# Smoking bacon at home



## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Well I have about a half hour left on my bacon and thought I would share a photo.



Smoking it in my weber with the bacon burner on medium low with a pie pan sitting on the flavor bars with some wood chips for smoking. Did two cures one with brown sugar and the other with maple syrup.

Looks like another perfect batch.

Would like to hear your tips for smoking bacon or other meats at home. Do you use a smoker or a grill?


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I've used both, Nicko, and prefer a smoker for bacon. I also think they come out better when held vertically. But that could be as much imagination as reality.

All mine have been done using cold-smoking techniques, however, after a standard salt/sugar cure. Basically, I do the bellies, jowls, and hams at the same time.

And fwiw, I would never let them overlap, as they appear to be doing in your photo.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Yeah I know about the overlapping I had to do that in this case because I only have room for one pan. They came out fine you just have to rotate the overlapping bacon.


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## bishop (Feb 27, 2008)

I would be very tempted to just take a hunk of that still warm out of the smoker, add lettuce, tomato, and mayo on toast.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi Nicko,

The bacon looks great! There's really nothing quite as good as homemade bacon. I've had Nueske's bacon, and while good...not too close to a good homemade belly /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif

In my earlier batches I would get more creative with three different cures with varying spices and separate smokes using different woods. But I'm smoking up to 60lbs of pork belly's now and I tend to just do one single cure and smoke them all at once with the same wood. The last batch was a simple cure, salt salt sugar and smoked with apple/cherry last time.

I normally cure for a week, rinse/soak in cold water twice for 30 minutes then dry and set in the fridge for 24 hours to develop a nice pellicle. I haven't done an actually cold smoke in my smoker yet, although I plan to just fill the entire bottom water pan with ice and the use my three pieces of lump and two pieces of wood as smoke/fuel. What I have done for my bacon smokes was to use the three pieces of lump and two pieces of wood with a dry water pan. Temp from 150f - 200f to an internal of 150f.

I haven't made jowls myself yet and salivate at the idea. I've had them in restaurants but still want to try them at home...yum, yum!

Nicko, if you're smoking bacon in the weber and need some more room for the belly's you can use the Weber standing rib holders, or make your own.



Here's a pic of one of my earlier smokes, just one belly at a time. I didn't get any pics of the 60lb bacon smoke...I still had room for another full belly too/img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif



happy smokin'!

dan


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## byrdie (Nov 24, 2010)

KYHeirloomer said:


> I've used both, Nicko, and prefer a smoker for bacon. I also think they come out better when held vertically. But that could be as much imagination as reality.
> 
> All mine have been done using cold-smoking techniques, however, after a standard salt/sugar cure. Basically, I do the bellies, jowls, and hams at the same time.
> 
> And fwiw, I would never let them overlap, as they appear to be doing in your photo.


If you don't mind my asking, what kind of smoker do you have? Do you put them in , say, cages or just hang them on hooks? I'm very interested in that method.

I've only made bacon a handful of times and they all have been hot smoked, and not all have been pork. How do bacons turn out differently by cold smoking?


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I've never used a commercial smoker, Byrdie. All of mine have been home-made. I have also never used a water tray type smoker, and have no opinion about them.

I hang the bellies from hooks. Nothing wrong with the cages except they take up too much room, IMO. That's also why I don't like racks; they limit how full you can fill the smoker.

Like Dan, I cure for quite some time. At least a week, and as much as three. I don't go by the calendar so much as by how long the meats run liquid. The cuts are buried in the cure (salt, sugar, black pepper) and get turned daily, with more cure added as necessary. I brush off any excess cure, but do not rinse, as I believe it retards pellicle formation. The get hung overnight for the pelicle to form, then into the smoke at 90-110F.

Keep in mind that I'm preserving, rather than cooking. So my times and procedures may not be exactly what you're looking for. For instance, with my long curing times, the smoke is being used strictly for flavor, not as part of the preserving process. You could just as easily skip that stage.

