How Long to Cold-Smoke?

[Cody_Mack]

This is my first attempt to cold-smoke. Temps in SE Texas don't offer year round opportunity to cold smoke, but this time I planned better. Have a dry-cured belly for 16 days, let dry in the fridge for a day, then started the smoke.

Friday Day 1 was mostly in the 50s and I smoked for 5 hours. Saturday Day 2 was in the 50s and 60s and I smoked for 10 hours. Today it is cold again, 40s and 50s and I put on at 1015, planning to go all day.

I am using a tray with pellets as you can see in photos. This is on the Gravity-feed 1050 with good natural draft with the ash door opened slightly.

So, how much is too much cold smoke? You can see I am starting to get some color, and that didn't begin until the latter part of yesterday's smoke.

Thanks all,

Rick

 

[indaswamp]

I highly recommend cold smoking at night-especially in the south (I am in Louisiana)- for two main reasons...
1. it is colder at night, so better for cold smoking
2. the humidity is higher at night, better for keeping the surface from drying out too much, allows for full smoke penetration.

remove from smokehouse in the am, hang in refrigerator during the day...
I recommend repeated intermittent smoke sessions. I go 4 nights on bacon, 10-12 hours per night. Use dust-not pellets for a thinner much less bitter smoke.

 

[indaswamp]

For bacon, I find it best to keep smoke chamber temp. below 64-70*F when cold smoking...I am for 50-55*F if I can. I am about to do 3rd smoke session on a belly today. High is 55 today so I am starting early. Low tonight is 37*F so will pull it at midnight...

 

[indaswamp]

Also, cold temperatures give you a much better draft when cold smoking. Remember- it is not the temperature IN the smokehouse that matters (as long as it is below 70 and in the cold smoke range), it is the delta between the flew temp exiting the smokehouse and the ambient temp outside. The larger the delta, the better the airflow. Not enough delta and the cold smoke just sits in the smokehouse and you get stale, bitter smoke on the meat.

 

[Cody_Mack]

Excellant tips, indaswamp ! Definitely will start using dust vs pellets.

 

[Peterk1234]

I just finished cold smoking pork belly. Two days in the smoker. My smoker temp hovered at 40 degrees dipping to about 33 degrees at night. It's been very cold here. I'm in the process of finishing it off in the oven to pasteurize it. I like to just slice off a piece and eat it as is.

I've made hundreds of pounds of bacon, but this only my second time using a true cold smoke. I'm getting an incredible smoke on it, I'm just trying to get the salt right. I never used to measure. Used to just coat liberally and have it cure for five days. Not sure if the drying process during cold smoking is causing the salt to be more concentrated. Anyway, used the 2.5% method this time. Can't wait to try it. As to the length of time to cold smoke, I'd go more than two days if the temps here weren't going down to minus 15 at night. But two days has worked well.

 

[Peterk1234]

First piece is done.

 

[indaswamp]

Very nice color on that bacon!