Your favorite wood...Cold Smoke Bacon?

[laszlo]

 As Bearcarver, I'm a smoke hunter for my bacon. The last batch I did with the big guns - 50/50 mix of hickory and mesquite dusts. The smoke flavor is fantastic, as good as my favorite - german oak. I thought that oak would give the darkest hue of brown color and hickory will contribute to more of red-ish color, but hickory in mix with mesquite gave the bacon the dark brown hue I've never had before. Beautiful.

I'm probably smoking bacon longer than it is norm here (last batch was in smoke for 48 hours and burned 5 loads on big AMNS, but I love my bacon "fragrant". BTW I always eat my bacon raw i.e. I never fry it.

As for cure timing, I'm going with 1 inch/7days rule, so far so good.

 

[garyc]

Yes----Same amount of TQ per pound.

Hi Mt is fine, but I don't find it as good as plain old TQ & Brown Sugar in the cure---Then some CBP, Garlic powder, and onion powder sprinkled on before getting the pellicle.

When I used Hi Mt, it was the only time I had to soak & soak to get rid of excess salt flavor.

Go by the thickness calculator for length of time in cure.

The next BBB I do, I will be slicing the thickness in half before I start, like many have started doing---quicker & safer in my book.

The method I use for time in cure is:

Measure thickness of meat pieces.

What is the thickest part of the thickest piece?

How many 1/2"s are there in that dimension?

Then always add 2 for safety.

Example:

3" thick at thickest point

6 "half inches" are in 3"

Add 2-------- equals 8

Minimum curing time for that piece is 8 days.

Longer doesn't hurt, if your schedule interferes, plus you can cure the thinner pieces as long as that thickest piece.

I always rinse well, and usually soak the pieces for 1/2 hour, before putting a few slices in a frying pan for a "Salt test", just to be sure.

If you find them a little too salty, you can fix it by soaking for an hour or two.

If you don't do a test, and just go ahead & smoke them, you are stuck with what you get.

Bear

One other question, when doing BBB do you cold smoke or hot smoke? If hot, then how long, at what temp would you smoke it at and to what internal temp? I now have a BBB in the fridge curing right now. My AMNS came it today and when the cure is done I am ready to give this a try!

 

[Bearcarver]

One other question, when doing BBB do you cold smoke or hot smoke? If hot, then how long, at what temp would you smoke it at and to what internal temp? I now have a BBB in the fridge curing right now. My AMNS came it today and when the cure is done I am ready to give this a try!

 Gary,

In the past I put it in at around 140˚ for an hour, without smoke, Then put smoke on it for another hour. Then up to 160˚, with smoke, until the IT was at 140˚.

Hi Mt Seasonings tells you to take the IT to 140˚.

However, the next one I do will be different. I figure, if I'm gonna get it hot enough to get the IT to 140˚, I might as well take it one more step----Up to 180˚ or 190˚, until the IT is 160˚. Then I can eat it cold, or just warm it up a bit. I won't be cooking it twice that way.

Bear

 

[garyc]

 Gary,

In the past I put it in at around 140˚ for an hour, without smoke, Then put smoke on it for another hour. Then up to 160˚, with smoke, until the IT was at 140˚.

Hi Mt Seasonings tells you to take the IT to 140˚.

However, the next one I do will be different. I figure, if I'm gonna get it hot enough to get the IT to 140˚, I might as well take it one more step----Up to 180˚ or 190˚, until the IT is 160˚. Then I can eat it cold, or just warm it up a bit. I won't be cooking it twice that way.

Bear

Interesting. I understand what you are saying about going ahead to 160 IT so you can just eat it that way. Do you think you could just heat it for an hour @ 140 to dry it and then just smoke it @ 160 until the IT is also 160? I am thinking about not rendering the fat away. Wouldn't 6 to 8 hours at 160 with smoke do just as well and still preserve the fat?

 

[Bearcarver]

Interesting. I understand what you are saying about going ahead to 160 IT so you can just eat it that way. Do you think you could just heat it for an hour @ 140 to dry it and then just smoke it @ 160 until the IT is also 160? I am thinking about not rendering the fat away. Wouldn't 6 to 8 hours at 160 with smoke do just as well and still preserve the fat?

If you don't go above 160˚ in the smoker, you will never get the IT to 160˚.

I only go to 180˚ to finish it off. The fat has never rendered enough to bother me, from my CB, and that fat is on the outside of the loin.

On regular Bacon, so many people worry about rendering the fat. 

Then they fry it, and render the fat anyway.

I usually warm smoke my Belly Bacon, and there is plenty of fat left on my Bacon, when I fry it or broil it.

Bear