# Peach Smoked Bacon



## mneeley490 (Feb 16, 2013)

I'm starting this thread anew, as the brining one got a bit contentious.

For my second bacon attempt, I thought I'd try something completely different. I've seen threads where people smoked with hickory, pecan, maple, apple, oak, and mesquite. But a search came up with no peach? It's a nice, sweet smelling wood that goes great with pork, so why not? Are our Georgia friends keeping it a secret? I have a three day weekend to work with, so here goes:

Dry brined for 12 days using MTQ and a maple sugar spice mixture.

11 lbs. of cured pork belly, cut into 3 pieces. I would have done 4, but I only have 3 bacon hangers.













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Brushed with a thin coat of maple syrup, and they're ready to hang.













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Into the smoker. I should really think about rigging some kind of light inside here.













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Raining today, so just the back end goes outside the garage door.













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Got the AMNPS fired up and that sweet TBS is going good! Inside smoker temp is holding at a steady 59°.













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I will give it 6-7 hours of smoke today, and again tomorrow. After that, I'll see if it looks like it needs another hit on Monday. I'm thinking that peach is such a light smoke, the third day might be needed.


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## sound1 (Feb 16, 2013)

Looking great. Back when I lived down in the HOT place (PHX), I had a good supply of peach and used it all the time, but never thought of or tried it on bacon. This should be awesome!


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## desertlites (Feb 16, 2013)

I have used peach with bacon before, your right it does go well with pork. When I use fruit woods I add hickory along with it to give the bacon a stronger smoke flavor.


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 16, 2013)

Hey m,

I love that you started this thread.  I started cold smoking a 5 lb belly section (dry "brined" for 17 days as it was 2-1/2 inches thick) this morning using hickory dust in the AMNS, but I spent a while looking at the forum this morning trying to decide which wood to use.  I have some apple and peach dust being shipped to me right now. I have another 5 lb belly section that will be ready to smoke on Thursday, and am really curious how the peach dust would work.

I'm really interested in how this works out for you, and how long you end up smoking for.  Be sure to update us with the results!

Clarissa


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## mneeley490 (Feb 16, 2013)

No problem. Mine was only 3/4" to 1-3/4" thick, so it brined a bit quicker. But It looks pretty lean. We'll see when I cut it up.

Mike


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## dave17a (Feb 16, 2013)

Think I'll mix some peach in mine with apple. Was just going to do apple but this wouldn't hurt nothin.


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## chef willie (Feb 17, 2013)

Looks real good and will be following results for future adventures. Gotta get my sausage making list under control and then wanna start tackling some bacon...so much to do so little time!!


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## mr t 59874 (Feb 17, 2013)

m, Can't hardly believe it would rain in Everett.

When you mentioned that it was ready to hang, did you mean to form a pellicle or ready for the smoker?  Nice set up you have there.

I have two bellies and a country ham in one of mine now using the AMNPS.  The bellies will smoke continuously for 2-3 days, I expect the ham will be in longer.


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## mneeley490 (Feb 18, 2013)

Ok, I ended up smoking for 6-7 hours a day, over 3 days. The color went from a dull brown to a beautiful shade of mahogany, but the pics don't do it justice. I'll let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours, and then slice some.

After 1 day. Pics are taken with my phone. Shine is from my flashlight.













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2nd day. I held it up, trying to use natural sunlight for the pic, but there wasn't any sun.













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Third day and done. Also in the pic are some dog biscuits I made while I was waiting.













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## mneeley490 (Feb 18, 2013)

Mr T 59874 said:


> m, Can't hardly believe it would rain in Everett.
> 
> When you mentioned that it was ready to hang, did you mean to form a pellicle or ready for the smoker?  Nice set up you have there.
> 
> I have two bellies and a country ham in one of mine now using the AMNPS.  The bellies will smoke continuously for 2-3 days, I expect the ham will be in longer.


Mr. T,

Yes, I let them sit on cooling racks in a mini beer fridge in my den for about 36 hours to form the pellicule. Seems like I have less and less room for beer in that fridge. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I brushed with a thin coat of maple syrup right before hanging for the first smoke.


