Bacon fail, what'd I do wrong? And does size matter?

[normanaj]

Where do you get the dust?

I take a bunch of pellets and throw them in a blender and few moments later you have dust!

 

[BigW.]

You can also add enough water to pellets that they dissolve. Dry in smoker/oven etc then use in tray.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Smoke duration does not really matter with Thin Blue Smoke. There are a couple guys around that smoke bellies, 8 hours a day for 7 days! The Tube puts out A Lot of smoke for a Small 30" MES. Hot smoking, no big deal. There is lots of convection and exhaust moving the thick smoke out. Cold Smoking needs to be a more gentle process, for however long you choose. The Mailbox and long, 3 foot plus, hose connection lets Creosote, black tarry smoke component that gives the acrid flavor, condense out before the smoke enters the MES. This way, you can smoke as long as you wish, rest overnight between smoke sessions, and not get Creosote on the bacon. The other option with Tube and Pellets is a bigger well vented smoker or shorter smoke, 8 to 12 hours in the MES. The AMNPS Maze and Dust is great in small smokers...

Give your Bacon a wash with Hot Tap Water and Vinegar, 2 to 1, the Acid will remove most if not all the Creosote, dry well and let rest, uncovered, in the refer 3 days and see what you have. I don't think its a lost cause...JJ

 

[pineywoods]

I think they have hit on what your problem was it's that your getting bad smoke with the pellet smoker in the smoker. The mailbox mod will help a lot with this problem as Chef JimmyJ said. Others have told you how to make dust from pellets and between those things I think you'll have a lot better results. As for how long to smoke them I to go by the color. I do however smoke them in a larger smokehouse.
Chef JimmyJ may have even told you how to save the bacon you already did nothing to loose by trying it.

 

[zeekm]

Smoke duration does not really matter with Thin Blue Smoke. There are a couple guys around that smoke bellies, 8 hours a day for 7 days! The Tube puts out A Lot of smoke for a Small 30" MES. Hot smoking, no big deal. There is lots of convection and exhaust moving the thick smoke out. Cold Smoking needs to be a more gentle process, for however long you choose. The Mailbox and long, 3 foot plus, hose connection lets Creosote, black tarry smoke component that gives the acrid flavor, condense out before the smoke enters the MES. This way, you can smoke as long as you wish, rest overnight between smoke sessions, and not get Creosote on the bacon. The other option with Tube and Pellets is a bigger well vented smoker or shorter smoke, 8 to 12 hours in the MES. The AMNPS Maze and Dust is great in small smokers...

Give your Bacon a wash with Hot Tap Water and Vinegar, 2 to 1, the Acid will remove most if not all the Creosote, dry well and let rest, uncovered, in the refer 3 days and see what you have. I don't think its a lost cause...JJ

For my jowl bacon I am using the set up below and not messing with the tube smoker. I just got it and obviously I need to learn it better. I have had trouble with the external unit, here is what it is, making the pellets swell because of moisture. Would it help if I turned it on for an hour to get everything hot and then add the pellets?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Give it a try. Doesn't it burn Chips too? That may be an option...JJ

 

[Coreymacc]

What a range:

Oh wow, 24 hrs? I do my bellies cold also, 2.5 hrs. Sometimes just 2 hrs. That's it.

I cold smoke for 32 hours but only at night

Maybe my issue was not the length of time but quantity of smoke. Can yuo smoke for less time if using a pellet smoker with pellets as opposed to a pellet smoker with dust?

Again, does the size of the smker matter?

I see the suggestions for mailbox mod....but that doesn't change the amount of smoke the tube smoker makes.....so what's it doing?

I started reading about the mailbox mod....information overload!

I agree with this. If I smoked a belly for 32 hrs it would be like licking 50 ash trays. I can't see how it can be done and have a product that can be eaten.
2.5 hrs of smoke on a belly, I bring it in the house to rest for a few minutes and the whole house smells like smoke. This is definitely an apples to oranges comparison.

