# What is your favorite wood for bacon?



## brandon91 (Jan 10, 2015)

I've got 3 slabs of bellies dry curing at the moment and trying to figure out what to do for my first bacon run. I've been wanting an AMNPS for a while now and I figured cold smoking bacon is as good as any reason to get one 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






. So I ordered one along with a bunch of different flavors. I read a thread where Pop's used a layer of Pitmaster's blend and then a layer of corn cob on top of that, really considering that since everyone is saying corn cob is a hidden gem and is really good with pork. So what is your favorite?


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## ssorllih (Jan 10, 2015)

I believe that I like maple better than apple or hickory.


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## timberjet (Jan 10, 2015)

I love apple. Apple and a little hickory is even better.


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## wimpy69 (Jan 10, 2015)

Second on the maple, make that sugar maple.


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## brandon91 (Jan 10, 2015)

wimpy69 said:


> Second on the maple, make that sugar maple.



Is there a difference between the maple you get in chip bags at the store and sugar maple?


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## talan64 (Jan 10, 2015)

I feel I don't get enough smoke taste out of apple. It tastes "OK" but not smokey enough for me. Haven't tried maple.  Last time I used Hickory, 11 hrs cold smoke, and it tastes wonderful!!  I'll be using hickory from now on.


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## timberjet (Jan 10, 2015)

I use sugar maple pretty often as there is so much of it in my yard it's ridiculous. I find it milder than apple with more sweetness too it.


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## wimpy69 (Jan 10, 2015)

With so many varieties of maple who knows what the chips are. I've used silver, red and box elder but the hard sugar maple seems to give the best results. I get all of mine from pruning not only my trees but also neighbors which I do for only the wood.


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## daveomak (Jan 10, 2015)

timberjet said:


> I use sugar maple pretty often as there is so much of it in my yard it's ridiculous. I find it milder than apple with more sweetness too it.




And you don't tap the trees to make maple syrup ????    I looked into planting sugar maple trees for harvesting maple syrup....   they take 40-50 years to get to maturity....   I won't live that long.....


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## wagdog (Jan 10, 2015)

I use apple and a little hickory. Love the combo.


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## timberjet (Jan 11, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> And you don't tap the trees to make maple syrup ???? I looked into planting sugar maple trees for harvesting maple syrup.... they take 40-50 years to get to maturity.... I won't live that long.....


this one I have on my property.













csr 2.jpg



__ timberjet
__ Jan 11, 2015






and that is just some of it is well over that many years old times 50. this tree is a gigantic sob and I should tap it. someone tell me how to do it and I will.


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## timberjet (Jan 11, 2015)

Total hijack there. sorry.


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## brican (Jan 11, 2015)

A combination of Maple, Beach and Birch with some Softwood added


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## stovebolt (Jan 11, 2015)

I love hickory.

Chuck


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## wade (Jan 11, 2015)

Hickory for me too


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## Bearcarver (Jan 12, 2015)

This is an easy one for me to answer, as I use Hickory for EVERYTHING!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## hoity toit (Jan 12, 2015)

ditto....BUMP


Bearcarver said:


> This is an easy one for me to answer, as I use Hickory for EVERYTHING!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ditto... BUMP


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## bear55 (Jan 12, 2015)

Hickory for me, always.


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## brandon91 (Jan 13, 2015)

I might end up just using a different wood for each belly since I can't decide 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.


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## welshrarebit (Jan 13, 2015)

I've  used hickory for almost everything professionally... Personally I like to use local native woods!


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## dirtyduc83 (Feb 10, 2015)

Hickory and Maple


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## foamheart (Feb 10, 2015)

Whatever you are smoking with!

Good answer! Good answer!


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## cdn offroader (Feb 10, 2015)

pretty much use a pecan/apple mix for everything


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## brownpeter335 (Mar 20, 2015)

Maple and Hickory are my favorite wood for bacon.


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## mark bacon (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm an experimentalist when it comes to bacon woods.  I have an AMNPS which I love for cold smoking.  I use Pit Boss competition blend which is 50% maple, 25% hickory and 25% cherry.    I also will used chips and chunks when smoking, and  have found that my taste test dummies really seem to like pecan.

The last batch I made, the crowd favorite was Cherry/Pecan bacon.  A little milder flavor than that of hickory.

Right now I have a batch going that is smoking with Maple/Pecan woods.  I did toss in some cherry, which gave the bacon some wonderful color.













