Who doesn’t love a good breakfast? If you’re cooking up breakfast at home and want some sort of pork product to go with your pancakes and eggs, most folks make a choice between sausage or bacon. But why not both? You can have a complete breakfast all-in-one with this epic breakfast fatty!

This tailgate recipe is also perfect for backyards and campouts. Put a slice of this breakfast log in between a biscuit and you’ve got an even more epic breakfast!

Breakfast Fatty Video

https://youtu.be/Q6SIpmM1i28

The Breakfast Fatty Breakdown

The ingredients used for this breakfast fatty are as follows (in no particular order):

• bacon
• ground sausage (or chorizo if you want to spice it up)
• hash browns (cooked)
• scrambled eggs
• chopped onion
• diced green bell pepper
• cheddar cheese
• rub/seasoning
• BBQ sauce (for the last 20 minutes of the cook)

The Bacon Weave

The outermost layer of the breakfast fatty is a bacon weave. It’s like a tasty safety net for the rest of the ingredients to stay in. Granted, the ground sausage should keep it all in, but is having all that bacon as part of the meat cocoon such a bad thing? I don’t think so.

https://youtu.be/HNvPxp9BTXk

Anyway, some of you may wonder how to make a bacon weave. To lay it out in a simple way, I’ll do numeric bulletpoints:

1. Put down a strip of parchment paper or clear plastic wrap
2. Lay five or six strips of bacon vertically, each strip close to the other
3. Take the even numbered strips and pull back part way
4. Lay a new strip of bacon horizontally, across the odd numbered strips of bacon (the ones that aren’t folded back)
5. Flip the folded over strips back (look! You’ve made the beginnings of the weave!)
6. Now take the odd numbered vertical strips and lay and pull up to fold over, up by the horizontal strip already weaved in
7. Lay another horizontal strip down next to the other horizontal one
8. Pull the flipped over bacon strips back down
9. Now that you’ve come this far, just alternate between flipping over the even and odd vertical strips to lay down the horizontal ones until the weave is complete!

The Next Layer: Ground Sausage

Now that you have woven a blanket o’ bacon (good job, by the way!) take a 16 oz. package of ground sausage and flatten it out in a square-like shape over the bacon weave. If it doesn’t reach the edges of your weave, it’s okay. Just make sure you have flattened it out enough to put your other ingredients in and roll it up. Speaking of…

The Rest of the Ingredients

For those of you keeping score at home, we have scrambled eggs, hash browns (cooked), cheddar cheese, diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and rub remaining to put in this thing. Lay out these ingredients in a straight line, layering on top of each other. When doing the cheese, you can use either shredded or long, skinny rectangular cubes. The advantage of the long cubes in the log is that the cheese is centered in one spot and has that cheesy, gooey look when it’s sliced and served. And as far as the rub is concerned, you can either apply it on the ground sausage or on the bacon part. I usually apply it on the bacon (because I forget to put it on the sausage).

Rollin’ up a Fatty (breakfast fatty, that is)

Remember how I mentioned to lay down a sheet of parchment paper or clear plastic wrap? I hope you did because rolling up this meat cocoon is a lot easier this way. As you have laid the inside ingredients on top of each other in one direction, take the parallel end and start rolling. The goal is to roll as if you want to make one end of the ground sausage touch the other end. No tight rolling, just roll to where when you eventually slice it the meat will have enclosed the inside ingredients.

Pull back the parchment paper or plastic wrap and put toothpicks into the loose bacon tips at the ends of the rolled up fatty to help keep its form rounded on the ends…and to keep stuff from oozing out.

 Put the Breakfast Fatty on the Grill

When cooking this thing, I put the breakfast fatty in at 275F and leave it in for about 90 minutes. I like to use my digital thermometer to check the temps inside. When it is around 150F, I apply the BBQ sauce on the bacon. Close the lid and then remove the log when the internal temp hits 165F. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. For checking temps, I highly recommend using a digital thermometer like the Thermapen ONE. I swear by mine and use it on every single cook I do.

When you’re finished, let it rest about five to ten minutes before slicing. Slice them about an inch thick. The slices of this breakfast fatty taste great by themselves, but make it epic and put it in between some homemade biscuits you can also make on your grill!

What to Serve with a Breakfast Fatty?

The food that compliments a breakfast fatty well are biscuits. Put a slice of your bacon weave breakfast fatty in a biscuit, drizzle on some honey, and you have a sandwich that is perfect for tailgating food! You can find my biscuit recipe HERE.

How Long is a Breakfast Fatty Good For?

You can store your leftover breakfast fatty for up to three days when put in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Can be reheated in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. I suggest wrapping in a damp paper towel to help retain some moisture during reheating.

The Recipe!

I’ve been cooking in a ceramic grill religiously for years, mostly going low and slow for barbecue. I’ve been using the Kamado Joe Classic models and Joe Jr. I love how these things hold the heat for hours and hours (especially in the wintertime) and how they capture the moisture in at the same time. I’ve used the regular grill grates, cast iron grates, and the half moon griddle. While I recommend using all of these, my favorite accessory to use is the Joetisserie. And in this Joetisserie review, I will be giving my unbiased opinions of this porduct.