Corey

 

[chef jimmyj]

Salt and Smoke meat preservation is an multi millenia old technique and can take days or even Weeks of Smoking to get a properly preserved and tasty product. In modern times we are using smoke as a Flavoring Ingredient, rather than for preservation. Done well, 12, 24, even 56 hours of Smoke will NOT taste like an Ashtray! I never put less than 12 hours of smoke on Bacon...
The key to success is TBS, Thin Blue Smoke, and why you see hundreds of members with OTBS, Order of the Thin Blue Smoke, Badges in their title. All these guys have Proven they know how to use TBS to make fabulously flavorful Bacon and a host of other Smoked meats that NEVER taste like Ashtrays, a Burning House or have any other Nasty Smoke Flavors...JJ

 

[zeekm]

here is a very short video of the set up for the jowl bacon...is it ok?

 

[chef jimmyj]

That is some pretty heavy smoke, whiter than is desirable and it's not venting. Run a test with a chunk of Cheese to see if you will still get an Acrid taste. Is there any way to generate less smoke?...JJ

 

[zeekm]

That is some pretty heavy smoke, whiter than is desirable and it's not venting. Run a test with a chunk of Cheese to see if you will still get an Acrid taste. Is there any way to generate less smoke?...JJ

I am using pellets...how long should I test the cheese?

Could I prop the door open a little? Also the vent is open all the way, should I make a new hole in the top?

 

[zeekm]

I am using pellets...how long should I test the cheese?

Could I prop the door open a little? Also the vent is open all the way, should I make a new hole in the top?

Also do wood chips produce less smoke?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Smoke the Cheese 2-3 hours. If creosote is an issue you will taste it.
You need the Inside of the smoker Hotter than the outside air so you'll start drafting and exhausting the smoke. Try Chips. I dont have that smoke generator to say what to expect...JJ

 

[zeekm]

I reomoved the pellets and put chips in and took a short video again. I put the chips in the smoke generator and let them catch and then unplugged it and that is what the video is showing. Is this too much smoke?

Chef Jimmy J asked if there was a way to generate less smoke.....I have no clue how to do that. I just light it and let it burn. Maybe there is too much combustion air? Maybe not enough?

I think I may throw the smoker away and start fresh because the inside is black and tarry and it smells like most things out of it taste, bitter/acrid/ash like. Honestly I have never had anyting come out that was worth mentioning.

 

[smokerjim]

hard to tell if it's to much smoke from video but does seem a little much, the smoke should be almost invisible coming out of the vents, i never used a smoke generator so i'm not sure how to adjust them. no need to through out the smoker just clean it up a bit and look into making yourself the mailbox mod, i would also get a tray instead of using the tube. i have a mes 30 and use the mailbox with tray this is the amount of smoke i get from that.

 

[zeekm]

hard to tell if it's to much smoke from video but does seem a little much, the smoke should be almost invisible coming out of the vents, i never used a smoke generator so i'm not sure how to adjust them. no need to through out the smoker just clean it up a bit and look into making yourself the mailbox mod, i would also get a tray instead of using the tube. i have a mes 30 and use the mailbox with tray this is the amount of smoke i get from that.View attachment 478834

The generator is just a heating element that gets the chips burning and once they catch I unplug it.....so I guess it is like the mailbox mod. This is what it looks like to give you an idea.

 

[smokerjim]

can you put the chips in some tinfoil and poke a few holes in it to maybe limit the smoke.

 

[zeekm]

can you put the chips in some tinfoil and poke a few holes in it to maybe limit the smoke.

I could try that.

 

[GaryHibbert]

You don't have the MES plugged in, so the cook chamber temp will be about the same as outside air temp--you won't get a convection current from that. I would plug the MES in and set the temp a bit above the outside temp. That will start moving the smoke through the MES and out the exhaust. I generally set my MES temp in the 80 to 100 degree range.
Gary

 

[zeekm]

You don't have the MES plugged in, so the cook chamber temp will be about the same as outside air temp--you won't get a convection current from that. I would plug the MES in and set the temp a bit above the outside temp. That will start moving the smoke through the MES and out the exhaust. I generally set my MES temp in the 80 to 100 degree range.
Gary

Sad news.....it is not heating up...have to ohm out the element and trouble shoot.