BTW, while not important with bacon, if you do hams be sure and work the cure deeply into the bone pocket. That's a step beginners often skip, to their later chagrin, cuz that's where spoilage will begin. The pocket is a natural pathway for bacteria.


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

I've been doing my own bacon for almost a year now. I dry-cure in salt & sugar for 5-6 days, dry in the fridge for a day, and hot-smoke with orange wood @ ~225f in a Weber kettle. Once you get used to having home-made slab bacon around, there's no going back.



Question: I have put various spices in the cure, & it doesn't seem that the flavors penetrate the bacon enough to be noticed over the salt, sugar, smoke, & piggy goodness (a pepper crust on the surface, yes, that is noticeable). Any thoughts?

Cut up some bacon into fat lardons, 3/8 - 1/2 inch (12-15 mm), fry them till nicely browned. Add to a salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, & green onions, with an appropriate vinaigrette - best salad ever.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

The problem is, Grumio, that a pork belly is, for all intents and purposes, a solid block of fat---which acts as a barrior to absorbing flavors. Even injecting it, as you might do to add flavors to a ham, doesn't do all that much good.

Most times, people who want additional flavors on their bacon add them after it's been sliced. The same syndrome applies (i.e., the flavors are just on the surface), but, because the slices are so thin, your mouth is fooled into thinking they run all through it.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I would like to try this warm smoking of bacon.

I actually though bacon was always cold smoked??

I hope you all can help me here.

I gather I can use belly pork (lean), put it in salt/sugar for a couple of days.

What ratio should I use here?

Are there other options for a cure (I'm not a big fan of sweet things).

I do have a webber braai, a charcoal one. Should I make an indirect fire?

What is the best way to use wood chips / saw dust?

How long would the smoking last approximately?

I have been smoking before but that was on a stove top smoker. I've never cured meat before.

All help will be appreciated!!!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

A couple of points, Butzy.

First off, the addition of sugar to a cure is not for sweetness. It's purpose is to help keep the protein from tightening up too much. In plain English, the final texture is softer. With straight salt, if you don't pre-soak the meat you'd need a chainsaw to cut it.

Here, for instance, is my basic sugar cure:

15 pounds salt

6 pounds brown sugar

8 oz ground black pepper

2 oz cayenne

1/2 oz (approx) rubbed sage

Next: There is a fundemental difference between hot smoking and cold smoking. In general, hot smoking is, essentially, a cooking method, used with foods destinied for more-or-less immediate consumption. Cold smoking is a drying process, used for foods destined for long-term, non-refrigerated preservation. Hot smoked foods not eaten immediately should be kept in the fridge, or frozen for long storage. Cold smoked foods can be hung just about anywhere, but cool conditions are better. Note: When you hang fall-cured foods, there will be, in the spring, a secondary sweat. This is normal and expected, and doesn't mean the food has turned.

Side comment: Lean pork belly? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Anyway, the procedure for dry curing: The protein should be totally covered by several inches of the cure, which should be rubbed in to the surface and any cavities. At least once a day, shift the cure, adding more if necessary (some of it will flush away with the drawn liquids), and again cover the protein. How long to continue this depends on the end-goal. For hot smoking, as little as one day will do. For long-term preservation, three weeks might be none too short.

Whenever you're ready, remove the protein from the cure. Brush it off (or even rinse it, if that's your inclination) and hang the protein overnight. Short-cured meat should be hung under refrigeration. Long time cure can be refrigerated or not, so long as it's kept cool. The liquid protein remaining on the surface will form a film, which is called a pellicle. At that point you're ready for smoking.

Hot smoking should always be done over indirect heat. How long to run it depends on your thermometer. Remember, we're actually cooking the pork.

The nature of smoke flavoring: This is perhaps the most misunderstood part of the process. On one hand, the longer the product is in the smoke, the smokier it will taste. But there's a proviso: Animal protein can only absorb so-much smoke at a time. After that, continuous smoking adds nothing to it. But if the protein rests in a smoke-free environment, it will then absorb more smoke. Because of this, some celebrity chefs have claimed that after two hours the meat won't take anymore smoke. But that's incorrect.

