Well it sure looks good fried up.Hopefully the soak will desalt it some for ya.
50° and a 15 mph wind.Looks good.Hopefully little to no wind.
Do you have anything you can make a windbreak out of?
What's the method of smoke production and how's it going?
1 chunk leaned against charcoal?
That looks good. First smoke on them?
I left fat on a couple smaller pieces to make beans with.Looks good.I'd be tempted to cut some of that fat cap off before next smoke session but don't know if that's protocol.
I always leave my bacon to rest in the fridge for a couple days after smoking. Never a hard shell on it.
As far as the wood stink. I find that yes it smells strong, once cooked it's fine.