Ready to make Bacon

[zueth]

I have made Bacon but want to start.  I have read through posts and recipes and wondering which would be the best to start off with.  Seems the maple cured bacon from 10.5 is very popular and the triple smoke bacon also looks interesting.

[CoreyMac]

I think the maple bacon would be a good start. Its a very straight forward recipe and easy to follow.

Ive done hundreds of pounds of it and never had a slab that wasn't excellent.

Corey 

[rexster]

I've been making bacon since 2005. The last few years I've been selling it to our friends. I cure and smoke about 160 pounds a month. I use the digging dog website for calculating ratio of cure/salt/sugar. I cure the bacon at least 7 days, most of the time 9 days. I don't have to soak the meat as the ratio I use doesn't leave it too salty. I'll smoke the bellies no more than 6 hours using the AMZNTS and hickory pellets. Don't do the 3 day smoke until you figure out the time you want to smoke. I had to cut back on 8 hour smokes cause several people said the bacon was too smokey. Just sayin.

[Gafala]

I only do maple bacon, I cure the bacon 9 days people love it.

[Habanero Smoker]

Once you have made the maple cured bacon, you can use that to make the triple smoked bacon. I've made triple smoked bacon several times, and though it seems like a lot of smoke, it never comes out over smoked. I believe the first time I made triple smoked, I used the Maple Cure Bacon recipe.

Here is the way I do it:
Triple Smoked Bacon

Make sure you use skinless bellies. Once I left the skin on, and it gets too hard and leathery, so you have to take it off anyway. Taking it off after the triple smoke, you lose a lot of flavor.

I don't mention it in the write up, but during the smoke, if I have any self space, I would use that space for smoking salt, nuts, vegetables etc.

I now only fully cook to 145°F.

P.S.
I'm surprised the pictures still show up. I know that won't be for long. The pictures in my other posts show the dreaded "Third Party Hosting" notification from Photobucket.

[zueth]

For the maple bacon it says to either take IT of 140 or 150, I know habs said he does 145, is the final IT personal preference?

Do I need to have a PID when doing the bacon?

[Habanero Smoker]

The IT is a personal preference. If I'm making a sweet bacon; like the maple sugar I will take it to 145°F. This is only because it requires less frying to make it crispy, and less likely for the sugars to burn. For savory bacon, I generally will take it out at an IT of 130°F to 135°F. As long as you fully cook it prior to eating, you can cold smoke and leave it completely raw.

A PID is not necessary, but you may want to monitor (babysit) the cabinet temperature more closely, so you can make the necessary adjustments. There are a few that will smoke/cook the bacon at 225°F; though there may be some rendering of fat.

[zueth]

The IT is a personal preference. If I'm making a sweet bacon; like the maple sugar I will take it to 145°F. This is only because it requires less frying to make it crispy, and less likely for the sugars to burn. For savory bacon, I generally will take it out at an IT of 130°F to 135°F. As long as you fully cook it prior to eating, you can cold smoke and leave it completely raw.

A PID is not necessary, but you may want to monitor (babysit) the cabinet temperature more closely, so you can make the necessary adjustments. There are a few that will smoke/cook the bacon at 225°F; though there may be some rendering of fat.

Thanks, what should be the goal for temp range, i.e. keep it within 10 degrees ?

[CoreyMac]

The nice thing about bacon is because it is cured so completely internal temp is not a huge deal. For instance i just cold smoke and make sure im cooked well in the frying pan. But the sugar in the bacon tends to burn and carmelize( i like it that way)  ;D. So its a preference. Just make sure your getting the inside temp when frying. Maybe try one temp this time, then a higher temp next time etc. Then you can find out what your favorite way is.

Thats the fun of it.  :D
Corey

[Habanero Smoker]

As Corey stated; it's a personal preference. I make changes, as stated in my previous post. Sometimes it is because I'm short on time, and will take it out at a lower IT. If you are making the Maple Cured Bacon, I suggest you take it to 145°F. When frying use a lower flame, if you want to prevent it from burning.

If you are referring to the cabinet temperature, I basically follow the guidelines in the Maple Bacon recipe; when I'm fully cooking the bacon.

110°F - 120° - Air Dry, until surface is tacky. About 1 - 2 hours
120°F - 140° - I apply 2 hours of smoke
160°F - To finish cooking to your preferred IT.

[zueth]

Thank you.


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[zueth]

With the maple bacon, does everybody tend to just do the 2 hours of smoke or do more smoke?  How long does it typically take to get to IT of 145? Just trying to figure out timing


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[Habanero Smoker]

When I air dry in the cabinet, and take the IT to 140°F; depending on the thickness of the slab it will take around 4 - 6 hours. If I air dry the bacon in the refrigerator, it generally take around an hour less.

[zueth]

Thank you.


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