Our new smoke house

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mullerslanefarm

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 15, 2014
2
10
Northwest ILL-ANNOY
We raise all our own meat. When we get pig processed the biggest expense is the smoked bacon & ham. DH has been wanting to build a smokehouse for years and it has finally came to fruition!!!

Ta Da!








Now for the smoke.  DH built a firebox on the back but we're wondering about using an electric 'grill' (1,100 watt) that he picked up at Goodwill today to smoke the chips .... should we go with that? If so, set it up in the firebox or inside the smokehouse? Or should we build a small fire??

We know nuttin about smoking so any and all advice about the smokehouse and smoking bacon & hams would be appreciated.

I dry cured the slab bacon (about 40 lb) for 6 days then put in the freezer because the smokehouse wasn't finished.  It is now thawing out and I will rinse it and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours.


Help!!!  (please & thank you)
I just injected the hams today.  Each weigh between 3-4 pounds and are about 3" thick.  How long to let the hams cure before smoking?
 
I'd set the electric element in the smokehouse... You will want the temperature to be........

Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods. We cannot produce cold smoke if the outside temperature is 90° F (32° C), unless we can cool it down, which is what some industrial smokers do. Cold smoking is a drying process whose purpose is to remove moisture thus preserving a product.


Click on this link..... it tells all.....
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking


The hams should probably sit in the cure for 2 weeks at 38 deg F..... They should be warm smoked at to a final internal temp of 145 deg F...

Do some reading on here .... there is a lot to be considered....
 
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Nice looking Smoke shack!

Assuming you used cure in your dry cure, I would cold smoke the bacon. If you didn't use cure then you will need to hot smoke the bacon and take it to on IT of 145° min, Please update your post to include the recipe for your cure. It helps us answer questions and also ensures that newbies aren't led astray,

For cold smoking after curing rinse the bacon I would do a dry test prior to smoking to check and make sure that the bacon isn't too salty. If its fine then smoke away. If it's too salty soak in cold water. Change the water every hour and at that time do a fry test, repeat until the salt level is to your liking. You will want to air dry the bacon prior to smoking. In the fridge this takes about 8-12 hours. during the frying the pellicle will form, the surface of the bacon will become tacky. If you want to add seasonings now is the time to do that, then into the smoker. I run my smoker below 70° for cold smokes. I smoke the bacon for 6-8 hours then rest in the fridge over night. I repeat this process until I like the color, usually 18-24 hours of total smoke time. Once im done smoking I let the bacon rest in the fridge for 3-4 days, then I slice and vac pack for the freezer. Please note that cold smoked bacon still needs to be cooked to a min. of 145°.

Need a little more information on what you injected the hams with. This thread might help you, but not sure since you haven't listed your recipe or curing method.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine

As for the element location and fire, that will depend on whether you are hot smoking or cold smoking. Do some tests and see what the temps are with the element in different locations. If it's in the smoke chamber rig a shield to prevent drippings from landing in the wood chips or on the burner. This can be as simple as an disposable pan.

Get yourself a good digital therm to monitor your pit temps and your meat temps. Good choices would be ther Maverick ET732 or 733, or the iGrill 2.
 
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