# buckboard bacon internal temperatures



## atcnick (Nov 8, 2010)

I've seen people smoking their buckboard bacon to different final temperatures.  Im guessing 152F is fully cooked.  Why would someone smoke it to less than fully cooked?  Is there some advantage to doing this?

Aslo, on another note, Im curing 3 butts right now, one of them I butterflied to a thickness of about 1" or so.  After its finished curing in the brine I plan on rolling it up and stuffing it in a net and then smoking.  Anyone ever do this?  Does it hold its shape and stay rolled after smoking it?

Thanks.


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## mballi3011 (Nov 8, 2010)

When I have done my buckboard bacon's I have always taken them to the 152° and then just let them rest in the refrig for overnight and then they are ready to eat. Now when I'm doing bellie bacon (you can also do with BBB) I would cold smoke the bellies for hours as low as you can go and put the smoke to it after the first hour or so. After all you are going for the flavor and you are going to fry up the bacon when you want to eat it anyways.


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## pineywoods (Nov 8, 2010)

I ah ah haven't actually done true Buckboard Bacon yea I know shame on me. I think your seeing different temps because of course people have different methods and opinions on the "proper way" things should be done and different ways they are going to use the Bacon. When I do my Buckboard Bacon yes I'm planning on doing some I will cold smoke them then fry them before eating them if however I wanted to use them for sandwiches or as snacks I would take them up to 152. I may be wrong but that's my thoughts on the subject


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## pit 4 brains (Nov 8, 2010)

Ive done quite a bit of buckboard and cb lately and this is what I found. ..

I'm more than likely to eat a good portion of it while slicing. Can't resist it.

When I take it to 160, it is a little easier to slice due to my currently dull slicer blade.

When I go to make some for breakfast, I'm bound to eat some before i cook it.

The little chunks that don't end up as slabs are smoked and enjoyed with some mustard.

I keep the temp as low as possible in my GOSM by opening the door about an inch so I still get about 3 or so hours of smoke on it. I just smoked up a batch for my brother and I only took it to 140 and it didn't slice very well.

As far as rolling it up, I dunno. There's a Polish deli near here that puts a small rope through one end of the muscle and hangs it to smoke. They have them hanging on the wall in the deli for purchase..


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## atcnick (Nov 8, 2010)

So it doesnt seem there's really a good reason to smoke it to below 152F internal.  I was planning on making it to eat fresh out of the fridge for a sandwich or something and also to fry up with breakfast.  Shouldnt be a problem frying it up after you smoke it to over 152F, should there?


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## pit 4 brains (Nov 8, 2010)

Nope, won't be a problem. Buckboard is going to be fairly lean so it's more of a matter of just heating it up anyway.There will be some rendering of fat but it will be quite less than belly bacon. With the fat content of regular belly bacon, you want to render it down quite a bit. I haven't smoked a belly yet but I would think the fat would start to render out while smoking iwith hot temps to a higher internal, hence the reason to cold smoke it and cook when needed..


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## tjohnson (Nov 8, 2010)

atcnick said:


> I've seen people smoking their buckboard bacon to different final temperatures.  Im guessing 152F is fully cooked.  Why would someone smoke it to less than fully cooked?  Is there some advantage to doing this?
> 
> Aslo, on another note, Im curing 3 butts right now, one of them I butterflied to a thickness of about 1" or so.  After its finished curing in the brine I plan on rolling it up and stuffing it in a net and then smoking.  Anyone ever do this?  Does it hold its shape and stay rolled after smoking it?
> 
> Thanks.


I've Smoked BBB up to 160*, 120* and "Cold Smoked" without heat.  All were very good, but I prefer "Cold Smoked" and fry before I eat it. 

When you smoke to 152*, you will render out some of the fat, but you can eat it without cooking it first.

Mostly personal preference and what you intend to do with it.

I smoke bacon for about 6 hours.  Be careful not to oversmoke the bacon.  I would slice a chunk and fry it up, at about 6 hours to see if it needs more smoke.  My first batch was a 12 hour smoke and was NASTY!

What smoker do you own?

Todd


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## atcnick (Nov 8, 2010)

TJohnson said:


> I've Smoked BBB up to 160*, 120* and "Cold Smoked" without heat.  All were very good, but I prefer "Cold Smoked" and fry before I eat it.
> 
> When you smoke to 152*, you will render out some of the fat, but you can eat it without cooking it first.
> 
> ...


Thanks Todd.  What temperature do you have in your smoker when you're cold smoking?  I made a smoker out of cinderblocks.  Here's a video of it:


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## chefrob (Nov 8, 2010)

when i first started doing BBB i took it to a fully cooked state. while i liked it to snack on, i wasn't real happy with the frying for breakfast. IMHO i feel that durring the smoke, some of the rendered fat that i saw in the smoker never made it to the pan bringing along it's extra smokie goodness and resulting in that crispyness that belly has.  that's when i decided to #1, look for a fatty butt.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   #2 butterfly the butt after deboning to ensure that at least 1/2 of the slice will have some good fattyness to it. and #3,  don't bring it up above 135-140, this way you will need to fry the BBB and render the fat and thus the meat cooks in it's own fat imparting more smoke and other flavors.

also there is another rection going on. when you are carmelizing sugars, and amino acids slowly, you build different compounds and flavors. think of caramelizing onions, they don't tast the same as sauteed onions with some color on them.  i find that just warming up smoked meat doesn't lend to the same flavor. this is why i have been lowering the final "smoked" temp of my BBB.


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## shesmokes (Jan 21, 2016)

Whenever I smoked a rolled product, I put it in a stockingette bag...this will hold its shape. I also use the stockingettes for poultry.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 21, 2016)

I cold smoke all of my bacon, I prefer the texture and flavor you get. 

With that said pork is fully cooked at an internal temp of 145. So if you are hot smoking you need to take it to at least that temp. After that it all about the texture you are looking for.


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