What’s in the box?

The Joetisserie works like a regular rotisserie and is fitted for the 18” Classic. The packaging includes a steel spit rod (or skewer), two adjustable forks (or claws) to keep the food firmly in place for spinning, a large, wedge-shaped ring to keep the skewer in place, and the motor for spinning the steel spit rod. The motor comes with a plug because it requires electricity, so you’ll want to make sure your grill is close to a power source. Also worth noting is that the motor is strong enough to spin up to 40 lbs. of food.

Assembly

To help attach the food to the skewer, one side has a dull point on the end to help move the food down the stick (but not too sharp as to impale…unless you are running full force with it at someone/something). Make sure to first put one claw on the skewer facing the food, then the food itself, and finally the other claw to keep things in place whilst spinning.

Here’s a video of the unboxing (a re-enactment if you will) and assembly of the Joetisserie:

https://youtu.be/3JnDEs6GiDo

How to Use the Joetisserie

You can cook a variety of meats, veggies, and fruits rotisserie style. Two of my personal favorites are chicken and pineapple. I’ve also attempted al pastor and have had some success with it. The advantage to cooking food this way is that as it’s internal temp starts to rise, the juices don’t usually drip off. They keep rolling around as the food spins, meaning the food is basting in its own juices. In fact, the best, most juiciest whole chickens I’ve made have been rotisserie style using my Joetisserie.

One tip I’ve learned after charring the skin on a few of my birds is when lighting the coals, try to keep your hottest ones to the outer portions as opposed to directly under the meat. That way, you can get a more even cook for both the outside and inside of your food. Another option for those with more patience is to let the coals burn past their peak and then use those cooler coals to cook with.

While the Joetisserie is great to use, one super minor issue of how to store it comes after you are finished using it. You could always try to put it back in the original box it came in, but the custom cut styrofoam will eventually come apart. No custom bags or storage bins are available, so you’ll either have to find the right size of box to put it in or be like me and put some parts one place and the rest on top of your fridge in the garage.

With that said, here’s my pros and cons for this Joetisserie review:

Pros

* Simple to assemble
* Food becomes self-basting
* Fits most round, 18” ceramic grills (including large Big Green Egg)
* Easy to use

Cons

* Limited availability to purchase
* No storage kit available

Joetisserie Review

I could watch the rotisserie spin around all day. It’s a bit hypnotic in a way. If you check my social media posts, you will occasionally see me sharing videos of spinning chickens and other foods. I can’t help it. I could watch those videos on repeat! Even though there are no storage bags available (at the moment), I highly recommend the Joetisserie to add yet another style of cooking to your kamado!

Ever since I first laid eyes on a Santa Maria style grill via the Internet, I’ve wanted to see one in person. The long, rectangular open air grill with the suspension grill surface that can be raised and lowered using a wheeled lever (or pulley depending on the grill) during the process of a cook is fascinating to me. However, finding a grill like that outside of the central coastal region of California, where Santa Maria is located, is a tough find.

Fast forward to present time when I was given the opportunity to visit the region and attend a BBQ Bootcamp at the Alisal Guest Ranch to learn about Santa Maria style grilling. I jumped at the opportunity and counted down the days til my trip. This was my chance to see these grills in action, learn from the experts in the area, and oh yeah, have an excuse to visit Southern California again!

Remember how I said I was going to a ranch In Southern California? Did you think that area was too crowded to have space for a ranch? You’re not alone if you did. While LA and the surrounding cities are one big urban/suburban sprawl that goes for miles on end, there’s a side to Southern California that you don’t see on the TV and movies. There are smaller coastal communities and even wide open spaces where ranches and wineries are aplenty. Simply take the 101 North, drive along that beautiful coast line, and once you get to Santa Barbara and north of it you are in for an experience you wouldn’t expect.

The Alisal Guest Ranch, which hosts this BBQ Bootcamp, is located in the quaint, Danish town of Solvang. While most people who are familiar with the town know it for all of the Danish themed shops and excellent Danish food, one needs only to drive a mile or two away from the town center to experience the rolling hills and vast spaces the area has to offer. This ranch is only two miles away from the city center yet feels like you’ve taken a journey far out yonder. The ranch style guest rooms have that authentic rustic feel, from the brick fireplaces to the exposed wood beams on the ceiling, and not to mention no TVs in the room to encourage getting outside and spending time together. I could go on about the history and amenities (really, I could because I just deleted another long paragraph about it), but let’s get into the experience, shall we?

All of our classes were outside on the property with four Santa Maria style grills, an XL Big Green Egg, and a large cylinder smoker with a rotating grill. The Santa Maria grills were all fueled with red oak wood. Have you ever burned or smoked with red oak before? The smell is intoxicating. And that’s what the whole place smelled like. You could say I was drunk on BBQ.

