Cold smoked bacon...

[SonnyE]

I'm convinced. While my slabs are curing, I'm working on the background.
I have a nice heavy square aluminum pan that fits in my smoker. I've used it before to dry out pellets before smoking with them.
I think I'll try decomposing some pellets into dust, then dry it in preparation for Sm00kerdaze.

OK. Doing five double hand scoops, Apple Pellets. Two pans, split between, and trying out the new Inkbird. So far, not liking the alarms. Been backing out of them. Getting too many low temperature alarms.
Easy to dissolve. Added water from our filtered water tap (RO) until the pellets swelled up and come all apart. Just trays of sawdust now, albeit wet sawdust.
I used filtered water so no cooties from our crap... I mean tap... water contaminated the wood.
Set the MES for 6 hours at 275°, and a 1 hour alarm for stirring on the temp app.
Away we go. Time for a nap.

 

[daveomak]

Beer time maybe.....

 

[SonnyE]

Beer time maybe.....

That's what brought on the naptime.... :oops:;)

The dust came out great. I made enough to last me several trays full. About 2 gallons.

I filled my AMNPS tray and lit her off. Worked great.
I transferred it from the MES to the "Mailbox" and long tube to test it in a real world cold smoking configuration.
Burned it all to ash. Seemed the smoke was a bit heavy to me, but I intend to continue to forge ahead with the dust.

Might be that my fuse method will work best for my odd ball set up.
My 'Fuse' is a shallow lay of pellets (33% depth), with an overlay of dust. I've done that with Hickory crushed pellets before. But want to try it with dust made from the same Apple pellets.

Mr. Mad Scientist here. More experimenting to do. But that is some easy to make dust.
I didn't pack it down. And I might have gotten it too high in the tray, looking at your tray of dust, Dave. Still learning, always learning.

Any pointers to offer Dave? The curing is moving right along. :)

Tray of burnt dust...

20181116_154805[1]

• SonnyE
• Nov 17, 2018

 

[daveomak]

No pointers... You are doin' good... The dust smoke may seem heavy, I thought that but it makes no sense to me... An 80 gram full tray of dust just shouldn't put out anywhere near the smoke that a 450 gram tray of pellets puts out... even considering a 4 hour burn vs. a 10 hour burn, the numbers don't match up.. BUT.. maybe the dust gives off a different type of smoke... I know I like the dust smoke... Must be beer time to analyze the smoke thing....

 

[SonnyE]

Probably right about the weight differences.
And yes, probably does warrant a bit of time in the patio rocking chair...
Watching... pondering... sniffin.... and that kinda work does make one thirsty. ;)

Besides, anytime there is heat and smoke, there is that safety factor of something cold if a burn occurs...
Now I do realize a pan or bucket of ice water could do the trick. Yes it could. But it doesn't have the same anesthetic properties that beer do. That was my conclusion over the years...
Humm, time to do the morning roll and massage of the curing slabs.

Folks who buy bacon just don't know all the fun they are missing. :D
My Pork Belly bags have all but completely reabsorbed the liquid. 4 days to go before racking.
Do you turn yours when drying? Or just let'r lay?

 

[daveomak]

Just lay 'em flat in the refer... Hanging in the smoker at 125, while the smoker cools down from it's sterilization thing, and waiting for the smoker to get down around 70 ish... and waiting for the dust to smolder, it's enough to insure the pellicle is formed properly...

 

[disco]

...UPDATE... 11/6... getting there... .......done after 32 hours of smoke.....
...........View attachment 379877 .......View attachment 379946...

...done after 32 hours of smoke..
View attachment 379947


Rubbed down ..............................................Water added .......
View attachment 379733... View attachment 379734

In the refer to dry and age for 5 days..
View attachment 379735

It's time !!! Divided a belly into 3rd's.. Weighed out cure, Kosher salt and white sugar for each slab... Cure#1 0.25% = 1.1 grams per pound, salt 1.75% = 8 grams per pound, sugar 1% 4 grams per pound... rubbed down the bellies and loosely vac packed with a couple TBS of water added... into the refer at ~38F for 14 days... Turned, flipped and gave a rub to the bags daily... Removed from the bags, lightly rinsed and dried... placed on wire rack and into the refer to dehydrate and let the stuff mingle in the meat... 5 days later, the meat "almost" quit losing weight.. It lost 260 grams in 5 days... 10/30 to 11/4... 30 grams the last day..

View attachment 379737...View attachment 379738

Now it's hanging in the smoker to warm up... At 38ish degrees meat temp, the smoker won't draw... I've got to get the meat above ambient so the smoker will draft...
Smoker is at ~70 F...

View attachment 379740...View attachment 379741

40% cob... 40% Alder... 20% Mesquite ..... Home made dust from pellets...

I really like the home made dust... Very thin smoke... I used it on my last ham...
View attachment 379742

I'm planning on a full tray of dust each day... Let the belly sit overnight in the smoker and burn another tray of dust... Maybe for 3 or 4 days.... Time and color will tell...

