First slab smoked

[X madmax diesel]

hey Guys I have smoked my first slab for 10 hours over hickory. I’m pretty new to smoking but I used amazn smoker after failed attempts at hot smoking years ago with deer jerky. Anyways my slab has like an oil on it if I touch it and it tastes bitter licking my fingers after! I’m afraid that might be creosote and ruined it again lol. Should I wipe it off or is that normal?? I have aged the slab for 3 days in the fridge at 40 degrees. Upon research I think it should have been done closer to 60 or 70 degrees????

 

[JohnsMyName]

I’m new to this stuff and made the same mistakes. Here’s what I’d do, but take it with a grain of salt as I’m no expert.

Sounds like creosote, will be very difficult to fix, but don’t toss it. I’d rinse it off with bourbon, that will help cut the oil. Do it over a casserole dish to catch the liqour. Pour a little on rub it all over, dip it back in the casserole pan. Then dump it out and repeat a few times, shouldn’t use more than a cup that way. Also, maybe wipe a little maple syrup on there, the sweet will help cut the bitter. The smoke will dissipate over time too, wrap it in butcher paper so it breathes and let it go a couple weeks.

 

[SmokinAl]

Can you explain your whole process from start to finish, including the ingredients you used in the cure. Most of us cure the bacon for 2 weeks, if you only did it for 3 days then it's not cured properly. When using curing salt you need exact amounts & time frames to make sure you don't get sick. There are hundreds of bacon threads on here to look at. Here is one I did not too long ago.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/berkshire-hog-belly-bacon.271069/
Hope this helps!
Al

 

[JohnsMyName]

To cure the bacon, follow a cure recipe and put in fridge for 1-2 weeks. Then pull it, rinse it, and smoke or dry cure.

ETA: Al beat me to it!

 

[X madmax diesel]

I cured belly in fridge for 14 days vac sealed. 2% salt, 1 percent sugar, and 180 ppm cure #1. After 14 days rinsed and fridge dried for 1 day before putting cold smoke to it for 5 hours then resting in fridge over night. Then 5 more hours of cold hickory smoke. Used my propane smoker but didn’t have heat just amazn smoker. I had the breathers at top opened all the way for thin smoke. Now it’s been in the fridge “aging” for 3 days

 

[JohnsMyName]

Sounds just about perfect! Your first post said something about 3 days, sounded like your curing time. With vents open full I wouldn’t think you could over smoke. Was meat at the ambient temperature? If it was really cold, theoretically the smoke could condense on it.

I’ve found with cold smoking cured meats, sometimes what seems way too smokey mellows out a good bit with some time if it’s open to air.

 

[X madmax diesel]

Thanks yes I was wondering maybe it’s cause I’m “aging” it at 40 degrees instead of like a ham at higher temps!! I have not checked it today yet

 

[JohnsMyName]

What is outside air temp in your neck of the woods?

 

[X madmax diesel]

I believe the first night was 40 degree average at smoke time. And the second night was about 65 average

 

[Bearcarver]

hey Guys I have smoked my first slab for 10 hours over hickory. I’m pretty new to smoking but I used amazn smoker after failed attempts at hot smoking years ago with deer jerky. Anyways my slab has like an oil on it if I touch it and it tastes bitter licking my fingers after! I’m afraid that might be creosote and ruined it again lol. Should I wipe it off or is that normal?? I have aged the slab for 3 days in the fridge at 40 degrees. Upon research I think it should have been done closer to 60 or 70 degrees????

That Oil could just be that you didn't have a Pellicle on it before you started applying the Smoke.
If it was still wet on the surface the Smoke could have mixed with the moisture and produced an oily Yuk !!!

If you're going to cold smoke you should put fans on it for a couple hours before smoking to give it a Pellicle. (A Dry, but Tacky surface)

Bear

 

[X madmax diesel]

You know I think/hope that’s it! I had it in the fridge drying and forgot to have my gf take it out of the fridge a few hours before I got off work. So it being cold, it wasn’t able to pelican very well I hope. I put it in the smoker on that cold night only 45 mins to 1 hour after coming out of the fridge

 

[X madmax diesel]

Well it was a bit bitter. I’ll have to retry without 10 hours, maybe 7 or smoke next time

 

[Bearcarver]

Well it was a bit bitter. I’ll have to retry without 10 hours, maybe 7 or smoke next time

The length of time smoking has nothing to do with Bitter taste.
Bitter Taste can come from "Too Heavy" a smoke, wet surface when smoking, or not enough air flow (in & out) to keep smoke from becoming stagnant.

Many hours of Light Smoke is Good.
Even a short time of Heavy Smoke can be a Bad Thing.

Bear

 

[X madmax diesel]

Then it musta been the wet surface!