# 1st Attempt at Smoked Bacon



## slimjimuk (Apr 27, 2016)

Very lucky to have a starter kit kindly sent from Wade, with a very easy step-by-step guide on Makin' Bacon' .....

So, here we go!

Took EXACTLY 1kg of belly, nipples and all!













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Mixed a bag of the special salting powder with half a bag of the Lemon & Black pepper flavoring and rubbed it all in.

Dropped it into some vacuum bag roll and sealed it up. (Making sure ALL the curing mix went in with it)

So... here it is, day one.













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Just need to work out what exactly I am going to cold smoke it with... and how long I need to do it for.
Instructions say 48 hour smoke and a 48 hour rest.
Right now there is no way I have enough dust chips to smoke it for 48 hours, so I need to do some research on what I will need and resource it. Guessing dry chips/wood will be better than dust.

Also need to get hold of a slicer for when it is done. Although, saying that, im getting pretty pally with my butcher. So I MIGHT be able to pursuade them to slice it for me ;)

Good news is, I have ten days to sort it out, as it takes that long, turnign it everyday, to cure!

Exciting times.


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## wade (Apr 27, 2016)

A great start - keep us posted.

You do not have to smoke for 48 hours straight - you can break that down into smaller time slots, placing it back in the fridge in between. I smoke for 48 hours however it is personal preference and you may find you like it less or more smoked. 48 hours is a good starting point though for your first .

You can hang it in your new smoker. Do you have a cold smoke generator - ProQ ot AMNPS?


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## smokin monkey (Apr 27, 2016)

Great start with the Bacon.

Wade has you covered on this.

Time of the smoke is personal choice, depends on how strong/flavour you like.


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## slimjimuk (Apr 28, 2016)

Wade said:


> A great start - keep us posted.
> 
> You do not have to smoke for 48 hours straight - you can break that down into smaller time slots, placing it back in the fridge in between. I smoke for 48 hours however it is personal preference and you may find you like it less or more smoked. 48 hours is a good starting point though for your first .
> 
> You can hang it in your new smoker. Do you have a cold smoke generator - ProQ ot AMNPS?


Yup, I have a ProQ. Only seemed to last about 8-ish hours.
I thought that the 48 hours needed to be a "solid" but I will be abe to do it in stints now, putting it in the fridge when I am not smoking.

(Saying that, it is cold enough round here at the moment to leave it outside!)













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Smokin Monkey said:


> Great start with the Bacon.
> 
> Wade has you covered on this.
> 
> Time of the smoke is personal choice, depends on how strong/flavour you like.


I LOVE strong smoked bacon. So maybe 48 hours won't be enough? 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Guessing I could try some as I go to see how the flavour is coming along...

My main issue will be having enough chips/dust to smoke for that long.
I have some of the Q dust, which I bought here. But not exactly cheap for a 48 hour smoke!

Where do people reccomend buying "dust" from which may be more economical and taste good?


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## wade (Apr 28, 2016)

That does look quite expensive however I could not see how much you were getting for your money. You might want to give James (Smokewood) a call as he sells a lot of dust for smoking and I think he gives discount to SMF members - http://www.smokewoodshack.com/#!smoking-dust-store/c1xnx


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## slimjimuk (Apr 28, 2016)

Wade said:


> That does look quite expensive however I could not see how much you were getting for your money. You might want to give James (Smokewood) a call as he sells a lot of dust for smoking and I think he gives discount to SMF members - http://www.smokewoodshack.com/#!smoking-dust-store/c1xnx


Exactly what I was after, thank you my good man.

Any specific type of dust you reccomend for your lemon/black papper rub?


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## wade (Apr 28, 2016)

I use hickory on mine but Oak works well too.


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## smokewood (Apr 28, 2016)

Hiya SlimJim,

Wade has got you well covered in the bacon department,  he kindly walked me through the process of making bacon what seems an age ago. but was only last year.  Since then I have gone onto making  about 20 or so. Wade & Smoking Monkey are definitely right when they say that once you have made your own bacon you will never go back to shop bought again.

 I have experimented with different woods and I personally prefer using a 50/50 mix of Apple & Hickory. Wade has kindly sent you the link to our website and we give all SMF members a 15% discount, which I will pm you the details.


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## slimjimuk (Apr 28, 2016)

Just placed and order with Mr. Smokewood himself. Thanks gents.

Checking some info on the quring process. I was going to turn once a day for 10 days but @smokewood mentioned he cures for longer. 2 weeks....

Should I up my time by 4 days?


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## smokewood (Apr 28, 2016)

Hiya James, tis me again.... I found my original post here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235995/first-attempt-at-bacon with my first attempt at bacon.  

