My First Bacon!

[sjmcdowall]

I have 4 1/2 bellies curing -- 2 of them of the "American Maple" style (although I used Georgia Cane syrup in stead of maple in one) -- 1 pure Pancetta -- and 1 is going to be a -- well, hell -- I'm not sure but it'll be savory (bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme in the cure).  I'm going to smoke 3 of them .. (not the pancetta) and I now have my cold smoker unit!!  WOOHOO!

I am PRESUMING (hence while I am posting) -- that since I have a cold smoker -- it makes sense to COLD SMOKE the ones I want to cold smoke first -- and THEN -- hot smoke it to 150 IT?

Oh -- they all (except the Pancetta) have the skin on too .. Skin up? Skin Down?  Flip them after a bit?

Anyway -- any/all advice appreciated -- and I will be posting pics!! 

/Steve

[KyNola]

Just a question, any reason you are going to cold smoke them and then hot smoke them?  Why not just hot smoke them to an IT of 150 and be finished?  I hot smoked these at 200 degrees rolling hickory the entire time until an IT of 150.

[Kahunas]

Nice looking bacon ther KyNola.

[destrouk]

Ive thought of doing the cold smoke also for a double smoke let me know how they turn out !!! And Ky nice looking bacon how long did it take to get the IT ??

[KyNola]

Don't want to hijack Steve's thread but it took around 3 hours, maybe.

I think my brain wasn't fully engaged when I asked the original question.  Steve, are you going for the double smoked bacon, hence the reason for the cold smoked application first?

[sjmcdowall]

Correct-a-mundo -- wanted a double smoked result.  First cold, then hot .. Figured maple/apple cold and then a bit of hickory during the hot phase .. .

My bacon hooks didn't arrive -- but I presume no issue with just using the racks (and hence the question of skin up or down or rotate them... probably rotate each hour during cold smoke makes sense ...and wouldn't hurt since, after all, it is cold smoking anyway ... :)

Cheers!

[Kahunas]

Shouldn't need to rotate during the cold smoke but yes do it during the hot. I don't think it will really matter much whether you go skin up or down.

[Habanero Smoker]

If you are going to make double smoked, you may as well go all out and make triple smoked:

Triple Smoked Bacon

[sjmcdowall]

So I followed Hab's idea and did a triple smoke of the bacon!  Here are the results (and initial tastes tests are excellent!!) :

In the smoker (for #3 -- the hot smoke) :



After done and resting ...



I also made some pancetta and here it is ready to air dry for a bit :

[Smoker John]

The bacon & pancetta looks really nice

[Kahunas]

Lookin good.

[SiFumar]

That bacon sure has some good color!