What is your favorite wood for bacon?

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I'm an experimentalist when it comes to bacon woods.  I have an AMNPS which I love for cold smoking.  I use Pit Boss competition blend which is 50% maple, 25% hickory and 25% cherry.    I also will used chips and chunks when smoking, and  have found that my taste test dummies really seem to like pecan.

The last batch I made, the crowd favorite was Cherry/Pecan bacon.  A little milder flavor than that of hickory.

Right now I have a batch going that is smoking with Maple/Pecan woods.  I did toss in some cherry, which gave the bacon some wonderful color.


Basket and AMNPS.  BASKET FULL OF MAPLE CHIPS AND CHERRY DUST.

AMNPS FULL OF PECAN PELLETS


This is at the 26 hour mark of smoking.  Smoker has not been over 100.
 
I have a Bradley Smoker and I'm wondering if anyone loads up their Digital Smoke Generator with different Bisquettes. I smoked some Bacon yesterday and only used Hickory ,however, I could have loaded the machine up with alternating woods like Hickory, Maple and Mesquite and see what the flavour was like.

Anyone do this ???
 
Will post some pictures tonight.  A buddy of mine did 2 apple then a pecan, 2 apple then a pecan, etc in his. 

I use a lot of pecan and mix that with other woods, but I am using pellets, chunks and chips.

did one bellie with apple, cherry, peach and pearwood, was very tasty, we called it fruitcake bacon
 
 
I have a Bradley Smoker and I'm wondering if anyone loads up their Digital Smoke Generator with different Bisquettes. I smoked some Bacon yesterday and only used Hickory ,however, I could have loaded the machine up with alternating woods like Hickory, Maple and Mesquite and see what the flavour was like.

Anyone do this ???
Don't know how that would tell you anything other than what a mixture of smoke tastes like, because you wouldn't be tasting it in between pucks.

If you want to compare flavors of various smoke, you have to do a whole smoke with one, then another whole smoke with another, because you don't taste the Bacon until it's done.

Unless I'm missing something here.

Bear
 
I did the pitmaster's blend with layered corn cobb.  Bought the corn cobb at Tractor supply.  No where else carried it.  

It is really good.  Last time I did an apple / cherry mix.  I thought it was OK, but I prefer the pitmaster blend from Todd because it has maple, hickory, and cherry in it.  Again, layered with some corn cobb.  It really adds something to the flavor.  I don't think it would be as good without it.
 
I have been using Apple which I love, thinking of adding some Hickory to it, what ratio do you suggest?  As I have 3 pork loins ready for the smoker tomorrow.
 
The wood I choose depends on the smoker I am using and the product I intend to smoke. Red oak for brisket regardless of the smoker I use which is always the WSM. Pecan and apple for ribs on the WSM because hickory is to smoky but just right on the Masterbuilt electric, or any gas smoker. I like mesquite for chicken in the Masterbuilt electric which I transfer to the Holand grill when it's done to crisp the skin as you know the Holand cooks at around 400 degrees by time, it has no adjustment controls. The smoker I use for butts is always the WSM for smoke until the inturnal temp is at 160 then I transfer it to the Masterbuilt for regulated heat that I can set and forget. The woods I choose depends on what I inject and rub the butts with, cherry, orange,peach, apple usually fruit woods. Sometimes sugar maple and hickory.
 
You've definitely got this smoking stuff figured out.... OK...... we will need pictures of the smoker making smoke and later, some grub in it...

Dave
 
While visiting in Vermont I tried some corn cob smoked meats that were fantastic. Thanks for reminding me. Next time I go up north I'll bring back a bunch. They burn them for fule to heat their homes up there.
 
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