You can develop any schedule you like. Personally, I smoke for two hours, let it rest smoke-free for a half hour, then smoke again. You can rest for longer periods (I have a friend, for instance, who runs the smoke two hours on and two hours off), but a half hour is about the minium.

One thing to keep in mind: Like baking, smoking is as much an art as a science. So you've find yourself doing a lot of experimentation until finding the precise methodology that works for you.

And, just to confuse you even more, all of this can be done with a wet cure (i.e., brine) as well, but there are slight variations in the technique.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

> Nicko, if you're smoking bacon in the weber and need some more room for the belly's you can use the Weber standing rib holders, or make your own.


Dan, that is an awesome idea thanks!!!!!

Grumio, 


> Question: I have put various spices in the cure, & it doesn't seem that the flavors penetrate the bacon enough to be noticed over the salt, sugar, smoke, & piggy goodness (a pepper crust on the surface, yes, that is noticeable). Any thoughts?


I have put spices and flavors but you have to put a lot. For example I did a garlic and black pepper bacon and put a good amount of garlic and I ended up with a nicely flavored bacon. I have yet to try the brine method which would probably impart more flavor.

I disagree (gently) with KY about two things. First fat is a fantastic absorber of flavors. In fact when I made chocolates we were very careful about how they were stored because chocolate is mostly fat and it would absorb any orders in the air (such as cigarette smoke). I also disagree with the reason for the addition of sugar. In the book Charcuterie by Brian Polcyn he suggest the use of of brown sugar or maple syrup for "added sweetness".

One question for everyone: Do you use just sugar and salt or do you add pink salt (curing salt, nitrate)? I do because it greatly reduces the risk of botulism.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Nicko said:


> One question for everyone: Do you use just sugar and salt or do you add pink salt (curing salt, nitrate)? I do because it greatly reduces the risk of botulism.


 Hi Nicko,

basic bacon cure recipe

1.One 5lb slab of pork belly, rind removed
2.1 tsp pink salt (Prague Powder)
3.1/4 cup of salt
4.Generous half cup of maple syrup, honey or brown sugar.

5.Any desired spices

After I rinse, I'll cut a small piece of bacon off and then fry it up. If it's too salty I do a cold soak for 30 minutes and then cut/fry up another piece and repeat the cold soak with fresh water if needed. Usually 30 minutes will get it for my tastes.

Other than the above...KYH pretty much covered everything.

dan


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I haven't anything to add except for the bacon looks awesome! I wish I lived near Chicago so I could invite myself over for a BLT sans mayo of course. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/chef.gif

Happy New year to you and yours!


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Hi Nicko, I use Ruhlmans recipe.

Salt,Pink salt, Maple sugar & maple syrup

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g318/bradstab/?action=view&current=Bacon2.jpg


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Does anyone have advice for making pork rinds.  I usually make the bacon and my brother makes the rinds.  But he normally has some difficulties, only a few get that nice big puff and crunch...and the others just turn out ok.

   Thanks,

   dan


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

leeniek said:


> I haven't anything to add except for the bacon looks awesome! I wish I lived near Chicago so I could invite myself over for a BLT sans mayo of course. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/chef.gif
> 
> Happy New year to you and yours!


 I may be a strange duck (Shhhhhhh)

But I like my BLT with the "L" and the "T" on the side. I know that it's supposed to go together like beans and cornbread, like red beans and rice, like strawberries and shortcakes...you know...they go hand and haaaaaaaaaaaaand!

anyway...I always thought that bacon, lettuce and tomato better served each other sitting side by side rather than competing in the same bite. That's just me though /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

dan


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_I disagree (gently) with KY about two things. First fat is a fantastic absorber of flavors. In fact when I made chocolates we were very careful about how they were stored because chocolate is mostly fat and it would absorb any orders in the air (such as cigarette smoke). I also disagree with the reason for the addition of sugar. In the book Charcuterie by Brian Polcyn he suggest the use of of brown sugar or maple syrup for "added sweetness". _

Anytime you add a sweetener to something it will, of course, affect the sweetness level. But I stand behind what I said: sugar in a dry cure is there premarily to soften the final texture of the meat, not to sweeten it per se. Some sweeteners---noteably corn syrup---actually promote water retention, which is why they are more likely found in uncured sausages than in something like cured bacon.

