# Cold-Smoked Maple Bacon (plenty of pics)



## couger78 (May 18, 2020)

A few weeks ago I came across several packs of pork belly in Costco. They pork had been skinned and cut into sections 3-4" inches thick. The price was VERY reasonable so I grabbed a few (around 5-7 lbs total ) to make some bacon.
With these many sections, I knew using my bacon hangers in the smoker would pose a problem. Instead I opted to cold-smoke the pork flat, using the non-stick Q-Matz grill mats I picked up from A-Maze-n.
Standard dry CURE rub (kosher salt, sugar, pink cure) went on all the pieces  for approximately 10 days. I then applied maple sugar to some, to others a dose of fenugreek—I wanted to see how 'maple-y' those with fenugreek compared to those without. (pictured below). These went back into the fridge for a few more days






I then took the belly sections out and gave them a thorough rinse and drying.
Back into the fridge they go to form a pellicle...






Two days later, pellicle formed and firmly-cured....






Application of real maple syrup and a sprinkle of maple sugar....






Sunday was a cool, overcast day—perfect for cold-smoking. 
9:00am - Into the smoker went the racks & matz with the sticky pork.
I used a pan of ice JUST to keep the temps on the cooler side (in hindsight this probably wasn't necessary, but I wasn't certain how hot the box would get when the afternoon sun hit.). I loaded both a tube and maze full of 80% applewood pellets and 20% hickory. Slow, steady smoke....







3:00pm - Six hours in...sun peeking through but temps are mild. Refilled the ice pan. Good color forming...






Nearly 11 hours into the smoke (almost 8:00pm), swapped out the finished pellet tube and replaced it with another maze for the home-stretch....






12:00 midnight - 15 hours and time to pull the pig.
I have to say, using these racks is a far easier job than maneuvering one or two loaded bacon hangers. Color is uniform top to bottom.
















Now the HARD part: these will now sit back in the fridge for the next day or so to mellow. THEN we'll fry some up!






Slicing and frying still to come!...

- Kevin


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## Braz (May 18, 2020)

Looks great. 15 hours, a tube and two trays! That's a lot of smoke. Let us know how it tastes.


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## smokerjim (May 18, 2020)

Looks great


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## couger78 (May 19, 2020)

Sample time after a day+ of bacon mellowing in the fridge.
I sliced two sections into relatively thin/thick slices.











Pan-fry— not TOO hot as the sugar content will cause the strips to burn to quickly.
Tasty! Sweet, smokey and good balance of saltiness with the maple sweetness.
Got a thumbs-up from the tasting crew!


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## pc farmer (May 19, 2020)

Great looking bacon .  Nice job.


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## pushok2018 (May 19, 2020)

Looks great! How those with a dose of fenugreek taste? I use fenugreek only to make Basturma, Armenian charcuterie (dried beef).


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## couger78 (May 19, 2020)

pushok2018 said:


> Looks great! How those with a dose of fenugreek taste? I use fenugreek only to make Basturma, Armenian charcuterie (dried beef).


To be honest, I get a lot of _'maple'_ sweetness—but I'd find it hard to differentiate between what is the fenugreek I'm tasting versus the real maple syrup and sugar. 
Would I add it again? Possibly... as it would allow me to cut back on the sugars & minimize the burning when frying without losing the flavor.


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## Winterrider (May 19, 2020)

Darn nice looking bacon. . .


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## Ishi (May 20, 2020)

Great looking bacon!


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## phatbac (May 20, 2020)

That bacon looks seriously awesome! I need to try cold smoking bacon....

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)


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## couger78 (May 20, 2020)

phatbac said:


> That bacon looks seriously awesome! I need to try cold smoking bacon....
> 
> Happy Smoking,
> phatbac (Aaron)


With the right weather conditions, cold-smoking is relatively easy! I find it considerably easier to monitor cold temps than keeping hotter temps (between 160-200°F-rang for sausages) steady...


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## couger78 (May 23, 2020)

Everything is sliced and packed up in FoodSaver packets.
Two bags are full of 'end pieces'—those super-smokey trimmed ends that are great additions to beans, soups and this: homemade sauerkraut cooked with apples onions and smokey bacon hunks!
_Smokey sweet and tangy! Beans are next...._


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## Steve H (May 23, 2020)

Well, you owe me a new keyboard. It just shorted out from the drool! Very nice looking bacon. With how they are already sliced. They just _SCREAM_ to be turned into burnt ends.


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## couger78 (May 23, 2020)

Steve H said:


> Well, you owe me a new keyboard. It just shorted out from the drool! Very nice looking bacon. With how they are already sliced. They just _SCREAM_ to be turned into burnt ends.


Well with the way these belly pieces were already precut, I’ve over 10x the surface area exposed to smoke compared to a whole belly slab. This means some end pieces are very well smoked and ideal for use as flavoring chunks.


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