starting the first bacon cure and smoking process

[laserdoc]

I just got 10 pounds of belly.Cut it in half and going to start the process. Do I remove the skin on the right one when I cure these?.
Plan on tenpoints recipe.
I also found a wet cure.Do people do both ?http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/wet-curing-bacon

Also can you just cold smoke for 10 hours or do you have to use some heat throughout the smoking stage like in Tenpoints recipe

[iceman]

Good looking belly laserdoc. You can leave the skin on or take it off. Choice is yours. I think the skin comes off easier right after the smoke. Most folks hot smoke the bacon to at least an internal temp of 145F. Average smoke time for me is around three hours and a total cook time of six to eight hours with the cabinet at about 150 / 160F.
Cold smoking with the wet cure your using for ten hours doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I'm sure others will pipe in on this.

[laserdoc]

I took one of these Belly's and stuck it back in the freezer . I did ten points rub and it is know in the frig for a week. I have not done that wet cure,,I just found it after a goggle search,and am wondering if people cold smoke or hot smoke to get an IT of 145,,and why? If you only cold smoke say for 3 or 4 hours are you not frying the bacon up anyway. So what us the reason people hot smoke in the first place? I'm going to use apple wood,do I smoke longer because it is a milder wood than say hickory??
Please bare with me as this is a first for smoking bacon for me so I will have questions.
Thanks!

[RedJada]

 First of all, take the other half out of the freezer, your going to wish you had if you don't ;D ;D ;D.

As far as the skin goes. Personally I like to remove before smoking. I think smoking with skin on blocks the penetration of the smoke. I find I get a lot better smoke flavor by removing the skin first.

The temp is an important issue. You have to keep it in the safe zone and kill any bacteria that may be present. Personally, I take mine to an IT of 150, but that's me.

All I have used is 10.5's recipe and never had an issue. Since this is your first time, I suggest just follow the recipe. Next time you can play around.

[Habanero Smoker]

I find using the wet brine method, the bacon comes out to be more like commercial bacon. Using a dry brine, I feel you get more concentrated flavors. Since you have another slab, you may want to try a wet brine to see how you like it. No matter what, they will both turn out good.

Though it is a pain I like to remove the skin first, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that will show you how to easily do that. Keep in mind, temperatures for cold smoking is 90 degrees or less; best done between the temperature of 70 - 90°F. You can cold smoke for 10 hours, but that is a lot of smoke, so for the first time you may want to stay under 4 hours. The 10 hour smoke time is what you will see for conventional smoke houses, Bradley is very efficient in applying smoke so you can cut back on the time. Most only use 2 hours of smoke, but when cold smoking you can apply more with good results. Cold smoke give you a milder/sweeter taste then hot smoking, but hot smoking gives you a stronger smoke flavor.

The recipe in 10.5's pictorial the end result is fully cooked bacon, which is at an IT of 145°F. This type of bacon can be eaten as is, but for texture most want to crisp it up. Many feel this type of bacon is more convenient for cooking and crisping up. You don't have to fully cook your bacon in the smoke, you can finish cooking it when you fry it up. If you decide to cold smoke, your bacon is cured so you don't need to worry about the danger zone. Although Kutas will finish his bacon at 128°F, I haven't learned why he uses that IT, though I believe it is to obtain some additional color. Many recipes on the web will state to take bacon up to 138°F, that is the point that trichinosis parasite is killed. But that parasite is no longer a problem with U.S. commercial pork. When I want uncooked smoked bacon I will finish around 130°F. So you may want to give those IT's some thought.

[laserdoc]

First of all, take the other half out of the freezer, your going to wish you had if you don't ;D ;D ;D.

Is there a reason I need to take this out of the freezer ? I thought I could freeze it until I want to make another batch.?When I picked it up from the butcher shop he had it frozen and it was covered in salt. I will pull it from the freezer this morning and stick it in the frig until I here back from someone explaining why I can't freeze this half

The reason Im asking about the cold smoke is I just got one of those little A-maze smokers and would like to try it either in my bradley or in my big green egg  Sorry guys I have one of these also ;) :-\

Also how long can I leave the bacon in the cure? Can I go longer than 7 days or will it effect it?

[ragweed]

I think Redjada meant take it out and make it too 'cause you'll like the first batch so much, you'd wished you'd doubled the it!!!!

[laserdoc]

I thought about that but I wanted to do 5 pounds with 2 or 3 hours of smoke and see If I wanted to add more or less smoke on the second try. That way I can see if the wife wants more or less smoke taste :) and also maybe try a cold smoke on the the second belly.
Anyone try a small variation to ten points cure ,,,by using honey instead of maple syrup ?
Thanks Habanero smoker for explaining the difference for cold smoking and hot smoking. I think I will do one each way

[ragweed]

Yes.  I paint my Hillbilly bacon with warmed honey just before I smoke it.