First time home curing and smoking bacon

[Brokenhandle]

How hot do you run it?

It varies upon personal choice. I like cold smoked bacon, so I like to smoke between 40 F and 80 F, on this smoke the temp got up over 100 for a bit, I'm fine with that. Some like to smoke around 120 degrees, and others like warmer than that and smoke to an IT of 145, so their pit temp is higher than that.

Ryan

 

[rexster314]

I do over 200lbs of pork bellies every month and sell everything out every month. I have people that buy from me every month, and some of them have been customers for over 8 years.
I use the diggingdog calculator religiously and have cured other meats using the same formula.
I use the standard 6.25% curing salt setting and use 2.5% of salt and 1.5% of brown sugar.
I cure the bellies for at least 12 days.
I've found that using this ratio I don't have to rinse the meat before smoking.
I cold smoke the bellies for around 8 hours, going more by color than IT. Ambient temps vary but never go over 100 deg f.

 

[indaswamp]

I do over 200lbs of pork bellies every month and sell everything out every month. I have people that buy from me every month, and some of them have been customers for over 8 years.
I use the diggingdog calculator religiously and have cured other meats using the same formula.
I use the standard 6.25% curing salt setting and use 2.5% of salt and 1.5% of brown sugar.
I cure the bellies for at least 12 days.
I've found that using this ratio I don't have to rinse the meat before smoking.
I cold smoke the bellies for around 8 hours, going more by color than IT. Ambient temps vary but never go over 100 deg f.

Do you make the bacon out of a commercial kitchen? I'm curious....because I've looked into this.

 

[rexster314]

I have a friend that has one

 

[Retired Spook]

Just curious - I know I do not have a yellow banner so I should not dare post anything here but I am genuinely curious - especially some of you true experts that have been doing this a long time.

Have any of you ever heard of, or read, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas?

Sincerely, I am just curious as to the expert's opinions of the book.

Thank you in advance.

RS

 

[daveomak]

Just curious - I know I do not have a yellow banner so I should not dare post anything here but I am genuinely curious - especially some of you true experts that have been doing this a long time.

Have any of you ever heard of, or read, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas?

Sincerely, I am just curious as to the expert's opinions of the book.

Thank you in advance.

RS

Post anywhere.. You don't need a "yellow banner" to post or start a thread..

I have the book. I have printing #1. The methods are from a commercial operation... Rytek, I believe, started The Sausage Maker business...

 

[Retired Spook]

Post anywhere.. You don't need a "yellow banner" to post or start a thread..

View attachment 642345
I have the book. I have printing #1. The methods are from a commercial operation... Rytek, I believe, started The Sausage Maker business...

WOW I've never seen that version of the book! And I thought the 1st hard-cover version I had that fell apart was old

The yellow banner comment is an inside joke between me and myself.