Anyway, our first class was taught by Chef Anthony Endy and Frank Ostini, owner of the Hitching Post II restaurant in Los Alamos, CA (his restaurant and winery gained international attention when it was featured in the movie Sideways). One of the things Frank said that stood out to me was the method of flipping steaks more than once. If you’re like me, you’ve been taught to only flip meat once. Frank said he flips more than once because the beading juices on the surface that start to show on top of the meat are juices leaving the meat and drying it out. Flipping the meat over more than once, according to him, keeps more juices locked in.

Chef Anthony Endy, executive chef at the Alisal Guest Ranch, prepares some Wagyu tri-tip from Snake River Farms. These massive cuts of tri-tip were SIX POUNDS EACH! To put that in perspective, the average size of a tri-tip is between 1.5-2 lbs. These cuts of meat were rubbed with Santa Maria seasoning and a homemade chimichurri.

What exactly is Santa Maria seasoning? It mostly consists of kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and dried parsley. I’ve been using it for a few years now and love it! If you’re looking to get a bottle of your own, companies like Susie Q’s sell it online.

If you want to cook smaller items like veggies, shrimp, scallops, etc. on the grill it’s best to use a cookie sheet with small holes in the bottom to let that red oak heat and smoke flow through while not seeing your food fall through the grates and onto the ashes.

We were offered some of the local fare of beers, wines (reds and rosés) and mixed drinks. The award-winning beers from the nearby brewery Firestone Walker featured the popular blonde ale 805 Beer, among other selections. If I drank then I’m sure it would’ve been pleasing to my tastebuds.

With that said, that night we were fed with tri-tip, filet mignon, bacon-wrapped scallops, chicken wings with Alabama white sauce, shrimp, and halibut. All of which were cooked on the Santa Maria style grills. All were cooked to perfection. There were also some veggies, but they weren’t important enough to remember. I was here for the friggin’ barbecue!

The next day was the only full day of the event and it was packed with some fun classes. To start off, we learned about blending spices and were provided with a table featuring over a dozen different spices to blend.

We weren’t told what to do, but advised that most rubs consist of 40 percent kosher salt. With that knowledge, I grabbed a bowl and mixed about nine different spices together and made my own rub. I mixed kosher salt, ground black pepper, Hungarian paprika, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, ancho chili pepper flakes, and ground mustard. I may have annoyed the chefs conducting the class because I kept asking them to sample my blend and see what I needed to make it better. Overall, I think I did a decent job. Can’t wait to try it on food when I get home!

Next, we had a class on sausage making. I’ve been intrigued by this for quite some time now and was excited to learn the process. To keep from getting too deep in the woods here, just know that ground up pork shoulder was the main ingredient, that the number associated with the casing is the size in millimeters, poke small holes in the casing while pushing meat into it to help the flow and keep air bubbles from forming, and to twist every six inches for bun-sized links…or down twist at all and make a five pound sausage wheel. The sausage was grilled up soon after and we were eating them within minutes.

To finish up the morning, we had Chef Clark Staub from Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos, CA come and teach us about cooking with a wood-fired oven. This was mainly about pizzas and flatbreads. Very, very delicious, eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-your-head pizzas and flatbreads. Chef Staub, who just might be Stephen Colbert’s doppelgänger, reminded me that quality, local ingredients matter and can taste amazing.

After a relaxing break of sitting in the shade and enjoying the breeze (and charging my phone), we had the last class of the day: desserts. Chef Valerie from the LA-based bakery Valerie Confections taught us how to make caramel in a Dutch oven on the grill. Since it was on a ceramic grill, which I love to use, she definitely had my attention. Did you know that caramel is basically melted sugar and butter? No wonder why it’s so good! We also learned how to make bread pudding and cook it in a cast iron bundt pan, drizzling the caramel on top. I’m not a bread pudding fan, but I was a fan of this.

Dinnertime was epic time! We had smoked beef ribs and smoked salmon (both over red oak), locally caught lobster, tomahawk ribeyes, chicken, quail, and oysters.

Once again there were sides, but all I remember was that there was salad. Seriously, I wish you, the reader (yeah you), could’ve been here to help me eat all of this. I almost felt guilty that I couldn’t eat seconds or thirds because I loaded my plate with samples of everything. I even tried oysters for the first time. Always been nervous to eat them because they are all slimy and remind me of little snot-filled cups. I braved it and it wasn’t bad. Just wish I knew to separate that muscle from the shell.

The last day was a morning event. I took a horseback ride across the hills on the ranch and had breakfast at this old adobe out in the middle of nowhere. Haven’t ridden a horse in years and my butt sure felt it. Totally worth the experience, though.

We were treated to a great spread of pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, and pastries. All you can eat and a pancake as large as Captain America’s shield. Ron Swanson would’ve been jealous.

We had another class from Chef Valerie on making jam in a Dutch oven. Seriously, all of this dessert making in Dutch ovens has inspired me to get into that style of cooking. I’m planning on expanding my horizons and work on making some killer sides and desserts to complete my barbecue meals.

I was seriously bummed to leave the ranch. It was a nice escape from civilization and was had a relaxing, laid back feel the entire time I was there. It was the most chill schedule I’ve participated in and they gave you time to relax and enjoy the experience. I’d love to return someday. In the meantime, I’m not going to wash my clothes just so I can have that smell of red oak smoke there to take me back.