First time cold smoking bacon...with Qview!

[chef willie]

Thx for the kind words and the info on piggys. They may be a bit more $ but if raised & processed locally how sweet is that? Am very familar with Van Fleet so might look into that.There is another butcher/processor (name escapes me) fairly close to me that I've bought whole pigs from b4 for pig roasts...possibly another source without the middle man (van fleet). Best of luck with the mods....just finished up an Italian Chicken sausage run. Will poach them off tomorrow and maybe get a thread started

 

[shannon127]

Looks good

 

[tennsmoker]

Hey Clarissa,

 that's a nice looking belly bacon you made for your 1st time, great q-view's also,

al

 

[smokinjoe52]

For all those holes you have in the bottom of your smokers...

This is what I bought to pierce the aluminum foil, and plug the holes when the smoker is not in use.  I could not find aluminum cones like these anywhere else for this price.    If anybody decides to order, they don't send confirming emails, or email confirmations, and they take 2-3 weeks to arrive.  Other than that, the cones work great.

http://gothicpunkspecialtyhardware.com/individual_item_pages/3_in_cone_spike.php

BTW - The 3/4" cones will fall right through the top vent hole on the Cookshack clones. They don't sell the larger ones individually.

Smokinjoe

PS - Order extra and you can make a nice necklace or bracelet to wear while you are smoking.

 

[paprika pal]

Looks awesome!!

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and checking out my photos!

It is great to have a forum like this where you can celebrate those occasional successes, as well as bemoan and be consoled on the failures. ;-)

Hope everyone has a great and smoky weekend!

Clarissa

 

[emarschner]

Wondering if cold smoke and Canadian bacon go hand and hand I used pops brine 4th day in the brine could someone point me in the rite direction thanks

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Wondering if cold smoke and Canadian bacon go hand and hand I used pops brine 4th day in the brine could someone point me in the rite direction thanks

Yes you can cold smoke Canadian bacon.  I normally do it that way. The last time I cold smoked for 4 hrs, then hot smoked it because I was giving it as gifts and I didn't want anyone to eat it without cooking it. If I was cold smoking only I'd do 12-18 hrs, over 3 days, smoking 6-8 hrs each day, rest in fridge . Then a good 3-4 day rest before slciing and packaging. :Here's the process I used last time:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131123/the-bacon-trifecta-thats-a-wrap

 

[rtbbq2]

Congrats!..............The bacon looks great..............

 

[toby bryant]

That is some great looking bacon!  

This is next on the list for me, I am going to use Pops brine for my first try. If it weren't for this site I would have never dreamed I could make my own bacon.

Thanks for more inspiration 

 

[smokinhusker]

That is some outstanding looking bacon!!!!! You did an excellent job of it!

 

[bikforfun]

How much water do you use for the brine?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

How much water do you use for the brine?

Everything you need is right here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine

 

[sam3]

Everything you need is right here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine

X2

I have 12 lbs of BBB in the brine now. You can't get any easier than Pop's recipe.

 

[donr]

May I suggest you cut your belly into smaller sections, you can make several experiments at once.  You could try several different salinity levels with the same amount of smoke.  You could try the same salinity and smoke each section for a different length of time, just pull them out of the smoker at different times. Just make sure you mark them.  This would allow you to find your "usual" recipe quicker and without going through so much bacon.  You can also experiment with different flavors when the time comes.  Just remember to keep good records.

Don

 

[bikforfun]

Thanks I'll check it out.

 

[roller]

nice job !

 

[snorkelinggirl]

May I suggest you cut your belly into smaller sections, you can make several experiments at once.  You could try several different salinity levels with the same amount of smoke.  You could try the same salinity and smoke each section for a different length of time, just pull them out of the smoker at different times. Just make sure you mark them.  This would allow you to find your "usual" recipe quicker and without going through so much bacon.  You can also experiment with different flavors when the time comes.  Just remember to keep good records.

Don

Hi Don,

Thanks for the great suggestion!  Since there is no shrinkage when cold smoking, the only down-side to smaller sections is difficulty in slicing that last inch or so (I don't have a meat slicer, so I slice using a Victorinox 12" slicing knife).  I am going to thaw another couple of 5-6 lb belly sections this weekend to start them curing next week, and I'll follow your suggestion on them. I'd like to try 2.25% kosher salt, Pop's brine, apple wood smoke, and and maybe a fancy-dancy smoke blend like hickory/apple/maple or some such.

Thanks again for your great (and timely) advice!

Clarissa

 

[mneeley490]

I know what you mean about that last 1" or so. I usually cube it and freeze it for later use in baked beans or so forth.

 

[kingfishcam]

Great thread, and great looking bacon! I learned a ton, and think I might give bacon a try.
Saving the last inch for baked beans is a great idea!