How to make a Smoked Fatty

Do you ever see pictures of food and think, “WOW, I bet that tastes delicious, how can I make that on my smoker?” If you’re like me, this is a common occurrence. A few weeks ago I had one of these moments when I saw a post on Instagram with a smoked fatty picture.

After doing a little bit of research I made plans to make my first smoked philly cheese steak fatty. This post will walk you through the steps I took, and let you know what I won’t do next time I cook one of these.

If you’re saying to yourself, “Ok, where do you find a fatty recipe?” Look no further.

This is my absolute favorite thing to make. Some people have even described it as a bacon explosion!

What is a Smoked Fatty?

A fatty is ground beef or pork shaped into a log. It is stuffed with ingredients of your choosing and then wrapped in bacon. The fatty is then smoked in a smoker. Most people prefer to slice the fatty once done and serve on its own, but some people will add that slice to a bun. It’s a bacon explosion!

My First Two Attempts at a Smoked Fatty

I made two smoked fatties over the weekend. One with a taco theme, and the other with a smoked Philly cheese steak theme. Both were good, but I think I need to make a few adjustments for the next time I make one.

Most of the week we follow a ketogenic diet. Both of the fatties we made over the weekend would fit into the keto diet. Because of some health challenges my wife is also following a low fodmap diet. I made the smoked Philly Cheesesteak Fatty to comply with the low fodmap plan.

The Taco Fatty was still keto friendly, but it was definitely not low fodmap.

For this recipe you’ll  also need to make a bacon weave.

Smoked Fatty Ingredients

The base for a smoked fatty is always the same.

• 1/2 pound of bacon
• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 lbs ground pork sausage
• Several Strands of butcher string

I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and I always change up the ingredients a little bit. There are tons of options available to you for fillings. I’ve made a pizza fatty with pepperoni, marinara, and mozzarella inside. Other options include:

• Mac and cheese fatty
• Mushroom Swiss Fatty
• Breakfast Fatty (eggs, hashbrowns, cheese)

For the Smoked Philly Cheese Steak Fatty add the following ingredients to the meat:

• 1 tbsp Black Pepper, Ground
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp turmeric

For the Taco Fatty I added the following ingredients to the meat:

• 1 packet of store bought taco seasoning

My filling for the Smoked Philly Cheese Steak Fatty is:

• 1/2 pound of thinly sliced Provolone Cheese
• 1/2 pound of whipped cream cheese
• 1 sliced green pepper, cooked in a skillet until the pepper was tender

My filling for the Taco Fatty was a little bit more extravagant:

• Whole White Onion, diced and cooked
• Green Pepper, diced and cooked
• Red Pepper, diced and cooked
• Jalapeno, diced and cooked
• 10 oz can of corn
• 1 small can of diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime
• 1/2 pound of thinly sliced Colby Jack Cheese

Looking for some dessert ideas to serve with the fatty? Check out two of my favorite desserts!

• Smoked Oreo Cheesecake
• Smoked Huckleberry Cobbler

Smoked Fatty Steps

1. On a foil-lined baking sheet create a loose bacon weave with a half pound of bacon.
2. combine the sausage and ground beef and then place on top of the bacon weave. Flatten out until the majority of the weave is covered.
3. Add your filling on top of the meat and evenly spread.
4. Take your slices of cheese and evenly space them until the entire “flat” of meat and toppings are covered. It’s okay if they overlap.
5. Using the foil as a helper, tightly roll the bacon/meat/cheese/filling onto itself until you have a tight loaf.
6. Lay out several strands of butcher string perpendicular to the roll, and then roll the fatty back onto the string until you can pull each strand through, and then wrap and tie it off.
7. Place in your smoker and smoke for one hour.
8. After one hour, increase your temperature to 325 degrees and cook for about an hour and fifteen minutes.
9. After an hour of cooking at 325 check the internal temperature using a Thermapen or Thermopop. When the internal temp is at 165, it’s done!

What I Learned Cooking My First Smoked Fatty

As I previously stated, both of the fatties were good, but they could have been better. The main thing I noticed in each of them, was that they were a little dry. Next time I think I may add a few eggs to the meat to add some volume, and additional moisture. EDIT: I’ve revisited this Smoked Fatty recipe, and used a mixture of ground beef and sausage. The result was OUTSTANDING. See below for the printable smoked Philly cheese steak fatty recipe. It’s my own take on a bacon explosion.

Have you made a Smoked Fatty before? What did you do differently? Any advice you’d share? Leave a note in the comments! If you this article was helpful, please share it with your friends using the social sharing links.

Now you know how to cook a fatty!

Print Pin

Smoked Philly Cheese Fatty

It's a Philly Cheesesteak, wrapped in meat, wrapped in bacon. Simple to make, and wonderfully delicious. If you've never had a smoked fatty, this is the one you have to try!  

There are plenty of ways to smoke a fatty (phrasing?) Be creative with what you put inside! Another great way to make a smoked fatty is to fill it with swiss a cheese, mushrooms, and onion to make a mushroom swiss smoked fatty.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 373kcal

Author Nick

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of bacon
• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 lbs ground pork sausage
• 1 tbsp Black Pepper Ground
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt Coarsely Ground
• 1 tsp  mustard powder
• 1 tsp  turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 8 ounces of thinly sliced Provolone Cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese whipped, room temp
• 1 green pepper sliced
• 1 White Onion diced
• 2 Jalapeno diced
• Several Strands of butcher string
• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

• Place the green pepper, onion, and jalapeno in a large skillet with olive oil and simmer over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent and the green pepper wilts. Set aside.
• On a foil-lined baking sheet create a loose bacon weave with a half pound of bacon.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, sausage, mustard powder, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper
• Place the meat mixture on top of the bacon weave, and flatten out until the majority of the weave is covered.
• Add the jalapeno, green pepper, and onion on top of the meat and evenly spread.
• Take your slices of cheese and evenly space them until the entire "flat" of meat and toppings are covered. It's okay if they overlap...
• Using the foil as a helper, tightly roll the bacon/meat/cheese/filling onto itself until you have a tight loaf.
• Lay out several strands of butcher string perpendicular to the roll, and then roll the fatty back onto the string until you can pull each strand through, and then wrap and tie it off.
• Place in your smoker and smoke for one hour.
• After one hour, increase your temperature to 325 degrees and cook for an hour and fifteen minutes.
• Remove from smoker, clip off your strands of butcher string, slice, and eat!

Notes