The fatty is competition-barbecue’s inside joke that became everyone’s favorite breakfast: a one-pound roll of sausage, stuffed with whatever you like, wrapped in a bacon weave and smoked until the bacon crisps. Its little cousin, the armadillo egg, is a cheese-stuffed jalapeno wrapped in sausage and then bacon. Both are pure crowd-pleasers, both are done at 165°F, and both are nearly impossible to ruin.
How long to smoke a fatty
A 1 lb bacon-wrapped fatty takes about 2 hours 45 minutes at 225°F to reach 165°F in the center, or about 90 minutes at 300°F. Armadillo eggs are smaller and run about 2 hours at 225°F, 75 minutes at 300°F. The bacon weave is the timer you can see: when it is rendered and mahogany, the inside is close. Brush with sauce in the last 15 minutes if you want a glaze.
Building a fatty
Flatten a pound of bulk sausage into a rectangle on parchment, lay the filling down the middle (cheese, peppers, cooked bacon, hash browns for a breakfast fatty – do not overfill), roll it up and seal the seam. Lay a bacon weave on plastic wrap, set the roll on it, wrap tight, and chill 30 minutes so it holds. Season the outside with rub and smoke seam-side down.
Armadillo eggs
Halve and seed a jalapeno, stuff with cream cheese and cheddar, close the halves, wrap in a thin layer of sausage, then a slice of bacon. Two per person as a starter. They are done when the sausage reads 165°F and the bacon is crisp; the pepper softens but should keep a little bite.
FAQ
How long does it take to smoke a fatty?
About 2 hours 45 minutes at 225°F for a 1 lb bacon-wrapped roll, or about 90 minutes at 300°F, to 165°F in the center. Check the middle of the roll, not near the end.
What temperature is a smoked fatty done?
165°F internal. It is ground pork, so it needs to be cooked through; the stuffing in the middle is the coldest spot, so probe there.
How long do armadillo eggs take to smoke?
About 2 hours at 225°F or 75 minutes at 300°F, until the sausage reaches 165°F and the bacon is rendered. Thin bacon crisps better than thick-cut on these.
What do you stuff a fatty with?
Anything that is already cooked or melts: cheese, jalapenos, cooked bacon, sauteed onions and peppers, hash browns and scrambled eggs for breakfast, pulled pork for the double-down. Keep the filling to a layer, not a core, so it rolls and seals.
Why did my fatty fall apart?
Too much filling, a loose seam, or it went on the pit warm. Chill the wrapped roll for 30 minutes before smoking, and seal the seam by pinching the sausage closed before the bacon weave goes on. Smoke seam-side down.
Where sausage fatty and armadillo eggs finishes. Pull temperature on one thermometer, against the safety floors; the faint ticks are every other cut on the chart.
Times & temperatures
| Style | Method | Pit temp | Approx time | Pull / done temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon-Wrapped Fatty | Slow and Low | 225°F / 107°C | ~2.8 hr | 165°F / 74°C |
| Bacon-Wrapped Fatty | Hot and Fast | 300°F / 149°C | ~1.5 hr | 165°F / 74°C |
| Armadillo Eggs | Slow and Low | 225°F / 107°C | ~2 hr | 165°F / 74°C |
| Armadillo Eggs | Hot and Fast | 300°F / 149°C | ~75 min | 165°F / 74°C |
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Written by John Kirker, who built the first meat smoking calculator in 2011. Times come from cooks we have actually run and logged; temperature and feel decide the finish, never the clock alone.
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