Makin Bacon Hot/Cold Smoking

Ask Nola--- he will be here soon to chime in. He is the bacon king 

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.

@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. 

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...

I have done 10 hours and it was a little much. But then again I lit both ends Of a AMS. Now I do 6 hours while lighting both ends. Maybe that equates to 12 hours on one end??!?

Thanks all

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...

@Wolfpack - There's no time limit for cold smoking.  You can go all night or a week or two if you want.  Provided your meat is properly cured.  You do not want your meat over 100F.  Fish should never go over 90F, and really lower is better because you can get texture changes.  This isn't a problem for bacon.

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.

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.

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. 

So who here double hot smokes bacon?
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.  Thanks

LOL. 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.