Try it yourself (although this will show up more in a ham than in a belly). Treat two of them exactly the same, but leave the sugar out of the cure with one of them. Then smoke them side by side. You'll be able to cut a slice out of the sugar cured one, but will have to hacksaw your way through the other.

If you're hot smoking, as you did, things might be different because the meat never gets a chance to harden. It hasn't been dried to that stage (less than 7% moisture). So there the sugar might be present primarily as a sweetening agent. This is a guess on my part because I've never hot smoked hams or bacon. The only hot smoking I do is for things like pulled pork and whole birds---where my intent is to cook with a smoke flavor, rather than preserve the meat.

As to the other. I would suggest that if you took one of those contaminated chocolates, broke it open, and tasted just the inside that the contaminent would not be present. Foreign odors and such do, indeed, settle on fatty surfaces, and are held there. But it takes an act of will to get them to penetrate very far. It's as I said with sliced bacon: your mouth is fooled into believing the added flavors have penetrated. Most chocolates are so thin that the same syndrome applies. You bite into it, and any foreign flavors appear to have penetrated the whole thing.

Ever notice that with commercial flavored bacons (i.e., pepper bacon, maple bacon, etc) that the flavoring agents are spread on the individual slices? If they could gain that effect by merely coating the belly they would, cuz it's a lot less expensive. But the fact is, the flavors would only appear on the surface if they did so.


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

butzy said:


> I do have a webber braai, a charcoal one. Should I make an indirect fire?
> 
> What is the best way to use wood chips / saw dust?
> 
> How long would the smoking last approximately?


Here's a picture tutorial of how I smoke with my Weber kettle. For this you want hardwood chunks, not chips. You can smoke with most hardwoods; I have no idea what you have available in Zambia (btw, there is more hardwood than needed in the pictures).

I cook it to an internal temperature of 150f (66c), takes 3-4 hours.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Great discussion everyone. Hey if we are going to address Dan's question about Pork rinds can we please do so in a separate thread? Thanks.

KY I think we are both right. Fat is a wonderful way to preserve so nothing get through like in the fashion of confit. A layer of fat sits over the duck or pork (in the old days) and it is a perfect seal for the food contained within. Actually how they used to store the food in the old days. So that being said Fat does not let anything in below a certain level. The surface fat however does an excellent job of absorbing any odors on the exterior. As for the sweetener I will have to try your experiment. I am sure your right in regards to certain types of charcuterie. With the bacon though I think it is all for sweetness.

Here is the finished product.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks for all the info

Grumio: that link is really interesting. Pictures always work! Just one thing, that 250 degrees, that's Fahrenheit?

Hardwood around here: Mahogany, teak, mukwa Our charcoal is actually made from hardwood as well.

I have no idea how they would work flavour-wise.

Suppose I just have to try!

off topic: Sheep on a spit tomorrow night   !!!!!!!!!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

That's quite a few packages of great-looking bacon, Nicko. You have my address......./img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

Butzy: In theory, any hardwood---or even corncobs---can be used for smoking. But you want to watch those tropical woods. Many of them contain oils that can be toxic. I would definately not use mahagony. And teak is problematical at best. I'm not familiar with mukwa.

Do you have any sort of nut trees? They're almost always safe.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Nicko, that bacon looks awesome!!!!  You know where I live!!!   (Actually I have a freezer full of my own homemade stuff).

With regards to pink salt.  I used to use it regularly when I worked in the restaurant business, for both bacon and sausage making.  Nowadays, I often just use Morton's "Tender Quick"  It is a premade mix using both nitrite and nitrate.  It has worked well for a number of things I have made.

