Bacon : Hot or Cold Smoke???

[RJR1876]

Dear smoker,

I need some advice on making beef bacon. I have immersed the brisket in a brine for 7 days, and can't wait to smoke them. Should I cold or hot smoke? what's the difference in the finished product? and which will give a better quality???

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Regards,
Tai

[CLAREGO]

easier to cold smoke right now if your in the heat. smoke bacon hot smoking with good success. keep the temp down to about 160 then climp to 220. to an internal temp of 140-160 i woulnt go over 150. i smoke for 2 hours at 160 then climp your temp up. every hour until desired internal temp.

[BigSmoker]

Please provide more info ???.  I've never heard of brisket bacon but I don't get out much either ;).

[jaeger]

Jeff,
When I have made beef bacon with brisket, I cured the brisket the same as if making dried beef. I would use a brine to pump and than coat with dry cure and refrigerate for one week. Don't use the point, only the flat section.
Smoke to an internal temp of 155, refrigerate until cold, slice and reheat as you would regular bacon.
For me, I prefer regular pork bacon made with bellies or cottage bacon made with pork butts. (Incidently, when I make cottage bacon, I pump with the brine and then soak in the brine, instead of dry curing.) As for bacon made with pork bellies, unless I tumble, I prefer using just a dry cure.

[BigSmoker]

Cool thanks for the info jaeger ;D.

[jaeger]

I checked in the book "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing"
by Rytek Kutas and he talks about using Beef "plates" for beef bacon. Good luck finding beef plates!!! Ask your butcher, he will probably think you are screwing with him!
Here is a link, look at Primal Cuts - Plate ,(towards the bottom of the page.)
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--103/cuts-beef.asp?floater=disabled&floateralwaysdisabled=true

Maybe you will be on to something by the time the tomatoes are ripe!!!
We will all be eating BLT's made with Bigsmoker Beef Bacon.

[RJR1876]

Dear Smokers,
so which gives a better bacon? hot or cold smoke? I have modified my bradley for cold smoke, and now it's very slow for the temperature to rise, especially if I'm smoking 6kg meat at once. Even after 4 hours, the temp is only abt 50C (130F) in the smoker. So, I just wanna your kind opnin if cold smoke will give a similar if not better bacon. Thanks

[godcalledsausage]

Hi, RJR.

Cold smoking is serious business, which you'll probably not be able to do with Bradley or any other commercial smoker. Anyhow, this is how's done.

1.   After curing is done, beef plates (for beef bacon) are hanged in a 'green room' for 2-7 days (depends).
2.   Then, plates are moved in a smokehouse for smoking.  Smoking is done for 8-12 hours daily for 2-3 weeks (depends). Temperature of the plates mustn't go over 20 degrees Celsius, and ideal is 12-15 degrees.
3.   After smoking is done, again 'green room' for 2-3 days.
4.   And then plates are going to 'cold room' (14 degrees Celsius or lower) and are dried for 2-4 months.

And for the taste – it will possibly be the best tasting piece of meat of any kind you're ever tasted (well, after the beef tongue...).

Unfortunately, cold smoking is not very often practiced these days. Fortunately, beef bacon you get using Bradley is also very good tasting (but maybe to try to smoke to internal temp of 51C (135F) instead of 160F).