First attempt at bacon

wolfie4wvu · December 2012

So I am attempting to make bacon for the first time. It has cured for 7 days. I cured it with kosher salt, pepper and a maple sugar spice I had purchased. I have the egg at 190 and am using apple wood chips. To be continued.....

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

nice. no pink salt?

wolfie4wvu · December 2012

Yes I did use pink salt. Sorry left that out.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

cool. I have 3 slabs in the fridge now. Be ready to smoke tuesday

wolfie4wvu · December 2012

Well make sure you wash it really well. Not sure I did it enough and it has turned out a little salty.

smokesniffer · December 2012

@ wolfie. Please keep updated. I pick up a belly on Tuesday, it will be my first attempt at curing bacon. Love to hear how you did it and what it turned out like. I talked to a butcher and he said to soak it in water for about 3 hours after the cure and before the smoke.

U_tarded · December 2012

looks good you will enjoy it I ate bacon every day for nearly 2 weeks after my first 5 pound batch. i washed mine well but i think it needs a good soak for about an hour to kill the saltiness. I like salt a lot but it was just a bit too much for me.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

wolfie4wvu said:

Well make sure you wash it really well. Not sure I did it enough and it has turned out a little salty.

same thing happened to me on my 1st. You can blanche it for a minute or 2 in simmering water and all the salt disappears. Totally saved my first batch.

biggreenmatt · December 2012

Hi, all! Quick question while on the subject! I'm in the process of making bacon as well- 5 lbs of Tamshire pork belly, cured with #1, salt, sugar and spices. Trick is I'm cold smoking it, rather than hot smoking (I have a ProQ cold smoke generator, and it's sitting in my BGE with the plate-setter in) and I have no idea how long it needs to cold-smoke until it's smoke-saturated! How long d'ja think it needs to smoke before it's ready to pull off?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

I've heard 2 days. I'm doing the same thing. Check out this blog for some good info. She's on another forum and is kind of the authority on cold smoking bacon: http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-bacon-part-3-cold-smoking.html

biggreenmatt · December 2012

Hmm. Hard time believing that anything less than a complete belly would take 2 days. While I'm much more familiar with hot smoking than cold, I'm guessing the basic smoke principles remain the same. After about 4 hours hot smoking, it'll continue to cook but it won't absorb any more smoke flavour. My batch's been cold smoking for 9 hours and since it's cold out here in Toronto today, I'll leave it another 3. Shall report back with the results.

Focker · December 2012

Interested to hear of your results @biggreenmatt. I have two 4lb bellys curing now. Plan is to hot smoke one and cold smoke the other. Just got the ProQ and my initial plan was to smoke with peach for one full load...10 hours.

AleBrewer · December 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I've heard 2 days. I'm doing the same thing. Check out this blog for some good info. She's on another forum and is kind of the authority on cold smoking bacon: http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-bacon-part-3-cold-smoking.html

Yep....Jeanie sure does cook up some great looking stuff. I am a member of another forum that has to do with meat smoking.....lot's of good bacon making threads over there.

I'd love to make a smokehouse like hers one of these days......

nolaegghead · December 2012

No rule on smoking - smoke it until you feel like it has enough smoke. However, better to smoke long and light than short and heavy.

biggreenmatt · December 2012

After 11ish hours of cold-smoking, it turned out great. Smoky without being banged over the head with it. Wonderful stuff, completely unlike anything you find at the grocery store. Magnificent.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

biggreenmatt said:

After 11ish hours of cold-smoking, it turned out great. Smoky without being banged over the head with it. Wonderful stuff, completely unlike anything you find at the grocery store. Magnificent.

Awesome. I'm doing that too

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

AleBrewer said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I've heard 2 days. I'm doing the same thing. Check out this blog for some good info. She's on another forum and is kind of the authority on cold smoking bacon: http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-bacon-part-3-cold-smoking.html

Yep....Jeanie sure does cook up some great looking stuff. I am a member of another forum that has to do with meat smoking.....lot's of good bacon making threads over there.

I'd love to make a smokehouse like hers one of these days......

That thing is pretty cool.

U_tarded · December 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

AleBrewer said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I've heard 2 days. I'm doing the same thing. Check out this blog for some good info. She's on another forum and is kind of the authority on cold smoking bacon: http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-bacon-part-3-cold-smoking.html

Yep....Jeanie sure does cook up some great looking stuff. I am a member of another forum that has to do with meat smoking.....lot's of good bacon making threads over there.

I'd love to make a smokehouse like hers one of these days......

That thing is pretty cool.

That smokehouse is legit. Thanks for posting that blog too, tons of great ideas of things I'm into. The only thing more detrimental to my health than my love of bacon and smoked meats is my love of burbon and and high alcohol craft beers.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

U_tarded said:

AleBrewer said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I've heard 2 days. I'm doing the same thing. Check out this blog for some good info. She's on another forum and is kind of the authority on cold smoking bacon: http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-bacon-part-3-cold-smoking.html

Yep....Jeanie sure does cook up some great looking stuff. I am a member of another forum that has to do with meat smoking.....lot's of good bacon making threads over there.

I'd love to make a smokehouse like hers one of these days......

That thing is pretty cool.
That smokehouse is legit. Thanks for posting that blog too, tons of great ideas of things I'm into. The only thing more detrimental to my health than my love of bacon and smoked meats is my love of burbon and and high alcohol craft beers.

you are preaching to the choir brother

nolaegghead · December 2012

Choir member here to chime in. Here it is, words of wisdom....(*burrrrrp*).

CT- cowgirlscountry blog very nice. I bookmarked it, and I rarely do that. Thanks dude.

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