SMOKING TIMES

[forthill]

Hello everyone.

My first post so please be gentle.

We've just processed our first two pigs and in about 3 days the first bacon comes out of cure.

Over here we tend to cold smoke our bacon; I know that hot smoking is more usual accross the water.

Also, many of our manuals relate to a smoke house where there is a gentle trickle of cold smoke over many days; akin to hanging the meat in the chimney of the cottage fireplace.

I have a Bradley 4 shelf digital and want to cold smoke some streaky (belly) that has been salting for  7 days.  The manual say's smoke for 2 days.  Now I can't afford that many bisquettes and I hav the feeling I'll end up with an inedible product.

So (eventually :-[) my question is this;

What is the equivalent time in a bradley at say, 50 degrees F, for a day's smokehouse smoking.

Hope that makes sense and really looking forward to your help.


Mark

[Huntnfreak]

Well I'm not an expert with bacon.........come to think of it I'm not an expert with anything to do with smoking, but I might be able to give you a little insight.  I recently smoked a pork roast for 4 hours.  The end result was smoke throughout my roast.  The roast was probably 6X6X10 inches.  I know it's not bacon, but maybe that will help you judge how long your bacon needs.

[KyNola]

Forthill,
Welcome to the forum.  There is a guy on here called Habanero Smoker.  I'm betting he will be the source of info you need.  Manxman is on your side of the pond and I know he has done bacon.  He could help you as well.

KyNola

[Habanero Smoker]

Manxman cold smokes his bacon and could better answer your question. He logs on at least daily so you should get a response.

I've only cold smoked bacon on a few occasions, and that was to make triple smoked bacon. For just cold smoking bacon in the Bradley, I would air dry them first until they feel sticky to the touch. Put them in the smoker apply 3 hours of smoke at around 60° - 90°F; many references state that after the smoke has been applied to then bump the smoker temperature to 150°F, and bring the bacon to 137°F; this is still considered uncooked on this side of the pond. This is a precaution to kill trichinae parasite, but since you raise your own pigs you would know if you would need to bring the internal temperature to that point. If your pork is safe, then after smoke application you can take it out of the smoker. Three hours may not seem like a lot of time, but with the Bradley that is all I find that I need.

When I make triple smoked bacon, I found that holding it in the smoker below 100°F without the smoke, the bacon does develop (bloom) a more mahogany color.

[manxman]

Hi forthill and welcome to the forum.

I have done both cold smoked back bacon and streaky bacon in the BS.

First things first, make sure you soak the meat for a couple of hours in cold water after it comes out of the cure.

Pat them with kitchen roll thoroughly and leave in the fridge to dry until tacky as Habs says, overnight will probably suffice.

Then cold smoke at less than 80F/26C, the time is somewhat down to individual taste but I smoke for about 8 hours. I would suggest any time between 4 and 8 hours depending on how smoky you like your bacon and the size of the slab. You could even go a couple of hours longer, I even know of one instance of someone who claims to smoke for 24 hours in his BS but that is unnecessary.

Oak or apple are my favourite pucks.

I then wrap in a towel or muslin for 24 hours then slice, pack and vacuum seal. It stores well in the fridge but can be frozen although I tend to freeze in blocks rather than sliced. The off cuts are great for stews, omelettes or even diced with scallops for example.

The trichinae parasite isn't so much of a problem nowadays in the developed world, but in any case the bacon will be cooked thoroughly before eating in any case.

Cold smoked bacon in the BS is just the best and one of the most popular things I do with family and friends, have a job to keep up with demand!  ;) :D

Did you rear the pigs yourself? What breed?

Let us know how you got on.  :)

[KyNola]

Forthill,
Did I not tell you who would be here to tell you everything you needed to know?  Pretty much one of my favorite things about this forum is knowing that there are folks all around who can answer my many questions.

