First Cold Smoked Bacon

[xray]

Nice job on the bacon!
Not to highjack the thread, but what about cold smoking other meats prior to hot smoking? Steak for example. Can you cold smoke a nice thick tbone for ten hours or before you throw it on the traeger? Would it make a difference?

Thanks Bob! No issue with the hijack.

You could smoke a steak before grilling. That’s what is known as a reverse sear BUT it is done at normal smoking temperatures. Usually 1-2hours until your internal temperature of the meat is 10-20 degrees below your desired doneness of the steak.

Say you like your steaks at 135F. Smoke them until they hit 120-125 and then sear them to 135F to finish them off.

I wouldn’t recommend cold smoking a T-bone for 10 hours because there’s no cure involved. Only way you could do it is if you kept the meat below 40F.

After 40F, you enter the danger zone where bacteria multiplies rapidly.

 

[SmokyMose]

Nice job on the bacon!
Not to highjack the thread, but what about cold smoking other meats prior to hot smoking? Steak for example. Can you cold smoke a nice thick tbone for ten hours or before you throw it on the traeger? Would it make a difference?

If you cured it first I suppose you could cold smoke anything.
Why would you want to smoke a perfectly good T-Bone?

 

[briggy]

Incredible looking bacon, I need to do a belly again for sure. Like!

 

[jmusser]

Great looking bacon there! Beautiful meatiness. Nice work there sir.

 

[xray]

Incredible looking bacon, I need to do a belly again for sure. Like!

Great looking bacon there! Beautiful meatiness. Nice work there sir.

Thanks guys! I appreciate it. I’m gonna see if I could pick up more bellies tomorrow.

 

[tropics]

Joe That is some really nice meaty Bacon,mine are always to thin an bony. Likes
Richie
Excuse my late post been working on a she shed for my wife.

 

[saltysandman]

Thanks Jake, I appreciate it. I wouldn't want to smoke this past 95-100F because I would worry about the fat starting to render.

If it gets much hotter than that, I would just hot smoke it and take the bacon to a safe internal temperature of 145F. I want to try this method too in the Spring. This batch I made needs to be cooked before consuming.

But yeah, I don't have many cool days left here in PA, especially with the mild winter we had, so I'm going to do another batch soon. It's getting to the point where my smoker hits 100F in ambient temperatures just being outside in the sun.

Definitely give it a go if you can, there is no comparison to store bought.

i block of ice, not cubes, over a tray to catch dripping water helps keep the temps down too.

 

[daveomak]

If you use dust and a mailbox mod, there is NO heat build up in the smoker.....

 

[deuce]

Amazing looking bacon! Awesome Job! You will find that store brought will never be good enough again. I just started dry brine on another 20# today. Some people are stocking up on TP with this coronavirus, I can live without that, but no way can I live without bacon!

 

[fullborebbq]

Great bacon! cold smoking steaks for 1-2 hours at temps below 60 degrees has worked well for me. Not hard to do in Buffalo, NY...Lol.

 

[xray]

Joe That is some really nice meaty Bacon,mine are always to thin an bony. Likes
Richie
Excuse my late post been working on a she shed for my wife.

Hey Richie thanks for the like I appreciate it! Sorry for the late reply here. I made some Kapusniak yesterday with some bacon ends.

 

[xray]

i block of ice, not cubes, over a tray to catch dripping water helps keep the temps down too.

When smoking cheese, I will use 2L bottles filled with water and frozen to help regulate temps if needed. But I try to smoke when the weather cooperates.

Amazing looking bacon! Awesome Job! You will find that store brought will never be good enough again. I just started dry brine on another 20# today. Some people are stocking up on TP with this coronavirus, I can live without that, but no way can I live without bacon!

Thanks deuce! Yeah it is so much better, easy to see why people get spoiled on homemade.

Great bacon! cold smoking steaks for 1-2 hours at temps below 60 degrees has worked well for me. Not hard to do in Buffalo, NY...Lol.

Thanks fullbore! Bet those steaks are awesome! I try to get some smoke on mine before searing if time allows.