Cold Smoking Bacon

[JacPau]

I am relatively new to smoking and use a pellet grill/A-maze-n tube to smoke most meats. I've done whole chickens, ribs, pork butt and chicken wings (all hot smoked).

I have cold smoked cheese, salt and hot peppers already as well.

My question is this. How would one go about cold smoking pork belly into bacon? I have read things that cold smoking can be dangerous, but I plan on doing it during the winter months (I live in MN, so ambient temp is not an issue) and curing the bacon before it is cold smoked.

Is there any issue with cold smoking it (just using the A-maze-n tube and not even firing up the pellet grill), slicing it, and freezing it for later consumption? Obviously I will be cooking the bacon later, so I am not sure what the dangers would be food safety wise. Would I even need to cure it?

Thanks all!

 

[pc farmer]

Yes it needs to be cured for it to be bacon and be safe to eat after cold smoking

 

[chef jimmyj]

Cured with salt, sugar and Cure#1, with Nitrite, makes it safe to smoke at any temp above 40°. 12 hours is common but there are some around here that smoke up to 7 days...JJ

 

[JacPau]

Cured with salt, sugar and Cure#1, with Nitrite, makes it safe to smoke at any temp above 40°. 12 hours is common but there are some around here that smoke up to 7 days...JJ

But if I am cold smoking at 40* or less (due to cold winter temps and only using an A-Maze-N tube smoker-no heat) and then actually frying it when i want to eat it, why wouldnt that be safe?

 

[chef jimmyj]

At temps <40, you can smoke as long as you wish, or until the meat spoils, with nothing on the meat or your seasoning of choice. You will be as safe as storing raw meat in a refer. If you wish to smoke at temps from 40 to 180 you should use a Nitrite cure...JJ

 

[pc farmer]

Correct me if I am wrong, the cure makes bellie taste like bacon. No cure you will have cold smoked pork.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Yes and no...Using salt only, long cold smoking, several days straight, at temps below 40 will allow sufficient Nitrogen Dioxide to dissolve into the belly making the meat pink and giving the bacon flavor, no cure added . Think smoke ring all the way to the center. This technique predates Cure #1 and even saltpeter, nitrate. If you just used salt and cold smoked a short time, yes you get cold smoked pork...JJ

 

[JacPau]

So what is the best option for curing salt?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Cure #1 aka, Prague Powder or Pink Curing Salt, are all the same thing. Use 1tsp per 5 pounds of meat or 0.25% of the meats weight. Mix with your other dry ingredients and rub over the belly. Bag and tag for 7 days per inch of thickness. Turn the bag over and massage daily...JJ