Pellicle is forming nicely on the meat.. In a few hours, I will add smoke...

Got the smoke going.... Nice very "Thin blue Smoke" ... FWIW... @tjohnson Todd is a genius for inventing the AMNS, AMNPS and AMNTS.... He surely made life easy and helped us make great smoked foods... Thank you Todd.....

bblater....

Great post, Dave! Big like.

 

[daveomak]

Thanks Disco...

 

[SonnyE]

Removed from the bags, lightly rinsed and dried... placed on wire rack and into the refer to dehydrate and let the stuff mingle in the meat... 5 days later, the meat "almost" quit losing weight

That was what I thought I saw. OK, let em lay to dehydrate in the cool. I'm all set.
And Hanging in the smoker while cooling down. Sounds good!
Ordering some additional hangers.
Thanks Dave!

 

[pugsbrew]

OK, how do you guys dry your pellet dust after wetting pellets? Oven on what temp/how long?

 

[SonnyE]

OK, how do you guys dry your pellet dust after wetting pellets? Oven on what temp?

I do NOT use the Microwave, nor oven in the house. It stinks up the house.
I use my MES to dry, so far.*
I add water as needed to get the pellets to swell and dissolve. A little at a time, making a damp meal out of the pellets.
In my MES 30, 1/4 size steam table pans fit nicely. I put the wood meal into a pan, set the MES on 275° and let it dry out the sawdust.
Stirring about each hour, it dries out and makes some of the nicest sawdust.
After mine's dry, I have these plastic pails I store it in. Think 5 gallon with screw on lids if you can find them.
These pails also make it easy to load up the AMNPS tray.
I press the dust with my big fat thumbs to compress it into the troughs a bit.

* - I have not tried using my dehydrator to dry saw dust made from pellets. But it has been on my mind. (I have the fruit roll-up trays I could use.)

Hope that helps.

 

[daveomak]

I use the oven... foil lined 1/2 sheet pan... I like making dust in small batches... dries faster...

 

[SonnyE]

I use the oven... foil lined 1/2 sheet pan... I like making dust in small batches... dries faster...

View attachment 387534

Good point Dave.
Last batch I made was one of those "My eyes were bigger than my belly" scenarios.
It took DAYS to dry the mountain out...
Never again. One half-pan swelled into 3 as things went along. It was scary!

But I'm a total convert to using dust. Best flavor of smoke there is!

 

[indaswamp]

Just want to add here that Dave's coarse pellet dust will work in the new AMNTS Oval....

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...be-will-burn-daves-coarse-pellet-dust.284931/

 

[indaswamp]

Now I'm trying to think.... Since the smoke was really thin, how in the hell did the meat absorb so much smoke when only 40% more wood was used....
There's more scientific stuff to this than I figured...

Dave, the thin smoke is made up of much smaller particles and smaller compounds at a higher concentration....they stick to the meat a whole lot easier than the larger particles in white smoke from pellets. And, the TBS will penetrate much easier than thicker white smoke. Which is why I am very particular about getting that TBS.

At least that is what I have researched.....can't remember where I read that at though.....

 

[daveomak]

 

[Bearcarver]

My Thanks to Indaswamp for bumping this one up, because it's another Great one that got by me for a long time!!
The Bacon and Ham look Awesome.
Nice try on sneaking it by me, Dave---It almost worked! LOL
Like.

Bear

 

[hondabbq]

I have 25 lbs of belly coming out of cure this Wednesday and wanted to give this dust thing a try.
It was pretty interesting how fast the pellets swelled up and the sound. It was like Rice Krispies.
Thankfully I read one of the last posts about swelling 3 times the size. I think it’s 4 times. Wowzers.
Got some food in the oven so I can’t use that right now.
Has anyone just let it dry on the counter in sheet pans?

 

[indaswamp]

I have 25 lbs of belly coming out of cure this Wednesday and wanted to give this dust thing a try.
It was pretty interesting how fast the pellets swelled up and the sound. It was like Rice Krispies.
Thankfully I read one of the last posts about swelling 3 times the size. I think it’s 4 times. Wowzers.
Got some food in the oven so I can’t use that right now.
Has anyone just let it dry on the counter in sheet pans?

Will not evaporate water fast enough at room temperature to be able to use by Weds.

When you are finished baking your food, drop the temp down to 250~270 and put the pans in the oven for 2 hours. when time is up, sht to oven off nd leave the pellets in the oven overnight. They will be perfectly dry by morning and ready for loading into smoke generator...

 

[hondabbq]

Will not evaporate water fast enough at room temperature to be able to use by Weds.

When you are finished baking your food, drop the temp down to 250~270 and put the pans in the oven for 2 hours. when time is up, sht to oven off nd leave the pellets in the oven overnight. They will be perfectly dry by morning and ready for loading into smoke generator...

I don’t need by Wednesday I’m smoking them on Saturday.