Cold smoking vs. hot smoking.  I  understand KY's point about using cold smoking solely if looking to truly preserve your bacon, but I have a freezer that works well for that so I do a mix of hot and cold smoking.  I start my bacon off with a couple of hours of cold smoking then move to a hot smoke (around 180°F) until the internal temperature of my bacon reaches 150°F.  This makes for a really smoky bacon.


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

Butzy -  yes, Fahrenheit.  100-125 Celsius is the temperature range you want for smoking.  Btw, I've only used briquets with this method, lump charcoal burns hotter & faster, so if that's what you're using, you'll probably have to make some adjustments.  Also, KYH mentioned nut tree wood; fruit tree wood is also generally good.  OTOH, some of the most popular smoking woods in North America are hickory, oak & mesquite.  The tree doesn't have to bear something you can eat to be suitable for smoking.

Nitrite:  I've never used it, not from any objection to it, but because it isn't really necessary for the sorts of curing I've done.  Salt/sugar & reliable refrigeration will do for relatively short cures like bacon & corned beef.  I'd certainly use it for something cured outside a refrigerator.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Not for nothing, Grumio, but oak and hickory *are *nut trees.


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

I stand corrected.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I saw a remark that you cook the belly pork with the rind taken off.

Is that really necessary?

If you would cook with the rind on, wouldn't it be an idea to sort of pre-slice up to the rind before flavouring?

I'm on the lookout for some nice wood to use.

I should be able to find pecan or macademia. Would soft wood work? Something like avocado or mango?

In the mean time, I got some smoking dust and shavings.

Would it be possible to use those in any way? I've seen people wetting them and putting in aluminium foil with holes in it.....

Nicko: that bacon looks great!

KY: yeah, lean belly pork is not a good description. Not too fatty would have been a better expression.....


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Pecan and macadamia would be perfect woods, Butzy. Of the other two, both would be suitable, but mango would be better than avocado, only because it lasts longer. Avocado---which is more a herbacious shrub than a tree---burns pretty quick, and you'll have to be constantly feeding the fire.

Softwoods (technicallly coniferous monocots, but generally called conifers or evergreens) should never be used, because their smoke contains great levels of creosote and other particulates that condense on the food. Creosote not only tastes bad, it's a carcinogen, so is to be avoided as much as possible.


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## zzzdreamerzzz (Mar 18, 2013)

I was wondering if I could use frozen pork bellies with good results. I live in the far North and bought some pork bellies then the temperature dropped into the minus 40's for a couple weeks so I had to freeze them. Found lots of info on here but nothing about frozen bellies.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Grumio said:


> I've been doing my own bacon for almost a year now. I dry-cure in salt & sugar for 5-6 days, dry in the fridge for a day, and hot-smoke with orange wood @ ~225f in a Weber kettle. Once you get used to having home-made slab bacon around, there's no going back.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I cure my slabs for at least two weeks. Should you cure with skin on, take a box cutter knife and score the backside, skin side of more complete penetration.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

> Grumio, ...
> One question for everyone: Do you use just sugar and salt or do you add pink salt (curing salt, nitrate)? I do because it greatly reduces the risk of botulism.


 I purchase a maple sugar cure which includes sodium nitrITE from ALLIEDKENCO.COM. A two pound bag costing less than $8 with cure a hundred pounds of pork belly. I leave my bellies on the cure for two-three weeks. Rinse. Allow to air-dry for 24 hours to form a pellicle and then place in my Weber Smokey Mountain. I keep the temperature as low as possible (slowly climbing to 175F) and remove the bellies once they reach 146F or just above.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

At FB you can visit the SALT CURED PIG and ogle at others' attempts at smoking bacon:




__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=630018493691900



My stuff listed above was cured for two weeks using a maple sugar from AlliedKenco.com and spent the entire day being hotsmoked to a temperature of 145F. My smoker was held to 150F or lower for as long as possible.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

I had some odd pieces of Pork belly and wanted to try something different........