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## dragonmaster194 (Feb 18, 2013)

Mike, that bacon looks great!  I use peach as my go to dust for bacon.  I tried apple first, and than peach.  I much prefer peach.  I smoke mine for 14 hours, but I will try your 3 day 6-7 hr per day smoke next time.  I did not look for peach wood smoking, I just tried it.  I am surprised that there are not many using peach.  Again, your bacon looks great!  Steve


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 19, 2013)

Great looking bacon! I need to get some more peach, it really is good smoke for bacon, and pork in general! We make dog treats too, what do you put in yours?


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## mneeley490 (Feb 19, 2013)

These contained ground turkey, bacon, rye and rice flour, spinach, carrots, eggs, powdered milk, and chicken broth.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 19, 2013)

mneeley490 said:


> These contained ground turkey, bacon, rye and rice flour, spinach, carrots, eggs, powdered milk, and chicken broth.


Sounds very similar to ours. We add glucosamine powder to each treat.  At eleven our snow dog needs it for his knees and hips.


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 20, 2013)

Hey Mike,

So, what is your verdict on peach-smoked bacon?  Yea or nay?

I've got a belly section forming a pellicle in the frig right now. Planning to start smoking it tomorrow.  Which type of smoke is ALL HANGING ON THIS POST.

Your smoked bacon looks absolutely fantastic, by the way.   What a great way to spend a 3 day weekend! 

Thanks!

Clarissa


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 20, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Hey Mike,
> 
> So, what is your verdict on peach-smoked bacon?  Yea or nay?
> 
> ...


I give it a yea!!! You really can't go wrong with any of the sweet woods!


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## mneeley490 (Feb 20, 2013)

Sorry, I had a little plumbing emergency crop up last night and didn't get to the bacon. There is a down side to having 3 bathrooms in a house. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I plan to slice and fry up some as soon as I get home tonight.


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## mneeley490 (Feb 21, 2013)

Sorry Clarissa, I got sidetracked again. Give the peach a try. I doubt you'll be sorry.


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 21, 2013)

mneeley490 said:


> Sorry Clarissa, I got sidetracked again. Give the peach a try. I doubt you'll be sorry.


Don't worry about it, Mike.  Hope your plumbing problems get resolved soon, so that you can get back to the fun stuff!

Hope the rest of your week goes well,

Clarissa


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 21, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I give it a yea!!! You really can't go wrong with any of the sweet woods!


Thanks for the enthusiastic support of peach, Case!  I'm going to do it.  I mean...PEACH BACON!  Can't just walk into a store and buy that.


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## spartan1967 (Feb 21, 2013)

@ SnorkelinGirl

Hi , I am a new here and read ur post regarding peach wood dust , can I ask you where you purchsed it from ?

Thx Geo


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## mneeley490 (Feb 21, 2013)

SPARTAN1967 said:


> @ SnorkelinGirl
> 
> Hi , I am a new here and read ur post regarding peach wood dust , can I ask you where you purchsed it from ?
> 
> Thx Geo


Spartan, most of us here purchase our dust and pellets from Todd Johnson, owner and operator of A-MAZE-N Products. Look around the page and you'll find a link. His customer service is outstanding.


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## mneeley490 (Feb 21, 2013)

Okay, I finally had some time to fry some up tonight. This was about a 1-1/2 lb chunk. The taste was really good, smoke-wise. After 3 days in the smoker, I couldn't believe how light the smoke flavor was. I mean, it was definately there, but it didn't hit you over the head like a heavier wood might. I probably could have gone another day or two, if I really wanted.













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Hand sliced a little thicker than normal. You can see this was a thin belly.













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A little shrinkage, but not a lot of fat being rendered.













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Notice it did not turn dark from the sugars like my first attempt did. No brining in apple juice this time.













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As I said, smoke-wise, it was great. Just the right amount of sweet & smoke. The only problem is it is a bit salty. I only used 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt for the entire 11 lb. belly, but as I've never used Morton's Tender Quick before, I guess I didn't factor in the extra salt from that.

So here's my verdict:

Smoke: A+

Salt: C

Overall taste: B-

I can live with that. I don't think this bacon will be around very long, and then I can start Attempt #3, with less salt this time. I may try the peach smoke on a wet-brined slab and see how that goes.


