The other day the guys from BBQAddicts.com contacted me in search of a vegetarian version of their world famous Bacon Explosion. Of course I have plenty of great uses for vegetables in a barbecue pit, but the longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to step it up a notch and unclog a few arteries for those guys. Behold, FACON EXPLOSION!!! Here’s what you’ll need…

2 pounds meatless, low fat Smart Bacon strips (aka facon)
2 pounds Gimme Lean meatless sausage (aka faux-sage)
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

To kick off the construction of this meatless medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 facon 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 weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.

The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your facon weave. Being the vegetable addict that I am, I whipped out a canister of Some In Da Eye's competition celery salt for this special occasion. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty celery salt of their own, I would recommend trying Spice House Celery Salt, Penzeys Celery Salt, or Overdog Chicago Celery Salt.

Now that you’re facon is well seasoned, it’s time to add more faux-ork. Take two pounds of meatless sausage and layer it directly on top of your facon weave. Be sure to press the faux-sage to the outer edges of the facon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores don't carry loose faux-sage, so just use the stuff in the tube. I chose to go with a mild faux-sage because I think they're all the same. If you really want to get crazy, take a stab at making your own homemade faux-sage (textured soy protein concentrate, soy flour, tapioca starch, and other good stuff).

Next up is facon layer number two. Take the remaining facon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or a midnight snack). If you like soft facon, make it soft. If you like crunchy facon, make it crunchy. If you like your facon 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 fauxsage fatty (or should I say SKINNY!!!!!), so cook them your favorite way. Personally, I like my facon right at the point when it starts to get crispy, but hasn’t quite lost all of the soy enduced pliability. 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 fauxsage layer. (Note-It’s okay, and encouraged, to snack on these pieces while your chopping/crumbling. But keep in mind that once those facon morsels touch the raw fauxsage, they're going to taste like raw fauxsage. This may taste good but it may not, so stay strong.)

Since this is a fauxbeque recipe, we need to add another layer of fauxbeque flavor. Take your favorite vegetable juice and drizzle it all over the top of the facon pieces. Personally, I prefer to use Smoke In Da Eye’s homemade vegetable sauce (a bottle of V-8 reduced by half), but if you’re torn on what brand to use I recommend V-8 (again, reduced by half), V-8 or V-8 (sorry, I don't seem to know of any other vegetable juice manufacturers). Once you’ve sauced the facon, sprinkle on some more of the vegetable seasoning you used on the facon weave.

Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the fauxsage layer from the facon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the facon weave in your roll. Try and keep the fauxsage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the fauxsage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the facon goodness inside.

At this point we can start to see the final shape of our Facon Explosion, but we’re missing one key item. To complete the constuction process, roll the fauxsage forward completely wrapping it in the facon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.

Sprinkle some vegetable seasoning on the outside of the facon weave, and now this bad boy is ready for the smoker. Cook your Facon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of olive wood smoke (olives are vegetables, no?) until your Thermapen gives an internal temperature reading of 165 degrees. I have no idea if this is right since I have never smoked meatless meat but go with me on this.

Now that our Facon Explosion is fully cooked, we need to add some finishing flavors. Remember that vegetable sauce we used for inner flavor? We’ll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked facon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce. V8 is a juice so pouring it on your skinny will just make it wet. By reducing the V8 by half, it will be thicker and will set up nicely. If you want to go wild, add a bit of honey to sweeten up that sauce (honey's not ground up bees or anything so it should be fine for this vegetarian delight).

Slice the Facon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice facon pinwheel pattern throughout the fauxsage. Obviously faux-ork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meatless monster into a sandwich, try placing a couple Facon Explosion slices on a cold piece of lettuce. You’ll reach faux-ork Nirvana is no time flat!

 
    

Be sure to send us stories and photos of your Facon Explosion experience. Who knows, you may see your ugly mug on Smoke In Da Eye BBQ Blog!!!