Smokin' A Fatty!

Whoa...easy there, it's not what you may be thinking. The only thing this griller is guilty of smoking is 100% pure deliciousness.

A "fatty" in the world of BBQ simply refers to a stuffed, smoked sausage roll. That's right, take a roll of Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, cut a slit in it and stuff it with cheeses, vegetables, meats, or whatever else peaks your fancy and throw it on the smoker. It's as easy as 1-2-3.

Cooking fatties are a great way for the novice smoker to begin learning the many nuances of smoking. The meat in a fatty is always ground and for the most part, well, loaded with fat making them resilient to mistakes and great for practicing temperature control.

Also, did I mention that these little gems are guaranteed to make you friends? It's true. They become irresistible when sliced into mouthwatering medallions.

Saturday, as I was strolling through Glen Ellyn Dominicks, I couldn't help but notice that not only Smithfield - Double Thick Cut Bacon was "buy one, get one" but that Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Sausage was too.

Sunday morning breakfast with my boys was screaming "Fatty!" and the Mrs. was going to be out....no guilt-game on!

As this was intended to be a breakfast fatty, the main ingredients included bacon and sausage. For stuffing, I chose portabellinis, green pepper, white onion, garlic and cheese.


A "fatty" in its most basic form is a roll of smoked sausage, but wrapping it in bacon adds a whole new dimension of texture and taste. I started my fatty by creating a bacon weave and dusting it with Cimmaron Docs Sweet Rib Rub & Bar-B-Q Seasoning,

Next, I flattened out the sausage roll into a square leaving room around the edges. Then I added sauteed portabellinis, green pepper, white onion, garlic and cheese,

Once loaded, I rolled the sausage layer completely sealing the stuffing inside. I then rolled the bacon weave around it using the wax paper to keep it all in place and from sticking.

I placed the fatty on my Weber Kettle One -Touch Gold using indirect heat with two chunks of Pecan. For indirect grillling I use Char-Baskets. Moving charcoal around the bottom of a grill can be a real pain. Not only do these hold your charcoal in place, but seem to create a nice even flow of heat.

Because of the amount of fat in this fatty, I chose to smoke it at 225 degrees hoping to render much of the fat...yeah right, who am I kidding?

Making a meal on my Weber Kettle using Kingsford Blue and cracking open an Old Style reminds me a lot of my late father. Although, come to think of it, he never drank his beer from a glass.

Oh boy, if you could only smell it! After about 3 hours on the Weber Ketttle, the bacon is starting to crisp up. What a beauty!

Of course I had to add a little sweetness, so I glazed it using Whiteford's Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce letting the bacon almost candy.

After letting it rest a few minutes, I cut it in two. Nice smoke ring, juicy and delicious! 

Yeah, don't come to my house looking to lose weight or lower your cholesterol. Smoking this fatty took much longer than I had anticipated and by the time it had finished it was afternoon. But in the end, it was worth the wait. These juicy, smoked medallions along with a few fried eggs is nothing short of heaven. Thanks for looking. Cheers!