# First time cold smoking bacon...with Qview!



## snorkelinggirl (Jan 8, 2013)

Hi folks,

I've completed my first run at cold smoking bacon. I'm really pleased with the flavor and texture. Slightly too salty, but I'll try Pop's brine next time and see how it compares.

I used a 6 1/2 lb skin-on belly section from a local Red Wattle hog (from Heritage Farms NW in Dallas, OR). Great hogs. I used 2.5% kosher salt, 1.25% sugar + additional 1/4 cup brown sugar, 156 ppm Instacure #1 (7 grams -- slightly over 1 tsp), and .35% black pepper. Cured for 2 weeks, overhauling about every other day. Rinsed the cure off after 2 weeks, then soaked in cool water for 1 hour.  I dried the belly in the refrigerator for 2 days to get a nice pellicle.  Here is the belly after 2 days in the refrigerator. 













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__ snorkelinggirl
__ Jan 8, 2013






I used the AMNS inside my SmokinTex 1400 to generate cold smoke. I smoked using hickory sawdust for about 8 hours. The temperature in the smoker stayed between 60 - 72 deg F. Outside temp was in the 40's to low 50's.













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__ snorkelinggirl
__ Jan 8, 2013






Here is the bacon after 8 hours of cold smoking.













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__ snorkelinggirl
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I popped it into my project refrigerator to let it mellow. The project refrigerator runs about 50 deg F and 60 % humidity. The belly is on the top shelf.  The item hanging below it is a cured pork jowl which has been air-drying for 2 weeks now and has a few more weeks to go.













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__ snorkelinggirl
__ Jan 8, 2013






I let the bacon rest in the project frig for 2 days and then sliced off a few slices tonight to see how it came out. Here it is.













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__ snorkelinggirl
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After cooking....













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__ snorkelinggirl
__ Jan 8, 2013






Very nice smoke taste. I'm glad I just did the 8 hours of cold smoking, as my husband is pretty gun-shy of my smoking endeavors at the moment. So we are taking it slow and easy on the smoke right now.

I definitely prefer the cold smoke taste to hot smoking.  Even with 1 hour of soaking after the cure, the bacon was still slightly too salty. A couple of thoughts on this.  First, I do intend to try Pop's brine and see how that compares.  Also, until Martin at Digging Dog Farm discussed this in a different thread, it never occured to me that the Instacure #1 is ~94% salt, and I didn't take that into account when I calculated out my salt weight. That would have reduced my kosher salt weight by 5 or 6 grams, which isn't insignificant.

I've got another couple of belly sections in the freezer, so I'll probably thaw another one out this week and get it soaking in Pop's brine this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes out.

Thanks for looking!

Clarissa


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## sam3 (Jan 9, 2013)

Looks really great to me!

I used Pop's brine the last time I made BBB and was really happy with it. I have 12 lbs curing  in the same brine now.

I added 2 TBS of Ground Black Pepper and 1 TBS of Garlic powder to the brine as well.


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## fpnmf (Jan 9, 2013)

Looks tasty!!


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## humdinger (Jan 9, 2013)

Looks good snorkel. I may lean on your experience and lessons learned in the near future when I take a swing at makin' bacon. Great job.


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 9, 2013)

Looks awesome!!!
There's nothing wrong with cutting back on the salt a tad.


~Martin


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## woodcutter (Jan 9, 2013)

Your bacon looks great! Did you get the modifications done to your Smokin Tex?


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## johnroyy (Jan 9, 2013)

Is it better to cold smoke or hot smoke ur pork belly? For bacon that is.


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## herms (Jan 9, 2013)

My opinion is cold smoke all the way.  If you try to hot smoke it you are gonna start to render out fat from the bacon.


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## johnroyy (Jan 9, 2013)

Thanks, So ill just end up with a lot of pre cooked bacon. not much for breakfast. right?


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## tjohnson (Jan 9, 2013)

It Looks Fabulous!!!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 9, 2013)

Bacon looks great!!

I know in the past that I have had some over salty dry cured bacon. I have done the multiple soak, and even put the potato in the there to help get rid of the saltiness. I'm also a big believer in the fry test, that can help out with not just the salt but other seasonings. Good luck with your next batch!


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## bluto (Jan 9, 2013)

Looks great, another to do list addition.


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 9, 2013)

JohnRoyy said:


> Is it better to cold smoke or hot smoke ur pork belly? For bacon that is.


