First time curing bacon and a little paranoid

[KyNola]

jimmy, you got this.  Relax.  It will turn out fine.  You can take the IT all the way up to 150 and it will turn out awesome.  Now, there are going to be some bacon purists that will tell you an IT of 150 is too high but my recipe is from a respected member of this forum who I wish was stilling posting and it turns out awesome and his IT target is 150.

When you finally take it out of the smoker, let the belly cool down and then tightly wrap in plastic wrap and let it overnight in the frig.  If you take it straight out of the smoker and wrap and straight into the frig, your bacon is going to develop condensation and sweat.   Not something I would recommend.

[La Quinta]

Jimmy...what Ky said...don't worry...you gotta cook the bacon anyway...don't freak that you're gonna kill somebody...first time I did it I felt the same way...guess what...hubby is still alive!!!  ;D

[jimmyb]

well, after all the anxiety the belly finally reached an IT of 140*. It took about eight hours for a 5.5 lb pork belly. Does that sound right? Stayed up through the night to babysit it and it finally reached the target temp at about 3:15 AM. I'll slice it up and see today.

[KyNola]

Way to go jimmy!  Now you get to reap the reward of your labor and anxiety.

[Tenpoint5]

You will be fine with a 140º IT Jimmy. Sorry I wasn't clear on the plastic wrap thing but Kynola is correct. let the Bacon cool before wrapping in plastic wrap and placing in the fridge overnight.

[jimmyb]

You all have been fantastic in helping me with this. Fired up a piece this morning and it was great. At 3:00 AM I didn't have too much time to let it cool much but i did a little. Seems to be ok.

My outstanding question is, should it have taken 8 hrs to get to 140* IT? I had three probes in there to be as accurate as possible. Coult I just have been int he fat in all three? What is the best way to get a accurate temp reading?

OR

Am I over thinking this whole thing a bit? This is most likely the case.

[Tenpoint5]

My bacon generally takes 4-5 hours. But there is too many variables to factor in there. The ambient temps, how long did you let the meat warm up before you put it in the smoker. Is the unit on an extension cord, How many times did you peek, what was the vent setting, what temp did you smoke cook at. That is why we always say you cook by IT and not by Time.

[KyNola]

8 hours does seem a little excessive but with the variables that 10.5 listed it is not beyond the realm of possibility.

[OU812]

What were you using to take the cabnet temp?

[jimmyb]

The ambient temps were around 80 degrees F. I smoked at about 140 *. Then bumped it to 150 after 2 hrs of smoke. After a few hours I even bumped it to 155*. Yes, I peeked a bit but the recovery time was very quick. Maybe that was the issue. I was taking the cabinet temp with both the Auber PID and another probe thermometer. Both were in synch.

I know having the probe in the fat can give a false reading so like I said, maybe i had all three probes in the fat. But, all's well that ends well. I would like to figure this out though for better planning next time. My but is dragging a bit today from staying up until 3:00 AM. 

[KyNola]

jimmy,
I smoke/cook my bacon at 200 degrees with no problems.  The fat on the pork belly won't begin to render until you hit the 152 IT mark.  As long as the IT stays under 152, no worries.  As for the probes being in the fat, it's pretty much impossible to not have the probe in the fat on a good pork belly.  I don't view that as a problem as long as you maintain the IT under 152.  Your 8 hours was due to the low smoking/cooking temps you used.

You did good buddy.  Bump your temps up and you should finish quicker than you did this time. 

[jimmyb]

Sounds like some pretty good advice there. I was following the 10.5 recipe that says to cook at 150* and go to IT of 140*. Which is fine with me if I know how to plan.

I think i can put this to rest, slice up my bacon, and get ready for the next batch. You are all the best!