20150322_111623.jpg



__ mark bacon
__ Mar 22, 2015






Basket and AMNPS.  BASKET FULL OF MAPLE CHIPS AND CHERRY DUST.

AMNPS FULL OF PECAN PELLETS













20150322_130540.jpg



__ mark bacon
__ Mar 22, 2015






This is at the 26 hour mark of smoking.  Smoker has not been over 100.


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## brican (Mar 24, 2015)

40 hours with a combination of Maple, Beach and Birch with some Softwood added .. cold smoked at no higher than 40F













IMG_9576.jpg



__ brican
__ Mar 24, 2015


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## mark bacon (Mar 24, 2015)

Have wondered about beech and birch.  Birch I would imagine would have an alder like flavor ??  What about beech ??


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## divey (Mar 25, 2015)

I have a Bradley Smoker and I'm wondering if anyone loads up their Digital Smoke Generator with different Bisquettes. I smoked some Bacon yesterday and only used Hickory ,however, I could have loaded the machine up with alternating woods like Hickory, Maple and Mesquite and see what the flavour was like.

Anyone do this ???


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## mark bacon (Mar 26, 2015)

Will post some pictures tonight.  A buddy of mine did 2 apple then a pecan, 2 apple then a pecan, etc in his. 

I use a lot of pecan and mix that with other woods, but I am using pellets, chunks and chips.

did one bellie with apple, cherry, peach and pearwood, was very tasty, we called it fruitcake bacon


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## Bearcarver (Mar 26, 2015)

Divey said:


> I have a Bradley Smoker and I'm wondering if anyone loads up their Digital Smoke Generator with different Bisquettes. I smoked some Bacon yesterday and only used Hickory ,however, I could have loaded the machine up with alternating woods like Hickory, Maple and Mesquite and see what the flavour was like.
> 
> Anyone do this ???


Don't know how that would tell you anything other than what a mixture of smoke tastes like, because you wouldn't be tasting it in between pucks.

If you want to compare flavors of various smoke, you have to do a whole smoke with one, then another whole smoke with another, because you don't taste the Bacon until it's done.

Unless I'm missing something here.

Bear


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## hitechredneck (Mar 26, 2015)

I did the pitmaster's blend with layered corn cobb.  Bought the corn cobb at Tractor supply.  No where else carried it.  

It is really good.  Last time I did an apple / cherry mix.  I thought it was OK, but I prefer the pitmaster blend from Todd because it has maple, hickory, and cherry in it.  Again, layered with some corn cobb.  It really adds something to the flavor.  I don't think it would be as good without it.


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## smokewood (Dec 20, 2015)

I have been using Apple which I love, thinking of adding some Hickory to it, what ratio do you suggest?  As I have 3 pork loins ready for the smoker tomorrow.


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## foamheart (Dec 20, 2015)

Corn cob and apple


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## mowin (Dec 20, 2015)

Hickory is my pick for bacon, and pretty much everything I smoke..


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## remsr (Dec 20, 2015)

The wood I choose depends on the smoker I am using and the product I intend to smoke. Red oak for brisket regardless of the smoker I use which is always the WSM. Pecan and apple for ribs on the WSM because hickory is to smoky but just right on the Masterbuilt electric, or any gas smoker. I like mesquite for chicken in the Masterbuilt electric which I transfer to the Holand grill when it's done to crisp the skin as you know the Holand cooks at around 400 degrees by time, it has no adjustment controls. The smoker I use for butts is always the WSM for smoke until the inturnal temp is at 160 then I transfer it to the Masterbuilt for regulated heat that I can set and forget. The woods I choose depends on what I inject and rub the butts with, cherry, orange,peach, apple usually fruit woods. Sometimes sugar maple and hickory.


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## daveomak (Dec 20, 2015)

You've definitely got this smoking stuff figured out....    OK...... we will need pictures of the smoker making smoke and later, some grub in it...   

Dave


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## remsr (Dec 20, 2015)

While visiting in Vermont I tried some corn cob smoked meats that were fantastic. Thanks for reminding me. Next time I go up north I'll bring back a bunch. They burn them for fule to heat their homes up there.


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## remsr (Dec 20, 2015)

I do all my posting from my iPhone all the pictures are taken on my phone as well but I do not know how to post a string of pictures with discriptions?????


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## harley10 (Dec 26, 2015)

I prefer the pitmaster blend from Todd, But I might try some corn cob next time.

Dave,


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