Cold Smoked Bacon (Finished pics)

[k.c.hawg]

I've been hot smoking bacon for a a few years now. Usually a couple of times a year. Mainly hot smoked because I didn't have a cold smoking setup. I was using a small chimney in the firebox of my offset. Would use 3 briquettes and a chunk of wood and replenish when necessary. Actually thought I could cold smoke that way, never dreamed that could get a cooker that size up to 160. Anyway loved the bacon, didn't seem to cook much fat out of it and it was wonderful.

Much to my surprise my wife came home with a 30" Masterbuilt digital a couple of months ago. I hear guys saying their wives make them toss a cooker if they get a new one. She has now gifted me a Horizon stick burner, Primo XL ceramic, the Masterbuilt and too many grills to count. What a woman!! Of course it comes with strings attached, she came home with a pork belly about 10 days ago and said I want bacon!!

As always, used some Harry Nutczak recipes. Doing a half a belly Honey Cured and a half a belly Maple Syrup and Cracked Black Pepper. Cured for 7 days. I peppered both after cleanup.





Just got this smoking tube. Have no idea why I've gone so long with out one. Also should be able to use in my ceramic to add some smoke. Apple pellets.



We are off and smoking. Opened the door one time about 5 minutes in. I was amazed at how much smoke this thing generates!!



I'll add some finished pictures this evening. I'm thinking maybe 10 hours. With the volume of smoke I might be good at 8 hours.

First half belly was a little fat compared to the other.



This half was super lean.





Cooking a couple slices right now to crumble on a salad a baked potato tonight. This boy is having a 24oz Porterhouse with trimmings as a reward for putting up with this nasty election season.

The pieces that are darker around the edges are maple and cracked black pepper. The lighter browning is the honey cure and I put cracked black on it too because I love it on bacon. Was really worried about oversmoking in the cabinet as it was a first try. Generator did awesome....smoke infusion was as good in 6.5 to 7 hours on this as 10+ hours with chunks on the stick burner. Home cured bacon is, as good as it gets!! Thanks to all the ringers that got me interested in it several years back. thanks to Harry for all his guiding threads on the subject!!




Next belly will be cold smoked if I have to be out in snow up to my arse to get it done.
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[biker.chef]

Looking good man.
I'm interested in how well the smoke generator works for you.
_________________
-------
Every Day, Thousands Of Innocent Plants Are Killed By Vegetarians.
Help End The Violence.
EAT BACON

[Canadian Bacon]

Nice work hawg.....oh and dont get rid of that gal... ....Our signatures are so close...it scares me.
_________________
Horizon Offset (Marshall RD Special)
30 " Electric Masterbuilt(Digital)
Large BGE
Napoleon Legend Gasser
20"& 26" Discada
Two of the fastest Thermapens ever made ... Black& Blue
LIAR #25

[k.c.hawg]

I was amazed with the smoke generator. I did run into a problem though. On a 75 degree day it ran too hot for the cabinet smoker. I should have put a little more thought in it. If I had used it in the firebox of my stick burner I think I would have been fine. The smoke generator was creating temps of 125-130 in the cabinet. Even though I had cured the bacon for 7 days I'm a freak on food safety and decide I'd be more at ease finishing the bellies to 150 degrees. I'll post some pics when I slice. think I would be fine with the generator in the cabinet in my normal winter weather here or i think I could have kept it maybe 90 ish in my stick burner.

Nothing really lost. I have hot smoked all my bacon to this point and it is by far the best bacon I've ever eaten. I put the slabs in my beer fridge for a little more drying action after they came out. The smell is heavenly!!

The A Maze n smoke generator is awesome. I used a Traeger apple pellet. The full tube ran 6.5-7 hours. Much simpler than the can with briquettes and chunks. Never had to touch it once it was placed in the cooker.

Yeah Rick I'm going to need you to not buy anything for a while. I'm running out of room out back and in my signature line!!
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[biker.chef]

I'm surprised the smoke generator raised the heat that much.
I'm hoping to get a bacon smoke done before it snows.
And I was planning on buying an a-maze-n generator.

It cool enough now that I should be ok.
_________________
-------
Every Day, Thousands Of Innocent Plants Are Killed By Vegetarians.
Help End The Violence.
EAT BACON

[k.c.hawg]

Don't think I would have had any problem in my stick burner. Or in the Masterbuilt on a sub 30 degree day. Think smokes like a chain smoker!!
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[kendec65]

K.C. Would you be able to direct me to those recipes as I would like to try my hand at cold smoking some bacon?

[k.c.hawg]

These all come out of the forum listed on down the forums page "Cured Meat Recipes". Read all of them in full because he speaks of adjustments he has made over time. Also browse through the Cured Meat Recipes forum and read through the topics on making bacon, pork beliies and so on. Lot's of knowledge. But Harry has been our resident bacon guru.


It is imperative that you follow the curing process to the T if you actually end up cold smoking. Don't know if you have cold smoking experience and if you do I'm sure you already know. Be very aware of the emphasis Harry put's on attention to detail.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46440

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66043

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55464

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55821
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[Canadian Bacon]

Harry sure does know his bacon well....I would say a Bacon Guru.
_________________
Horizon Offset (Marshall RD Special)
30 " Electric Masterbuilt(Digital)
Large BGE
Napoleon Legend Gasser
20"& 26" Discada
Two of the fastest Thermapens ever made ... Black& Blue
LIAR #25

[k.c.hawg]

You know Rick I love bacon as much as anybody but my problem is I could eat a lb every time I eat it. I had really gotten to where I just ate it a couple of times a year other than using it to wrap shrimp or put on a burger. Then I discovered Harry's threads!! Now I can do a couple of bellies a year and have bacon all year long. My slicer is not big enough to handle the size of bellies I get so I hand slice it with a Wusthof carver a little on the thick side. It's not like commercial product at all to me. I can eat a BLT and I'm stuffed!! Just another example of how the ring has enriched so many lives!!
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[k.a.m.]

What a mighty fine job on the bacon Todd. I would hurt myself on that with some fried eggs brother.
_________________
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker

[biker.chef]

Looks great man.

I got my a-maze-n smoke generator is on its way and I got a pork belly in the fridge.

One question:
I got my bellies from Costco. Last time the bacon slab had a stringy rind on it after I smoked it. I trimmed it off and all was good. I didn't notice any rind when I was prepping it.

Is there a rind that I can trim before curinging? Or is this from smoking it?
Thanks
_________________
-------
Every Day, Thousands Of Innocent Plants Are Killed By Vegetarians.
Help End The Violence.
EAT BACON

[k.c.hawg]

biker.chef I do Costco bellies as well. They have a fat side that I would liken to a fatcap on a brisket. A little more spongy but nothing I've ever considered cutting into. I've never trimmed anything off. I've read about skin on pork bellies but if these have it, I've never trimmed it and have never noticed anything tough or out of the norm of good slab bacon when cooked and eaten. The outer edge of that fatty cap does firm up from smoking but I leave it be. I've been having to slice these with a Wustohf carver because my slicer is too small. I put that side down to the cutting board.
_________________
http://kchawgskitchen.blogspot.com/
Horizon Marshall 20"
Primo XL
30" Masterbuilt Digital
UDS (Named Uddley by Mrs K.C.)
Weber 26.75 One Touch
Weber 22.5 Silver Touch
Weber Smokey Joe
Superfast Red Thermopen
Razorback born and bred!

[biker.chef]

Thanks KC.
_________________
-------
Every Day, Thousands Of Innocent Plants Are Killed By Vegetarians.
Help End The Violence.
EAT BACON