What is more interesting is the additions to the post that Wade has added including some great photo's which should answer your question, but basically It all depends on the thickness of the meat being cured.


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## wade (Apr 28, 2016)

When dry curing, although it is possible to under cure timewise it is not really possible to over cure - within reason. I usually cure loin pork as back bacon (which is thick) and within 10 days the cure has fully penetrated. With belly pork the process will usually take even less time. You will be more than OK with 10 days - though I sometimes leave it 12 or even 14 days if I am busy.

You will definitely see if it under cured when you cut it as you will see a definite ring of different coloured meat at the centre.


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## smokin monkey (Apr 28, 2016)

Jim, better to go longer, as Wade has pointed out, can't over cure, but you sure can under cure. When you find out that it's under cured it's too late!


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## wade (Apr 28, 2016)

Just to clarify a little,,, 10 days will be more than sufficient for belly pork - It will actually be ready in 7 or 8 days. 10 days is also fine for most sizes of pork loin (back bacon) however 14 days is fine too. From experience, if you vac pack the meat while it is being cured it requires less time than if it is cured in a zip-loc bag.

What you are trying to achieve during this initial curing time is to get as much of the cure as possible taken up by the outer surfaces of the meat - so that it will diffuse in towards the centre.  When you first put the pork and cure into the bag you immediately start to get a concentration gradient forming throughout the meat - high concentration at the surface and low concentration towards the middle. As the time progresses the concentration of the cure starts to equilibrate throughout the volume of the meat, and even after you remove the bacon from the cure this equilibration process does not stop (unless the meat is either cut, or frozen). This is why it is important to turn the meat regularly as it is curing to ensure that the cure/brine remains in as close contact with all of the meat surfaces as possible.

The calculations for ingoing Nitrite within most dry cures here are towards the top end of the permitted maximum - however the effective concentration range for Nitrite is quite large. So, providing there has been sufficient time given for enough Nitrite to be taken up at the beginning to ensure that the end concentration is still within the effective range, does it matter that full equilibrium has not been reached during the initial curing period? No - because it will continue to equilibrate during the following resting period, also whilst it is being smoked and also when it is subsequently sitting in the fridge waiting to be sliced or frozen.

The time each person leaves it in the cure is all part of the "art" and different techniques lead to the different artisan variations.Are you wrong taking it out at 10 days? No.  Are you wrong leaving it in for 14 days? No. So long as the minimum time has been given for the take up of the cure then it is whatever you feel most comfortable using.


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## smokewood (May 5, 2016)

Thanks Wade that's great, thanks for the info


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## smokewood (May 5, 2016)

I once had a ring of a more 'raw' looking meat in a small section of the bacon once,  even though I turned it regularly and left if for 14 days, which was strange.


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## slimjimuk (May 5, 2016)

smokewood said:


> Thanks Wade that's great, thanks for the info


Hoping to smoke on Saturday, which will be 13 days since I started.

Jusr waiting for the dust from http://SmokeoodShack.com to arrive....


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## smokewood (May 5, 2016)

No pressure then, I am hoping it will arrive for Saturday fingers crossed, If it doesn't arrive by Saturday it will be Monday.


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## slimjimuk (May 6, 2016)

smokewood said:


> No pressure then, I am hoping it will arrive for Saturday fingers crossed, If it doesn't arrive by Saturday it will be Monday.



Woo Hoo!!! Just arrived. [emoji]128526[/emoji]













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## smokin monkey (May 6, 2016)

slimjimUK said:


> Woo Hoo!!! Just arrived. [emoji]128526[/emoji]
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That Smokewood is not bad![emoji]128077[/emoji]


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## wade (May 6, 2016)

Smokin Monkey said:


> That Smokewood is not bad![emoji]128077[/emoji]


He has his uses


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## smokewood (May 6, 2016)

Ahh Bless!


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## slimjimuk (May 7, 2016)

DAMMIT ..... Didn't read the instructions (school boy error) and didn't realise I had to rinse, dry and rest in the fridge on a rack for 25 hours.








Still, looking good and the dust is all setup in the smoker ready for 2pm tomorrow. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	

















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Hoping to pickup a slicer on eBay nice and cheap tomorrow....


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## smokewood (May 7, 2016)

I look forward to the end results in a day or two.


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## slimjimuk (May 9, 2016)

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30 hours done... 18 to go.


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## wade (May 9, 2016)

Get that colour on it. I can almost smell that lovely smoke from here


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## smokin monkey (May 9, 2016)

Did you smoke it? How did it turn out?


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## slimjimuk (May 10, 2016)

Yup.... Smoking right now. 40 hours done, 8 more to go!!

