First Buckboard Bacon with Pops Brine Should I cold or warm smoke it?

[radioguy]

I just gotta have some bacon!  Pork bellies are had to find at a "good" price, I decided to give BBB a try.  

Getting ready to smoke this soon.  Shall I cold smoke or warm smoke?   Any advice would be appreciated. 

Planning on loading up the AMNPS with mix of hickory and maple.

Buckboard Bacon 1.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 23, 2014

Bone-in butt, vac-pak enhanced, trimmed and into Pops brine 11 days ago.  Only used 1/3 C salt since this an enhanced butt. 

Buckboard Bacon 2.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 23, 2014

Rinse and test fry was good. More sweet than salt.  Into fridge with fan to dry and form pellicule.  

Buckboard Bacon 4.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 23, 2014

.  One rubbed up with some Hot Paprika, another with fresh ground pepper. 

 

[smoking b]

It's an individual choice... I cold smoke all my bacon of any type.  I prefer to cook it once - right before I eat it lol. I also don't care for the slight texture change caused by "warm smoking" & a lot of others on here prefer cold smoking.

That being said there are also a lot of people here who like "warm smoking" theirs & prefer to do it that way. You could always try a piece each way & see which you prefer... It's all about making it how you like it 

 

[smokerjim]

I just did my first bbb using pops brine on easter"thanks pops it was very good" after a 9 day soak i smoked it with apple wood at 90-110 degrees for about 8 hours then bumped it up to 150 until it reached 135,it seemed to work for me but as i said this was my first time,next time i'll try cold smoking longer to see what i like better.i used a off set smoker,next time i'll use my electric"just ordered a amnps to do so.

 

[red dog]

I hot smoke mine, mainly because I like to thin slice some to use as cold cuts for sammys.

 

[paulharding]

I remember my father always made bacon & loin bacon growing up & always smoked it without adding any heat. His fire was in a metal tub with a pipe taking the smoke over to his little smoke shed ten or so feet away. He used hickory & sassafrass wood to smoke with. His bacons tasted great after cold smoking.

 

[radioguy]

Thanks for all your suggestions. Gonna run it about 8 hours at 110F and see how it looks. That's all the time I have today. I may put it back in for more smoke after a refer rest. Got hickory/maple in the AMNPS.

RG

IMG_20140423_162148.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 23, 2014

 

[radioguy]

I got this smoked, rested and sliced up. 

I ended up putting Cold smoke [100-110F] on the whole batch for 12 hours, then into the fridge for a rest.  The next day I took one piece and applied a hot smoke over 3 hours, 1 hour @ 110F, bump to 130F for 1 hour, then to 150F IT over the last hour or so.   

Buckboard Bacon 4.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 29, 2014

Hot smoked to IT of 150F, light pink color, firm texture, sliced like a dream.  

Buckboard Bacon 5.jpg

• radioguy
• Apr 29, 2014

Cold Smoked, more red than pink color.  Texture, sticky and pliable.  Should have partial froze for slicing. 

Test fry was great.  More Canadian Bacon taste than belly bacon.  Hot smoked was more tender.  Both hot / cold smoked tasted the same.  I will definitely be making more, this was a great learning experience.

RG

 

[pc farmer]

Great looking bacon.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I got this smoked, rested and sliced up. 

I ended up putting Cold smoke [100-110F] on the whole batch for 12 hours, then into the fridge for a rest.  The next day I took one piece and applied a hot smoke over 3 hours, 1 hour @ 110F, bump to 130F for 1 hour, then to 150F IT over the last hour or so.   

Hot smoked to IT of 150F, light pink color, firm texture, sliced like a dream.  

Cold Smoked, more red than pink color.  Texture, sticky and pliable.  Should have partial froze for slicing. 

Test fry was great.  More Canadian Bacon taste than belly bacon.  Hot smoked was more tender.  Both hot / cold smoked tasted the same.  I will definitely be making more, this was a great learning experience.

RG

Looks Great RG !!!

Your first pic looks just like mine!!

 Bet you're loving both kinds!!

I always take my BBB & CB to 145*--150*. That way I can eat it cold or just warm it up a bit, instead of frying it. People say they only want to cook it once!!!  That's why I do it---I take it to 145* once, while smoking it. No reason to cook it again!!!!  You can also get more smoke on it in a shorter time with heat.

It was different in the old days (LOL---3 or 4 years ago) when the USDA said you had to go to 160* IT to be safe. I tried it once & it was a bit dry at 160*. But now that they changed that to 145*----That's Perfect !!!

Bear

 

[radioguy]

Farmer and Bear,

Thanks for your kind comments.  First time ever curing meat, I learned a lot of what to do what not.

Bear, I read your posts on this subject and they guided the way.  I wanted to use Pops brine since it seemed safer, easier to me.  I have to buy a good scale now, already got a decent slicer...so it continues to grow.  I think the next batch will be hot smoked to IT of 145F. 

RG

 

[pc farmer]

First time curing meat, look out now.

I became a curing junky.

 

[radioguy]

I hear ya Farmer. Started will simple smoking and I'm finding myself acquiring all sorts of other equipment.

RG