I've now tried it both ways, and also prefer the cold smoke. A lot of the folks on this forum are very gung-ho on the cold smoked bacon over the hot smoked, which is what prompted me to try it this time. Hot smoking definitely renders out some fat, so you get some shrinkage and loss. Also, I found that some of the smoke on the outside of the bacon came off as the fat rendered, so the flavor wasn't as good. I also had more trouble slicing the hot smoked bacon (even after refrigeration and partial freezing), because the meat cooks and tightens up, and pulls aways from the fat. I may have overshot the 150 deg IT when that happened, though.

I've been told by a local chef that hot smoking "pasteurizes" the bacon to improve shelf life in the refrigerator. In my house, bacon never lasts long enough to require a lengthy shelf life. ;-)


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 9, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Looks awesome!!!
> There's nothing wrong with cutting back on the salt a tad.
> 
> 
> ~Martin


I like to air-dry bacon after smoking to improve the texture, like a pancetta or guanciale. If I back down to, say, 2.25% kosher salt next time (and I'll be sure to account for the salt in the Instacure #1 as you do in your cure calculator), do you think that the bacon will still tolerate a cold smoke followed by a week or two of drying at 50-55 deg F?

Thanks so much for your info, Martin!


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 9, 2013)

Woodcutter said:


> Your bacon looks great! Did you get the modifications done to your Smokin Tex?


Hi Woodcutter,

I'm hauling it over to a local machine shop tomorrow to add in the extra drill holes.  Really hoping to see that white smoke turn blue!  I'll post an update after I've tried it out.

Thanks for your interest!


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## woodcutter (Jan 9, 2013)

SnorkelingGirl said:


> Woodcutter said:
> 
> 
> > Your bacon looks great! Did you get the modifications done to your Smokin Tex?
> ...


My brother is coming this weekend to make summer sausage and we are going to drill 2 holes and enlarge the existing hole on his Smokin Tex. I'll post something as well.


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 9, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Bacon looks great!!
> 
> I know in the past that I have had some over salty dry cured bacon. I have done the multiple soak, and even put the potato in the there to help get rid of the saltiness. I'm also a big believer in the fry test, that can help out with not just the salt but other seasonings. Good luck with your next batch!


Hey dirtsailor,

Thanks again for all of the info you shared with me on cold smoking and your bacon trifecta!  You were a huge help on this project!


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## chef willie (Jan 10, 2013)

Bacon looks terrific Clarissa...nice job. Sounds like very little shrinkage with the cold smoking. And the searching out of that hog belly was a nice touch. Curious as to the weight you initially purchased....a lot? minimum amount for testing out? I've seen jowls in markets but rarely bellies. Another project on my list. Am also very interested in how your upcoming mods turn out....hope it all works out for you.....Willie


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## wildflower (Jan 10, 2013)

do the fry test before you smoke then is you need to soak it longer you will have the chance to get more salt out


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 10, 2013)

Chef Willie said:


> Bacon looks terrific Clarissa...nice job. Sounds like very little shrinkage with the cold smoking. And the searching out of that hog belly was a nice touch. Curious as to the weight you initially purchased....a lot? minimum amount for testing out? I've seen jowls in markets but rarely bellies. Another project on my list. Am also very interested in how your upcoming mods turn out....hope it all works out for you.....Willie


Hey Chef Willie!

I purchased a full hog side from the local farmers, but asked the butcher to divide the belly into three sections during cut & wrap so that I didn't need to work with an entire 16 lb belly at one shot. I've still got the other two belly sections in the freezer. There are several small farms in the mid-valley area that you can get pork sides, primals, or cuts from, but the prices do tend to be a bit higher especially with the feed shortage in the midwest driving up feed prices. You might check out Van Vleet Meat Co. http://www.vanvleetmeatco.com/  . They are located in Albany and supply a lot of the restaurants in the area.

I somehow missed your New Year's hot link posting, and just did a search on your postings to find it. Your hot links really look fantastic!  I might try out your recipe after I get my smoker under control. 

I'll let you know how the mods work out.....fingers crossed!


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## chef willie (Jan 10, 2013)

Thx for the kind words and the info on piggys. They may be a bit more $ but if raised & processed locally how sweet is that? Am very familar with Van Fleet so might look into that.There is another butcher/processor (name escapes me) fairly close to me that I've bought whole pigs from b4 for pig roasts...possibly another source without the middle man (van fleet). Best of luck with the mods....just finished up an Italian Chicken sausage run. Will poach them off tomorrow and maybe get a thread started


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## shannon127 (Jan 10, 2013)

Looks good


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## tennsmoker (Jan 10, 2013)

Hey Clarissa,








  that's a nice looking belly bacon you made for your 1st time, great q-view's also,

al


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## smokinjoe52 (Jan 10, 2013)

For all those holes you have in the bottom of your smokers...

