Thanks Juggy!

Puj

All,[p]A couple of weeks ago I made my first attempt at Juggy's Cherry Smoked Bacon. It was a good attempt, but the results were disappointing.[p]Round 2 was done this morning and all I can say is WOW!. I've never tasted better bacon - the taste and texture was outstanding. So Mr. Juggy ... thanks a bunch for the idea and recipe. It is a keeper (literally) in this house.[p]Now for my confession ... ummm ... adjustments as recommended by Juggy, Darryl, WD, South O and BarbieQ.[p]1) Kept the same setup as Round 1 (see the link below)
2) Use a small amount of cherry wood chips
3) Started the bacon at 250°F and allowed the internal dome temp to rise during the smoke to 300°F
4) At 55 minutes into the smoke, I opened the lower vent, took the daisy wheel off and let the bacon crisp. I pulled the bacon out of the Egg after 4 minutes.[p]The total smoke/bake time was one hour. Now I know that one hour to smoke the bacon may seem long but it worked. I used thick cut bacon slices and the leftovers went into the freezer in a vacuum sealed Mason jar for future consumption.[p]Once again Juggy, thanks![p]Puj
[ul][li]Round 1 Setup[/ul]

djm5x9

Puj:[p]A couple of weeks ago I smoked about four pounds of sliced bacon with pecan wood. I am here to tell you it was excellent eating! The Princess has instructed me to cook all bacon like this in the future![p]I started with some sliced bulk bacon from Oak Grove Meat Market. Naturally, four pounds cannot be done at one time; several batches were done one evening. I preheated my cooker to 200º and maintained this temperature throughout the cook. The bacon was then quickly laid on the grill and via the flip grate small pecan chunks were added to the fire. The bacon was quickly flipped after fat had rendered and the bottom browned a bit to complete the smoking.[p]I did not use a drip pan, you know I prefer direct cooking! Using a low temperature for smoking (200º) and being quick about flipping, removing or adding bacon eliminated flare-ups. Yes, there was plenty of fat in the firebox smoking direct, but no more than if one low and slowed a couple of butts or three. I took advantage of this by cleaning my SS grills by doing a controlled burn off after the cook.[p]Juggy is “the man” with this smoked bacon!

Puj

Darryl,[p]I can certainly see the 200°F temp direct method. Were you able to get the bacon crisp?[p]I can also tell you that with a little creative thinkin' and configurn' that I'll bet you I can do 3 pounds of thick sliced bacon at a shot. Maybe next weekend I'll try to prove it to myself.[p]... and make sure you follow the Princess' orders. [p]Juggy, damn this is some great eats![p]Puj[p]

djm5x9

Puj:[p]Yes, the bacon was crisp but still flexible. Very easy to reheat in the microwave . . . And EXCELLENT on tomato sandwiches!

Puj

Good to know. I bet the bacon on the tomato sammich is tasty.[p]Have a good week,
Puj

RRP

Puj,
I hadn't even seen this post before I had already put 2# of thick bacon on this afternoon. I hadn't seen Juggy's recipe either, but have been following my own technique for either the 5 or 6th time. What I do differently is to use my plate sitter inverted and covered with alum foil. Then the main grate with a pound and then the extender with a pound. Before stating the smoke using hickory chips and a couple times through I spray the bacon with apple juice. Otherwise time and temp is about the same as you guys. I then layer the strips between wax paper and freeze in a stack. Two piece of cut up smoked bacon provides a subtle taste kicker to every pizza I make.

RRP

PS I should have mentioned, while the set up is still there after I pull off the bacon I'll toss in some more chips and then I've got a jar of queen size olives with pits to be smoked next this afternoon. Guess you can say I'm having an ingredient maintenance day as wifey is cooking inside for tonight's supper.

Puj

RRP,[p]Man oh man another way to raise bacon to new heights![p]Have a good week,
Puj

Unknown

Puj, Darryl, and Ron, I am glad you liked the bacon. I think it is killer stuff myself. When I stumbled on to this idea ten years ago, my next door neighbor tried some of the bacon and said, "That stuff will hurt you!" I had to have explain what he meant by that and he said that he meant he could not get enough to satisfy his craving. As I stated in one of my earlier posts, my kids are so spoiled on the smoked bacon, they won't eat fried bacon any more.[p]The bacon does make the best BLT you will ever have, providing you have homegrown tomatoes. :-) It also works great in other dishes as well such as green beans. I use the bacon in my twice baked potato recipe. If anyone is interested in potato recipe, I will post that one too.[p]Beers to all,[p]Juggy D Beerman
Dead dog tired from working a baseball/football doubleheader.

Puj

Juggy D Beerman,[p]Post away JDB! I bet your tired after a "twinbill".[p]Puj