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Bacon Poll #4 -- The Smoked flavour poll!

Bacon Poll #4 -- The Smoked flavour poll!

  • Hickory

  • Maple

  • Oak

  • Cherry

  • Apple

  • Pecan

  • Mesquite

  • Other (Please specify in comments)

  • Art is King!


Results are only viewable after voting.
It's time for another Bacon poll.
This time let's look at the different types of smoked bacon.
Now really what we're asking here is what type of smoke wood you prefer.

I realize that a lot of people will just be familiar with what comes from the supermarket.
I know I usually end up with the type that is on sale, whatever it may be. :001_rolle

But there are some Baconista's out there who have access to wonderful smoked meats :drool:

So forgive my smoker ignorance. I'm going to pull the types from a google search.

As usual, please indicate in a comment if I've made an error or forgot something.
 
Art is (smoke)King!

I don't care a whole lot what kind of smoke is used, I just want the slabs to be heavily smoked.

In about two months there will be an annual festival at a state park. One thing they always do is fire up the brick smokehouse and smoke some slabs of ham and bacon, which then cut up while still warm and give away to the public. Nice, moist, tender bacon that is not crispy because it is not fried. Just plain smokey and good!
 
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The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
For the Mrs. and I...Apple wood thick Bacon...cooked medium (harder, almost crispy), is the only way to go. :yesnod:

Christopher
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My dad cooks our butcher pepper bacon on our traeger with applewood chips and it is delicious! I could eat it with every meal! :a23:
 
My last batch had 24+ hours of smoke (2 x 12-16 hour sessions) and I think I'll up it to 36 for the next lot :chef:
 
My last batch had 24+ hours of smoke (2 x 12-16 hour sessions) and I think I'll up it to 36 for the next lot :chef:

Wow, details please.

I have been pretty much following an amalgam of on-line "recipes," which is not exactly expert, I know. I have been curing pork belly--cut pieces somewhere over two lbs each-- in the fridge, in a salt and sugar plus Instacure mix with various ancilllary ingredients for a week or so--up to ten days, I guess. Then, I have been smoking them in a Masterbuilt dorm fridge-type electric smoker at about 220 degrees or so for about three hours to bring the meat to 150 degrees. I guess I use a combination of hickory and apple. I like having at least some hickory in the mix. Apple alone has not done it for me.

Smells to come out plenty smoky to me.

Anyway, if you are smoking for 24 hours plus, at what temperature are you smoking and what is the final temp of the meat? I take it you have something able to smoke at or near cold smoking temperatures. Do you have to precautions not to over smoke or is that no issue at all?

I am doing a pork shoulder as I write this. I have the smoker temp set at 235 and intend to take the internal temperature to 195. I will probably not add any more wood chips after a while for fear of oversmoking. I am using predominately hickory chips with some apple. I expect this process to take 8 hours or more, although this is a rather small pork shoulder.

Thanks for the wisdom!

Cheers.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I voted "Art is King" because all the other choices are good. If pressed, apple would win by a hair.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Anyway, if you are smoking for 24 hours plus, at what temperature are you smoking and what is the final temp of the meat? I take it you have something able to smoke at or near cold smoking temperatures. Do you have to precautions not to over smoke or is that no issue at all?

Cheers.

I can't speak for Dave, but I'm sure it's a similar set up. I use an A-maze-n pellet tray to cold smoke the meat, and use my WSM as the smoke chamber. Basically cold smoking is infusing the meat with the smoky flavors without actually cooking it. The meat is still raw, and then can be sliced and use as normal bacon in recipes. I also use this to smoke cheese.
 
Sorry, it didn't last long enough for pictures! It's cold smoked for all that time at temps under 10C/50F with a 12 hour break between smokings - basically I run it through the night, take it out the next morning and refrigerate, run it through the night again... I found that a straight 24 hours of smoke did leave the final product tasting over-smoked, but that rest period seems to prevent it. I also made sure to rest it uncovered in the refrigerator for a couple of days after smoking to let the flavour mellow. I use a Pro Q cold smoke generator for the job, I think they are sold in the US too. In terms of cure I just use a really basic formula - weigh the meat then measure out 3% of the meat's weight in salt, 1% in sugar and 0.25% in cure #1. Let it sit in the cure for a week to ten days, rinse off and let it develop a pellicle before starting the smoking process; no need to soak with this formula (it's impossible to over-salt if your measurements are accurate)

The final product does need to be cooked before it's eaten, but I guess you could hot smoke to your desired internal temp too
 
Thanks for the information. Most of not all of the bacon recipes I have seen say that after the cure the pork belly should be placed in an oven or smoker at 200 to 220 until the internal temp reaches 150 with liquid smoke if not actually smoking. I would not eat bacon prepared that way without further cooking! I am not sure why the bacon would be brought to 150.

I do want to add some cold smoking capability to my set up.
 
I am not sure why the bacon would be brought to 150

It seems to be a common theme with American bacon recipes to hot smoke until they're basically cooked. I'd imagine it's probably because you guys don't always have the weather to be able to cold smoke :001_smile in the UK it's the way it's always done. I believe the highest safe temperature for cold smoking is 15C/60F
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
On a BBQ forum I've seen guys talk about cold smoking in temps up to almost 100. I have never done it while it's that warm, but have let it go overnight during the summer. If you use pink curing salt, bacteria growth is inhibited.
 
100? Not sure I'd be comfortable with that - that's right at blood temperature. Nitrites will help prevent bacterial growth but you're never going to stop it completely and I would've thought the meat would start to sweat at that point too
 
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