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 22, 2013)

SPARTAN1967 said:


> @ SnorkelinGirl
> 
> Hi , I am a new here and read ur post regarding peach wood dust , can I ask you where you purchsed it from ?
> 
> Thx Geo


Yes, what mneeley said.  Also, Todd has lots of different wood types available.  Have fun!

http://www.amazenproducts.com/


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## snorkelinggirl (Feb 22, 2013)

mneeley490 said:


> As I said, smoke-wise, it was great. Just the right amount of sweet & smoke. The only problem is it is a bit salty. I only used 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt for the entire 11 lb. belly, but as I've never used Morton's Tender Quick before, I guess I didn't factor in the extra salt from that.
> 
> So here's my verdict:
> 
> ...


Hi Mike,

Thanks for the update. Hope that your plumbing problems are all sorted out!

Sounds like the peach smoke was a real winner.  The color on your bacon is sure beautiful.  Can't believe how lean your belly is. 

So you ended up smoking 6-7 hours for 3 days, and sounds like could have done another day.  Were you using sawdust or pellets in your AMNPS?  Also, were you lit from both ends or just one?

In regards to the saltiness, do you have any idea what % of salt you ended up using on your 11 lb belly between the kosher salt and the Tenderquick?  Just curious.  I've been using 2.5% salt (including the salt in the Cure #1) in a "dry" equilibrium cure, and then soaking the belly for 1 hour in cool water before forming the pellicle. This is still slightly too salty for me, so I was going to try 2.25% salt on my next belly section.  I keep meaning to try Pop's wet brine recipe, but haven't done it yet.

So I went ahead and smoked a belly section with peach dust in the AMNS for 10 hours yesterday. The smoke was really light as compared with hickory, so for the last hour I lit the other end of the AMNS and got "double" smoke. I had initially just planned to smoke for 6-7 hours yesterday, then more either today or tomorrow, but the weather forecast looks kinda crapola for today and tomorrow so just went long yesterday and called it good.  The smoke smell on the bacon is pretty strong, so I'm glad to hear that you thought the smoke taste is light.  I'll let it rest until at least Sunday then see how it tastes.

Thanks again for the update and for running this thread!

Clarissa


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## mneeley490 (Feb 22, 2013)

I was using pellets in my AMNPS. The first day I was having a little trouble keeping it going, so I lit both ends for the last couple hours. That bumped up the inside temperature a little bit and it was pushing 70°, so I decided to discontinue.  Other than that, I only had one end going.

Percentages and ratios of salt is just too much math for me, especially as I'm not sure of the salt content of the MTQ. (Probably says somewhere on the package...)  I probably should have soaked after the cure, but it didn't seem that much during the fry test. Maybe as the slabs dried from the smoke it became more concentrated? Anyway, I will cut down on the added salt next time, or use cure #1 instead of the MTQ.

You are right that there is a strong smoke smell on the meat, I can smell it right thru the plastic wrap. But somehow it mellows when cooked.


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## sound1 (Feb 22, 2013)

Looks great, we need smellovision....MTQ has all the salt ya need, and I still soak for a couple hours for my wife's tastes


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## spartan1967 (Feb 22, 2013)

MNEELEY490

Yes your correct , after I posted that question I decided to surf the site a lil more

and I found that site A-maze-n products and everyone speaks highly of their products 

I will look at their site for any of my future needs , appreciate your help

Thanks Geo


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## dave17a (Mar 2, 2013)

Use peach and pear cit off tree. Can't go wrong


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## snorkelinggirl (Apr 4, 2013)

Hey Mike,

I saw your name pop up in a different thread, and that reminded me about you and your peach bacon. PEACH BACON!  After mellowing out for a week, the peach bacon I made based off of this thread turned out just great. My husband, a highly-regarded bacon connoisseur within our family, loves the stuff. It's his favorite bacon flavor of any I have made so far. Hope you are pleased with your bacon too! 

Have a great weekend!

Clarissa


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## mneeley490 (Apr 4, 2013)

Glad your husband liked it! I think peach will be my go-to wood for bacon from now on.


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## mountainhawg (Apr 7, 2013)

I really do like using most all of the fruit woods, but generally mix them with oak, maple or pecan. Peach is a light flavor by itself which can be a good thing on something like cheese. I have BBB in the bags right now in the fridge, might consider using a mix of peach and maple on it.


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