Bacon question

Dave in Florida

I have pork belly curing and have seen two egg setups where one egg is used as the firebox. Then a metal dryer hose connected to lower door of a second egg which has the belly.  Smoke is sent from one egg into the other to smoke the belly.  I am thinking of trying this setup but have a few questions. Is there more, or what are the benefit by doing the two egg setup? What temp I should be running my "firebox" egg, is it still 180 - 200?  Since only the smoke is going into the second egg, what is the approx. time I am looking at for the belly to reach an IT of 150?  Any advise on this setup and method is appreciated.

Chubbs

Are you dead set on hot smoking?

theyolksonyou

The two  egg set up is for cold smoking, you're not going to hit 150 on your belly. It'll need to be cooked thoroughly before eating. Hot smoking on one egg will get you to 150.

Homebrewguy

I don't think the belly will reach 150 by that method...from my understanding that it meant to be a cold smoking setup.

Dave in Florida

if it will not reach 150, then what IT should I be looking for?

DMW

Dave in Florida said:

if it will not reach 150, then what IT should I be looking for?

Whatever it started at. Just give it smoke for as long as you want.

Firemanyz

I'm very interested in this as I picked up this beauty last week at Costco. Went looking for prime brisket and found prime piggy.   Not sure where the pic went but they had pork belly for $2.75 a pound. I grabbed one as I have been wanting to make this for a LONG time. But I had to freeze it due to not having the time this week to make it. 

Dave in Florida

Chubbs said:

Are you dead set on hot smoking?

I did my last bacon at 200 dome until it reached 150 IT.  Everyone really enjoyed it.  I remember seeing a two egg setup but just wasn't sure of the process.  If I am understanding correctly, the two egg setup is just putting the apple wood, what I plan to use, smoke to it but doesn't cause the belly temp to change.  After slicing, the frying it will actually do the cooking.

Eggscuses

Dave in Florida said:

Chubbs said:

Are you dead set on hot smoking?

I did my last bacon at 200 dome until it reached 150 IT.  Everyone really enjoyed it.  I remember seeing a two egg setup but just wasn't sure of the process.  If I am understanding correctly, the two egg setup is just putting the apple wood, what I plan to use, smoke to it but doesn't cause the belly temp to change.  After slicing, the frying it will actually do the cooking.

You are understanding correctly sir.

Givengold3

Seems that most hot smoke their bacon, a few cold smoke.  I've only hot smoked and have been happy with the results.

nolaegghead

I have done bacon cold, hot, cold then hot with a few different configurations.

What you need to know:

1.  You do not need to cook your bacon to 150.  You do not need to cook it at all.  It is cured.  Usually you cook it anyway before you eat it, so I'm not sure why anyone would be worrying about safety at the point before cooking (maybe more people eat raw bacon than I know of), but I would even eat it raw when not cooked and just cured. 

2. External firebox through a duct - that's a cold smoke.  The meat will not heat up more than 10 degrees from ambient (I'm making up that number - it will not get hot).   If it's cold out, the meat can even drop in temp.  The duct is very good at shedding heat.

3. Cold smoke vs hot smoke.  Cold smoke is less bitter when you use the duct method.  More like hot smoke if you use an a-maz-n-smoker thingy unless you have a condensate plate for the creosote etc to condense on.   Cold smoke is more subtle...it's different.  Less color change.  Usually you can smoke for many hours.  Your meat must be cured.

4. Hot smoking you get a little surface color..if you add sugar to a rub, you can even get some bark before it gets to 150.  That can look cool.  Also the sugar can burn when you fry your bacon. I do this sometimes and people love it whatever I do.  Experiment.

5. It's hard to F-up bacon.  Oversalting is the biggest complaint I hear about.  That can be solved by using less salt or a fresh water soak.

It's not rocket science.  Just go for it.  Do something different next time around and find out what you like.

Chubbs

theyolksonyou said:

The two  egg set up is for cold smoking, you're not going to hit 150 on your belly. It'll need to be cooked thoroughly before eating. Hot smoking on one egg will get you to 150.

Exactly my what I was getting at. You won't get to 150 with that setup. If you are set on hot smoking go with one egg. If you are dead set on this setup you will be cold smoking. Or you can get a AMS or similar to cold smoke on one egg

Darby_Crenshaw

doesn't actually 'need' to be cooked before eating. But you'll want to cook it, if nice cooked/fried bacon is what you are after

These foods do not need to be cooked to be made safe. 

(Before anyone yells "trichinosis"!, realize that commercial pork is virtually, perhaps literally, free of it. Wild boar, deer, home-raised hogs.... Those are your sources for trich now)