Although the Bacon Bomb fit the specs of my low-carb diet, let me be clear: this was not my idea!

It was more of a challenge. The gauntlet was thrown down by my husband's son, who was on leave from the Navy for the holidays. He challenged me to create a "Bacon Explosion," a food-porn worthy, bacon concoction he and his Navy buddies fantasised about while at sea.

According to John R. Kettle, IV, "We're on the ship. We can't leave. We have to deal with the Navy food. So we tease ourselves with massive, amazing creations. You know how you salivate? We sit there the entire morning starving, and imagining what it would be like to eat these things. One day was entirely dedicated to bacon, so we went online and Googled bacon food and we found this!"

There's little need to say much more, it's crispy bacon, inside sausage, inside more bacon, all sprinkled with BBQ dry rub. (I feel like the father in A Christmas Story, "Isn't it glorious?!")

Here's a version of the recipe, but remember it's just a framework for your own variations. Get wild and crazy with this one: add different cheeses, use brats, the possibilities are endless!

Bacon Bomb

About 2 pounds thick cut bacon (for the basket weave)

About 1 pound regular cut bacon (for inner layer)

2 pounds Italian sausage

1 jar of your favorite dry barbeque rub (Note: I use Heartbreaking Dawns Cajun Spice Blend)

Start rendering 1 pound of regular cut bacon. Cook until crispy and break up into 1 inch pieces. Create a tight bacon weave, square or rectangular. Sprinkle some of your favorite BBQ rub on top of your bacon weave. Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Add broken up bacon pieces on top of the sausage layer. Sprinkle with more dry rub.

This is the tricky part: carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends.

Next, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up. Sprinkly more dry BBQ seasoning.

Set on a rack in a broiler pan and cook at 300 for approximately 2.5 - 3 hours, depending on the thickness of the bacon roll. A good rule to follow is one hour for every inch of thickness.