This is what I did with the Pork Belly..........Pork Belly Char Siu
I trimmed some of the fat and cut into two in strips.


I put the pork belly strips in a Char siu marinade over night

I got the coals hot and soaked some apple wood

I smoked this for about an hour on low heat then cooked it until done at about 300 degrees

These are some test slices, the Char Siu came out great, juicy and full of flavor...


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

That stuff looks GREAT and I'd eat it all day and I'd also want to try a marinade without the food coloring.  And also that's some of the leanest, most striated pork belly that I ever saw and been smoking bellies for a couple of years so far.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

The first one is german bacon using a savory cure: dill, juniper, brandy s&p, pink salt and a bit of brown sugar. The second is 19# of sweet cured american style bacon.





  








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## j20832 (Mar 9, 2013)

> Originally Posted by *KYHeirloomer*
> 
> Keep in mind that I'm preserving, rather than cooking. So my times and procedures may not be exactly what you're looking for. For instance, with my long curing times, the smoke is being used strictly for flavor, not as part of the preserving process. You could just as easily skip that stage.


Sure, that would be known as pancetta!

When I make bacon, I use morton's tenderquick for the cure and cold smoke with either hickory or apple wood. I only do so in the winter, as I find it just too hard to maintain low temps at other times of year in the mid-atlantic area.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Hey Koko, can you explain the scoring on the bacon? I have not seen that done before and was curious how that affects the bacon?

P.S. I have been checking the mail box everyday for month's expecting some samples and nothing. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

JK


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Nicko said:


> Hey Koko, can you explain the scoring on the bacon? I have not seen that done before and was curious how that affects the bacon? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif
> 
> JK


Nicko, the scoring was done for the first time in anticipation that the cure flavor would be stronger as it usually doesn't penetrate the unbroken skin. We'll see in about a week. Scoring a bit too deep was done using a box cutter but the next time around I'll set the blade to protrude only 1/8th inch instead of 3/16ths.

The cure I used, once again, was the maple sugar cure offered at ALLIEDKENCO.COM and an $8 bag (2# of cure) will cure 100#.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

kokopuffs said:


> The first one is german bacon using a savory cure: dill, juniper, brandy s&p, pink salt and a bit of brown sugar. The second is 19# of sweet cured american style bacon.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

@BillyB:  again, the cure is a maple sugar cure purchased from ALLIEDKENCO.COM.  A 2# bag will cure 100# of belly.  And yes, there is a bit of a sweet flavor that I predict will intensify with the skin scored.  I'll let you all know in about a week or so.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

kokopuffs said:


> Nicko, the scoring was done for the first time in anticipation that the cure flavor would be stronger as it usually doesn't penetrate the unbroken skin. We'll see in about a week. Scoring a bit too deep was done using a box cutter but the next time around I'll set the blade to protrude only 1/8th inch instead of 3/16ths.
> 
> The cure I used, once again, was the maple sugar cure offered at ALLIEDKENCO.COM and an $8 bag (2# of cure) will cure 100#.


I will have to check out the cure I usually mix my own. Now.... How do I go about getting some samples?

We should have a ChefTalk Chicago Bacon cook off. Who's in?


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Billy, nice photos thanks for sharing. What breed of hog are you guys raising?


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Nicko said:


> We should have a ChefTalk Chicago Bacon cook off. Who's in?


You really need to checkout *THE SALT CURED PIG* at FB as they offer stuff like that and many members are from the northeast.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

How about some cottage bacon (buckboard, shoulder, other names)

Ready for the smoker after curing 10 days





  








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Fresh off the smoker and resting





  








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Sliced and time to package





  








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Ready for the freezer





  








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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Wow, Mary, your that shoulder has way more fat (a good thing) than what I saw in my buckboard bacon made awhile back.  And btw buckboard cure can be used for other cuts of meat.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Makes a good general bacon cure, I have smoked some bellies with it.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

MaryB said:


> Makes a good general bacon cure, I have smoked some bellies with it.


