Bacon a little acrid

[steve marshall]

Hi all

I am looking for some help.  My first bacon is not as sweet as I want and the outside, especially, tastes a little acrid, sometimes as an aftertaste.

I have built a smoker - pine tongue and groove.  The smoke comes from an old wood burner with a long flexible pipe producing a lot of smoke at 68-80 Farenheit.  I have a number of guesses as to the problems and would welcome experienced comment.

I reckon I need to increase the amount of sugar or honey (our own) I use in the mix - cure is in bags.

On the acridity, possibilities include:

* not all my wood was oak, some was chestnut, all was hardwood

* some of the wood still had bark on, often damp to help keep the temperature down

* I used a firelighter and kindling to start the fire - I do not think any was left before the meat went in, but it is just possible

* the smoke is direct from the fire rather than heating a batch of chips and sawdust on a gas ring

Any ideas welcome

 

[steve marshall]

And there is a little bonfire to the smell of the bacon.

 

[foamheart]

Howdee Steve..... First, let me ask that after this you head over to the "Roll Call" forum so you can get all your indoctrination and shots so you know the site and how it works. Also go into your profile please so we can see where on this rock you hang your hat at night. It will matter in many questions you'll ask.

It appears you know enough to already know whats wrong and just want verification.

It really is not a issue here but there are two different cures for bacon, a brine cure and a rub cure.

First if you are pumping out a lot of smoke, you need to regulate it. White smoke has no flavor is a favorite saying. Without going into the usual debate over smoke qualities I will go out on a limb and guess too much smoke. White smoke means incomplete burn for a number of reasons, water being one. Here they say the wood steams.

Second, bark is not good for smoking. Most hardwoods are good for smoking so oak and chestnut I assume are ok.

Lighter fluid is a culprit if you have sensitive taste budds. (but I still keep it around too)

So I am guessing your taste comes from bad smoke, wet wood with bark on. Add to that the outside possibility that you might have been trying to apply too much smoke.

Do you have the same problem when doing a hot smoke vice a cold smoke?

Just a suggestion. Its close to Christmas, I find a auxiliary smoke generator is hard to beat for cold smokes. One of the above sponsors has one which doesn't cost an arm and a leg and works pretty well once you become acclimated to slighting it. It will smoke for 12 to 24 hours depending upon your set up. You might check it out. Besides being a great inexpensive generator you'll get to try out wood flavors you might other wise miss. Just a thought. Click on sponsors above and click on A-MAZ-N Products.

But better wood, and slower smoke, and a better lighter system one of those I am guessing is your primary culprit.

Its always a beautiful day when you smell the smoke in the air. Good luck.

 

[steve marshall]

Thanks Foamheart

This is my first ever smoke so no comparison with hot and cold.

I guessed too much smoke was the issue - not an outside possibility.

 

[waywardswede]

Steve

What Foam said.  If you post your curing recipe here there are folks that might be able to make a few suggestions about the sweetness.  Also, you may want to give the bacon a few days in the fridge, the smoke flavor has a tendency to moderate a bit over time.

 

[foamheart]

Seriously Steve look into that aux smoke generator, I am not selling 'em but I have and love mine.

Sign in, fill out that profile and settle in....  You are the reason the for the site, we are all new and there are so many answers here to help you make good smoke.

Sign up for Todd's E-Courses, they are the very best quick start to smoking I know of.

Everyone here will galdly talk about your problems, and most of us will talk more than ya want...LOL

We take our addiction seriously LOL.. if we can't smoke today, we need to talk about smoking... or see your smoking.

I hope you find a new home here.