Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube | Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Makin Bacon Hot/Cold Smoking
Options
Medium-Rare
Posts: 72
There are a lot of great recipes out there for making bacon. Most of the finishing processes I've read hot smoke the bacon. What are the pros/cons of hot versus cold smoking? Any suggestions or tips on cold smoking bacon?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Comments
-
Ask Nola--- he will be here soon to chime in. He is the bacon kingJacksonville, FL
-
Google the amazing ribs cold smoking article. It's detailed enough that I came away from it thinking I'll just hot smoke and not worry about it.Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
-
cold smoking does not cook the bacon, whereas hot smoking does.
cold smoking generally gives you a milder smoke and lighter color, but you usually go much longer (at least i do) to compensate.
hot smoking can be a little sharper in smoke flavor if the smoke is very hot. yo ucan get some particulates in the smoke too.
hot smoking is easier, and so i often go hot smoke (couple hours) when i don't have time to nurse the cold smoker all day (sometimes 6 to 8 hours, especially with hams).
i cold smoke hams almost universally, because i don't want them to dry out by cooking (heating) twice. but home cured bacon is firmer/drier anyway, and although hot smoking cooks it, when it's cooked again (in a skillet for ex.), we usually cook it more crispy anyway, so twice cooked is fine.
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
I've cold smoked then hot smoked. Hot smoked only, cold smoked only. Since most people fry, saute or in some way cook the bejesus out of it anyway, in the end the difference is negligible. Like Stike said.
Long cold smoking is my preferred method of adding smoke flavor. When you have that option (cured meats). It's more important to have good smoke regardless of what method you use.
Hot smoked is a bit easier to cut since it's lost more moisture. Refrigerate over night before cutting.
A little sugar in the rub post cure gives you a pretty black ring when you cook it.______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
Thanks everyone!!
-
@nolaegghead , I have some bacon on the go now. You refer to using a rub after the cure and before the smoke? Would you comment on this and perhaps share you rub mix?Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
-
@BearQ After the cure you can be creative with rubs, or leave them off all together. I used, the last couple of batches, a smidgen of salt, lots of pepper and some coconut raw sugar. I fresh water soaked my bacon so the salt gave it a bit of salt back on the outside of the belly, and the sugar can caramelize and give the cooked bacon a bit of (I think) pretty dark boarder.
Nothing is going to have as big an impact as the quality of the belly and your cure, but you can put anything in a rub and give it some additional character.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
@Darby_Crenshaw @nolaegghead
whats the the longest you cold smoked bacon? Just put 2 bellies on at 7pm and wondering if I can run 10-11 hrs and get them off in the morning. I've done 5-6hrs in the past but thinking if I can skip getting up in the middle of the night...
Greensboro, NC -
Wolfpack said:@Darby_Crenshaw @nolaegghead
whats the the longest you cold smoked bacon? Just put 2 bellies on at 7pm and wondering if I can run 10-11 hrs and get them off in the morning. I've done 5-6hrs in the past but thinking if I can skip getting up in the middle of the night...Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013 -
Wolfpack said:@Darby_Crenshaw @nolaegghead
whats the the longest you cold smoked bacon? Just put 2 bellies on at 7pm and wondering if I can run 10-11 hrs and get them off in the morning. I've done 5-6hrs in the past but thinking if I can skip getting up in the middle of the night...BrandonQuad Cities
"If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful." -
-
My tasters like cold smoked over hot smoked. I lite one end of my AMS and get about 8 hours from it. I only cold smoke when the outside temps do not get to 60f or above. Pretty simple, fill AMS with pre-dried pellets. Light one end let it burn about 2 inches and blow out the flame. After smoke stops put bellies in Ziploc bag and back into fridge overnight. Slice and package the next day. Always have to fry up a sample to taste the goodness.
-
Wolfpack said:@Darby_Crenshaw @nolaegghead
whats the the longest you cold smoked bacon? Just put 2 bellies on at 7pm and wondering if I can run 10-11 hrs and get them off in the morning. I've done 5-6hrs in the past but thinking if I can skip getting up in the middle of the night...
The difference between using the AMS and a smokehouse is this: The AMS generates smoke that is, when it hits the meat, warmer than the meat. You have more condensation on the meat - this means you can get more of the nastier tasting bits of smoke.
In a smoke house, the air and meat are all the same temperature so the smoke has a more subtle, and slower, impact on the taste of the meat.
Obviously hot smoking is more like the AMS than the smoke house.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
I look at it this way. Do you cook a steak, leave it in the fridge over night and cook it again? Neither do I.
-
hondabbq said:I look at it this way. Do you cook a steak, leave it in the fridge over night and cook it again? Neither do I.
Nope, But I will often smoke more than one butt at a time and then freeze the leftovers. <shrug> I think that is more comparable. -
hondabbq said:I look at it this way. Do you cook a steak, leave it in the fridge over night and cook it again? Neither do I.
That's far beyond an apples to oranges comparison my friend.
If you're gonna throw up a comparison, please understand the basic concepts of the discussion. ThanksBrandonQuad Cities
"If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful." -
Focker said:hondabbq said:I look at it this way. Do you cook a steak, leave it in the fridge over night and cook it again? Neither do I.
That's far beyond an apples to oranges comparison my friend.
If you're gonna throw up a comparison, please understand the basic concepts of the discussion. ThanksLOL. I think I understand the concepts my friend, it is you who misunderstood the statement.
I never said anything about hot smoking the bacon twice. It was in reference to hot smoking it and bringing it up to temp once, then cooling down, slicing and then recooking it in the pan for service.
Is it that far from apples to oranges? in some respects I guess you could be right. But to me on the basis of cooking meat twice to eat it, its bang on.
Categories
- All Categories
- 182.7K EggHead Forum
- 15.7K Forum List
- 459 EGGtoberfest
- 1.9K Forum Feedback
- 10.3K Off Topic
- 2.2K EGG Table Forum
- 1 Rules & Disclaimer
- 9K Cookbook
- 12 Valentines Day
- 91 Holiday Recipes
- 223 Appetizers
- 516 Baking
- 2.4K Beef
- 88 Desserts
- 164 Lamb
- 2.4K Pork
- 1.5K Poultry
- 30 Salads and Dressings
- 320 Sauces, Rubs, Marinades
- 543 Seafood
- 175 Sides
- 121 Soups, Stews, Chilis
- 35 Vegetarian
- 100 Vegetables
- 313 Health
- 293 Weight Loss Forum