Hey next time add some maple or brown sugar to the curing mixture. Mmmmmm.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Ok, I am drooling. 


j20832 said:


> Sure, that would be known as pancetta!


Isn't a pancetta generally also rolled up tightly before drying? Just a plain slab of cured and air-dried belly would be considered Speck in my opinion. Then again, I am Bavarian 

I gonna join the smokers soon - finally I moved to a house with a garden where I can set up a smoker. Also, my new Weber just arrived!!

So far, I only cured and baked some belly or air-dried it to above-mentioned Speck. Probably gonna set up my first smoking experiment next week.


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## gungasim (Mar 8, 2013)

ChefBillyB said:


> I had some odd pieces of Pork belly and wanted to try something different........
> 
> This is what I did with the Pork Belly..........Pork Belly Char Siu
> I trimmed some of the fat and cut into two in strips.
> ...


/img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

GeneMachine said:


> Ok, I am drooling.
> 
> Isn't a pancetta generally also rolled up tightly before drying? Just a plain slab of cured and air-dried belly would be considered Speck in my opinion. Then again, I am Bavarian
> 
> ...


If that's a Weber Smokey Mountain you have then you gonna' wanna' definitely *visit this website* dedicated to that unit.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

kokopuffs said:


> I purchase a maple sugar cure which includes sodium nitrITE from ALLIEDKENCO.COM.


Ok, one more thing - this is a public service announcement from your friendly neighbourhood biochemist:

The antibacterial agent to protect against botulism is indeed nitrite. You use this for curing bulk meat. Nitrate is not in itself antimicrobial. It is used in curing fermented sausages, such as Salami - the lactic acid bacteria in the sausage slowly convert nitrate to nitrite, thereby providing a slow-release antimicrobial which preserves your sausage.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

kokopuffs said:


> If that's a Weber Smokey Mountain you have then you gonna' wanna' definitely *visit this website* dedicated to that unit.


Thanks for the tip - no Smokey Mountain (yet) though - just the 57 cm OneTouch grill. Should be usable for smoking, too, though, at least for first tries before I get a proper smoking unit


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

GeneMachine said:


> Ok, one more thing - this is a public service announcement from your friendly neighbourhood biochemist:
> 
> The antibacterial agent to protect against botulism is indeed nitrite. You use this for curing bulk meat. Nitrate is not in itself antimicrobial. It is used in curing fermented sausages, such as Salami - the lactic acid bacteria in the sausage slowly convert nitrate to nitrite, thereby providing a slow-release antimicrobial which preserves your sausage.


Yet it seems that in Europe, nitrate is mostly used. Ruhlman in his charcuterie book explains the nitrate/nitrite antimicrobial thing a bit further.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

On the European use of nitrate I can only disagree - the standard curing salt mixture I can buy here is 0,5% sodium nitrite / 99.5 % sodium chloride. Ruhlmann is generally a good source, though - love that book.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

GeneMachine said:


> On the European use of nitrate I can only disagree - the standard curing salt mixture I can buy here is 0,5% sodium nitrite / 99.5 % sodium chloride. Ruhlmann is generally a good source, though - love that book.


Where are you located? In Jane Grigson's book, *Charcuterie*, only nitrate is mentioned and that was a british publication.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

We are building a cold smoker using







this old case iron wood burning stove this is something like it, but not exact.........There is a vent on the top that a dryer hose will connect to the meat cabinet...............has anyone here cold smoked ??????????????????/


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

This thread is making me salivate!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif A whole world of cooking I know absolutely nothing about...!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

kokopuffs said:


> Where are you located? In Jane Grigson's book, *Charcuterie*, only nitrate is mentioned and that was a british publication.


Ah... the Brits are wierd that way /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

I am in Germany. Nitrite is definitely the standard here.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

> has anyone here cold smoked ??????????????????/


Yes. Our cold smoker is a very large, covered grill, with a smoke generator attached. With the generator going full blast (depending on ambient temperatures) I can keep the chamber temperature in the seventies or below; but because of our location chamber temps usually run into the nineties.

