologist, it will, however, please your friends.
When it comes to stuffing a fatty, there is no limit to creativity. It's not uncommon for me to use various cheeses, herbs, or even more meat. However, one item I had not previously used, or even considered, were hardboiled eggs. That was until my friend Holly did just that. The unison reaction from everyone: genius!
Seriously, why didn't any of us think of that? Brew Days often start late morning, so a breakfast fatty makes perfect sense. Better yet, a breakfast fatty is a perfect "make ahead breakfast." Every morning before work, I have to have a cooked breakfast. It takes only a few extra minutes, but it's what I need. By smoking a breakfast fatty on Sunday, I, at least, have three days of breakfast made ahead of time. Four if I don't gorge myself. Who am I kidding? I have three days.
The Breakfast Fatty
by Mike Lang
1 lb pork sausage
1 lb bacon
3 hardboiled eggs
BBQ Rub of choice
Gallon sized ziplock bag
1. Place the pork sausage in the plastic bag and with a rolling pin, roll it flat.
2. With a knife, cut down the sides of the bag, giving access to the sausage.
3. Make a bacon weave, roughly 8 strips by 8 strips, on a large sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Season the bacon weave with a favorite rub.
5. Remove the pork from the plastic bag and place over half of the bacon weave.
6. Place the hardboiled eggs in a line, equally spaced, close to the pork sausage and bacon edge.
7. Using the plastic wrap as an assist, roll the weave up, starting with the pork sausage/egg side.
8. Continue to roll until you have a "loaf."
9. Roll the wrap to seal the sides and then place into the fridge until ready to smoke.
10. Prepare the grill for indirect low heat. On the Performer, this means a two zone fire. For this cook, I used the Weber Summit Charcoal Grill, which means using two scoops of charcoal on the lower level and then dropping in the diffuser plate.
No matter the grill, keep the temperature between 225-275 F.
11. Add a few wood chunks to the coals, I used apple, and when the smoke starts, place the fatty on the grate and smoke for about an hour, or until the internal temperature of the sausage hits 160 F.
When taking the temp, try to visualize a spot between the eggs to get an accurate read.
This was as good as it looks. I really can't believe we haven't tried it sooner. Also, this is a bare bones version. Use your imagination on stuffing. I'm thinking of wrapping the eggs in basil and then adding smoked gouda on my next go round. Breakfast, whether it be for the daily grind, or a brew day, is really looking up.
Note: I have a professional relationship with Weber Grills, which now, also includes iGrill. Everything else is all me.