Then another 48 in the fridge.
Is if going to make EVERYTHING in the fridge stink of smoke? [emoji]128518[/emoji]













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## smokin monkey (May 10, 2016)

Your are going to get a strong flavor/smell of smoke. If you have thinks that are delicate/absurd smells, I would put into plastic containers.


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## wade (May 10, 2016)

Smokin Monkey said:


> Your are going to get a strong flavor/smell of smoke. If you have thinks that are delicate/absurd smells, I would put into plastic containers.


Steve - you wimp! what is the problem with everything in the fridge smelling of smoked bacon 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





On a serious note Jim - yes the smell will permeate the whole fridge. Hopefully you are already following good food handling practice in the fridge and have everything covered.


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## smokin monkey (May 10, 2016)

I do not have a problem with it, but Jill has, that's why I have my own fridge [emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]128512[/emoji]


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## slimjimuk (May 10, 2016)

Thought about vac-packing it... but I am presuming the whole point of letting it rest is for the flavours to settle and also for it to air dry.

Will stick it on a rack (as I did before) but wrap the whole thing in clingfilm and tinfoil. Try to keep some of the smell to itself..............
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  

--EDIT-- yes, everything else is covered. I have done a spot of Hygiene training (back in my student job days) and carried it through.

Plus we are pretty confident in the kitchen and like to experiment with strong flavours, so I am pretty sure I know what to expect.


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## slimjimuk (May 12, 2016)

So.... Seems like the biggest problem is going to be that the bacon won't last as long as it took to make!!!













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## smokin monkey (May 12, 2016)

Another convert!!!


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## wade (May 12, 2016)

Great looking bacon Jim. I know what you were going through as it was your first time but now that the fear of the unknown has been overcome there will be no stopping you. The secret is to keep a batch going all the time and when you find you are getting too much then skip a batch. Don't let friends and family taste it though or you will never have enough.

With this batch be quite critical. Was it too salty or not salty enough? If you feel it needs to change then up or down it by 0.5% for next time. Do you need to adjust the smoking time?

Next time maybe cure two batches - one the same as this and another with maybe some Bay, juniper or szechuwan pepper. Don't be afraid to try things out.

Also try it for the 10-12 days curing. You will find that it is sufficient for most pork cuts.

Again - great job 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Wade


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## wade (May 12, 2016)

slimjimUK said:


> Thought about vac-packing it... but I am presuming the whole point of letting it rest is for the flavours to settle and also for it to air dry.


Once it has finished smoking give it 24 hours in the fridge for the surface to dry and then vacuum pack it. It will all still happen in the vac pack.


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## slimjimuk (May 13, 2016)

Going to get stuck into it properly and make some decisions on the taste.

The biggest (obvious) issue is the rind. Very very chewy, no matter what I do. So going to take it off before slicing any more.
Shame, as I love crispy rind on my bacon.

Any suggestions on how to solve this?

Other than that, it may be a little over smoked. Air dried it for 48 hours in the fridge to let the flavour settle before slicing but still could be a little over. But I can very easily solve that by only smoking for 36 hours and not 48.

Quite like the lemon pepper flavouring too, which gives me confidence to try more.
We have a pretty extensive fridge mounted spice 'rack' that will come in handy. (Highly recommend)
Plenty of junipers, bay and a wide array of peppers.
Plus the thermomix turns all the spices into dust, which is great for rubs.

Off the the butchers this morning. I let them have some of the smoked salmon and now they are very kind to me. Going to see if they will put the rest of the pork on their slicer for me, in exchange for a few slices. [emoji]128518[/emoji]













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## slimjimuk (May 13, 2016)

Looking pretty good.

I swear this pack would be about £4 from a farm shop!!!













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## wade (May 13, 2016)

slimjimUK said:


> The biggest (obvious) issue is the rind. Very very chewy, no matter what I do. So going to take it off before slicing any more.
> Shame, as I love crispy rind on my bacon.
> 
> Any suggestions on how to solve this?


Not really, sorry, as I always cut the skin off before I cure it so that I don't have to worry about it. Steve may have some suggestions as to how to get it crispy.


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## smokewood (May 13, 2016)




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## smokewood (May 13, 2016)

I am really pleased for you.  I remember the first bacon that I cured and the flavours....... absolutely fantastic.

Like you mentioned on a previous post  after you give a couple of slices here and a few more there, there is nothing left!  I cured 2 pork loins for my second smoke hoping to fill the freezer, but still gave a lot away.  I now cure them in 4's or more.

Congratulations I am really pleased for you - Another Convert - YES !!!!

I


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## slimjimuk (May 13, 2016)

You cured two for your second smoke?

How spooky. [emoji]128513[/emoji]













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One rosemary and thyme...
One sage and thyme...


Took the ribs and skin from the butchers ... Superb byproducts!!!












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