As a very general rule, colder temps and longer smoke exposure are better. But you can only do what you can do; and, of course, it's a mistake to allow perfect to be the enemy of good. Just as with hot-smoking, many fine points are very equipment dependent, especially when it comes to time, temp, fire management, and so on. The bright side is that the "gross points" are not. As long as you can keep your temps below around 120F, you can cold smoke.

I'll be happy to help you in any way I can.

BDL


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

I smoke on a Traeger set to smoke, temp runs about 120-140 depending how warm the day is.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

pork shoulder 004.JPG




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pork shoulder 008.JPG




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pork shoulder 009.JPG




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Mar 22, 2013









boar_d_laze said:


> Yes. Our cold smoker is a very large, covered grill, with a smoke generator attached. With the generator going full blast (depending on ambient temperatures) I can keep the chamber temperature in the seventies or below; but because of our location chamber temps usually run into the nineties.
> 
> As a very general rule, colder temps and longer smoke exposure are better. But you can only do what you can do; and, of course, it's a mistake to allow perfect to be the enemy of good. Just as with hot-smoking, many fine points are very equipment dependent, especially when it comes to time, temp, fire management, and so on. The bright side is that the "gross points" are not. As long as you can keep your temps below around 120F, you can cold smoke.
> 
> ...


BDL, thx for your reply, I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. I know Low & Slow is the rule, you just reaffirmed that. I think I better get moving if I plan on doing any kind of cold smoking. I want to smoke a 16 to 18lb ham, I may saw it in half to cut the smoking time. Should I figure about one hr to the lb ???? .........The area I had planned for the stove and meat box has southern exposure, it gets real hot. My idea is to us the old cast iron stove for the fire/smoke and then send the smoke by way of Metal flex tube, to a metal garbage can where the meat will hang. If it's still cool enough in April, I could start it in the evening and smoke it all night during cooler temps..........let me know your ideas........I'm on a mission tomorrow to make some sausage and Carnitas out of this portion................Thx.......Bill


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

French Fries said:


> This thread is making me salivate!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif A whole world of cooking I know absolutely nothing about...!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif


FF: Charcuterie is enjoying a renaissance here in the U.S., especially, it seems in both the northeast and California. (pls forgive if I omitted some other american locale 8))


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

The worry I have with using an old wood stove is the creosote buildup on the interior.  Best remove.


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## wvman2374 (Nov 11, 2012)

ChefBilly all your pictures are amazing!

I was looking at building a cold smoker for my new commercial kitchen, but we ended up splurging on a huge smoker that can cold smoke as well so I don't need to build one now.

The plan was to buy a used commercial fridge and convert it for cold smoking.  Evacuator fan on top, separate smoke box connected through a tube to the fridge, putting the fridge on a stand to keep it above the smoke box.  The fridge seemed ideal due to being able to rack up the inside, as well as being relatively easy to clean.  Plus, as we weren't certain as to ambient temp where we were going to keep it, could always turn the fridge on for a little bit before smoking to regulate the temp if it was sitting too hot.  The work was a little behind my capabilities, but I have a machinist friend who could've done this quite easily.  All in all we were estimating about $1000 to do this, considering a used fridge goes for around $500 here.

Still, we are looking at cold smoking ribeye and strip steaks for about 45mins at 65-70f, then back in the fridge for a day, then they're ready for grilling to order.  Will hopefully be in the new kitchen in a couple weeks and I'll post some results...


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

GeneMachine said:


> On the European use of nitrate I can only disagree - the standard curing salt mixture I can buy here is 0,5% sodium nitrite / 99.5 % sodium chloride. Ruhlmann is generally a good source, though - love that book.


In checking into Marianski's book on Home Production of Meat and Sausages, he, too, insists on the use of nitrites over nitrates.


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## keencook55 (May 6, 2012)

Nicko said:


> Dan, that is an awesome idea thanks!!!!!
> 
> Grumio,
> 
> ...


Must not use nitrate in bacon !!! Nitrite is the go.


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