KyNola

[Habanero Smoker]

Manxman;

Another technique that is now on my list. I forgot to mention that trichinae parasite is almost not a factor these days. When they stopped grinding pig intestines into the feed they use to give to the pigs, it's no longer a problem.

[manxman]

I forgot to mention that trichinae parasite is almost not a factor these days. When they stopped grinding pig intestines into the feed they use to give to the pigs, it's no longer a problem.

My understanding is that it can still be something of a problem in wild animals including some rodents as well as wild boar / hogs /  pigs. If domestic pigs come into contact that can be a cause of sporadic cases.

The meat industry in general seems to be on top of the problem but I bet a lot of people still make sure pork has been frozen for a period of time as this is very effective at killing the parasite.

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks for that information.

It's funny that some habits are hard to change. I just begun dry curing sausage and for the sausage that had pork, even though it was from a reliable commercial source I did freeze the pork prior to using.

[forthill]

Wow!

Thank you all for being so helpful.

The bacon is still in the cure and will be for a few days yet.

Some in traditional salt and sugar dry cure and some in a black bacon wet cure.

We raised two pigs and took them to slaughter at about 8 months. Duroc/pietrain mix I think; with excellent carcasses at the end. 300lb meat to deal with ;D

It's interesting that the meat is darker than anything in the supermarket and with a very generous amount of fat.

I'll use the advice given here and see how I get on.

[manxman]

It's funny that some habits are hard to change. I just begun dry curing sausage and for the sausage that had pork, even though it was from a reliable commercial source I did freeze the pork prior to using.

I still freeze too!  ::)

I'll use the advice given here and see how I get on.

Glad it was helpful, sounds like you will be OK for bacon butties for a while! Let us know how it turns out.

[roddyb]

Hi Forthill... as another newcomer to this excellent forum, and a newcomer to the BS, the help I got on my hams has been invaluable. Just to say, I made an error with my bacon, both streaky and back. my dry cure was good (2 days belly, 3 days the loins) BUT i made the mistake of following a couple of people's advice and didnt soak after the salting, i then smoked for 6 hours but without the cold smoking device (which is essential IMHO). i have learnt a painfully expensive and disappointing lesson. However, all is not lost, i soak the sliced rashers for an hour on opening each vacuum pack, dry carefully each one and then they work fine. delicious, if a little too smokey for the childrens' tastes/

We have now "done" 4 pigs in the last 2 years and i am a huge advocate. I do believe the commonly held view that its the only meat which tastes genuinely different to shop bought. Darker, much much meatier tasting. We did saddleback/middle white cross this year and killed out at 7 months. next year berkshires.

we are selling our first smoked hams to some local chums today...

[Quarlow]

Hey Roddyb in case you haven't seen this yet, here is a simple cold smoker you can make in about 30 mins with a few parts and a cardboard box.

Oh yeah the cat filter is optional. It is for very a sophisticated taste and the flavour difference is probably lost on most people.LOL
Just cut a 5"x4" square hole in the side of the box 4" up from the floor and a 4" round hole in the top at the opposit end of the box.

Then I used what's called a 4" fishlock collar from Homedepot and stuffed the collar up from the inside.


Then I got a 4" aluminum dryer vent hose

and slide it over the collar (You can just cut the hole and duct tape a piece of the plastic dryer hose to the box, this was just easier). Next slide another 4" fishlock collar into the other end of the vent pipe and the lock end into the smoke tower. You can also use some hose clamps to keep the collars from slipping, but they don't move much so your option.
Then I just put the box on the floor and slide the smoke gen. into the hole. I put my tower on the table outside and stick the dryer pipe into the SG opening.


Put a bowl of water in the box to catch the burnt pucks and put a bowl of ice in the bottom of the tower and there you go, cold smoker.

[KevinG]

Hey Roddyb in case you haven't seen this yet, here is a simple cold smoker you can make in about 30 mins with a few parts and a cardboard box.

I noticed you went with the Vodka box - hmm vodka smoked cheese? ???

[Quarlow]

LOL Smirnoff at that too.