This is what I bought to pierce the aluminum foil, and plug the holes when the smoker is not in use.  I could not find aluminum cones like these anywhere else for this price.    If anybody decides to order, they don't send confirming emails, or email confirmations, and they take 2-3 weeks to arrive.  Other than that, the cones work great.

http://gothicpunkspecialtyhardware.com/individual_item_pages/3_in_cone_spike.php

BTW - The 3/4" cones will fall right through the top vent hole on the Cookshack clones. They don't sell the larger ones individually.

Smokinjoe

PS - Order extra and you can make a nice necklace or bracelet to wear while you are smoking.


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## paprika pal (Jan 11, 2013)

Looks awesome!!


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and checking out my photos!

It is great to have a forum like this where you can celebrate those occasional successes, as well as bemoan and be consoled on the failures. ;-)

Hope everyone has a great and smoky weekend!

Clarissa


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## emarschner (Jan 11, 2013)

Wondering if cold smoke and Canadian bacon go hand and hand I used pops brine 4th day in the brine could someone point me in the rite direction thanks


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 11, 2013)

emarschner said:


> Wondering if cold smoke and Canadian bacon go hand and hand I used pops brine 4th day in the brine could someone point me in the rite direction thanks


Yes you can cold smoke Canadian bacon.  I normally do it that way. The last time I cold smoked for 4 hrs, then hot smoked it because I was giving it as gifts and I didn't want anyone to eat it without cooking it. If I was cold smoking only I'd do 12-18 hrs, over 3 days, smoking 6-8 hrs each day, rest in fridge . Then a good 3-4 day rest before slciing and packaging. :Here's the process I used last time:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131123/the-bacon-trifecta-thats-a-wrap


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## rtbbq2 (Jan 11, 2013)

Congrats!..............The bacon looks great..............


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## toby bryant (Jan 11, 2013)

That is some great looking bacon!  

This is next on the list for me, I am going to use Pops brine for my first try. If it weren't for this site I would have never dreamed I could make my own bacon.

Thanks for more inspiration


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## smokinhusker (Jan 11, 2013)

That is some outstanding looking bacon!!!!! You did an excellent job of it!


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## bikforfun (Jan 13, 2013)

How much water do you use for the brine?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 13, 2013)

Bikforfun said:


> How much water do you use for the brine?


Everything you need is right here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine


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## sam3 (Jan 14, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Everything you need is right here:
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine


X2

I have 12 lbs of BBB in the brine now. You can't get any easier than Pop's recipe.


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## donr (Jan 18, 2013)

May I suggest you cut your belly into smaller sections, you can make several experiments at once.  You could try several different salinity levels with the same amount of smoke.  You could try the same salinity and smoke each section for a different length of time, just pull them out of the smoker at different times. Just make sure you mark them.  This would allow you to find your "usual" recipe quicker and without going through so much bacon.  You can also experiment with different flavors when the time comes.  Just remember to keep good records.

Don


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## bikforfun (Jan 18, 2013)

Thanks I'll check it out.


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## roller (Jan 18, 2013)

nice job !


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 18, 2013)

donr said:


> May I suggest you cut your belly into smaller sections, you can make several experiments at once.  You could try several different salinity levels with the same amount of smoke.  You could try the same salinity and smoke each section for a different length of time, just pull them out of the smoker at different times. Just make sure you mark them.  This would allow you to find your "usual" recipe quicker and without going through so much bacon.  You can also experiment with different flavors when the time comes.  Just remember to keep good records.
> 
> Don


Hi Don,

Thanks for the great suggestion!  Since there is no shrinkage when cold smoking, the only down-side to smaller sections is difficulty in slicing that last inch or so (I don't have a meat slicer, so I slice using a Victorinox 12" slicing knife).  I am going to thaw another couple of 5-6 lb belly sections this weekend to start them curing next week, and I'll follow your suggestion on them. I'd like to try 2.25% kosher salt, Pop's brine, apple wood smoke, and and maybe a fancy-dancy smoke blend like hickory/apple/maple or some such.

Thanks again for your great (and timely) advice!

Clarissa


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## mneeley490 (Jan 18, 2013)

I know what you mean about that last 1" or so. I usually cube it and freeze it for later use in baked beans or so forth.


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## kingfishcam (Jan 19, 2013)

Great thread, and great looking bacon!  I learned a ton, and think I might give bacon a try.
Saving the last inch for baked beans is a great idea!


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## snorkelinggirl (Jan 19, 2013)

mneeley490 said:


> I know what you mean about that last 1" or so. I usually cube it and freeze it for later use in baked beans or so forth.


I usually swear a lot, cut my own finger, and end up with wonky slices....

I think your way is better.  ;-)


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