How long do you cold smoke your bacon?

HookedOnQ · Dec 4, 2013

Just trying to get a general idea of how long I should smoke my bacon. I will prolly have to break it up into two days so im thinking two 5 hr smokes 10hrs total. What are your opinions on this? Also ill be using a mix of hickory and oak

c farmer · Dec 4, 2013

When I cold smoked I did 12 hours straight with hickory.

Plenty smoky for me.

Diesel Dave · Dec 4, 2013

I go 8+ hours here

IamMadMan · Dec 4, 2013

I cold smoke with no heat at all for 2 hours, then set the pit temperature to 145° for 3 hours and then ramped up to the 175°-195° range until an internal temp of 140° is achieved. Bringing to the finishing temperature allows it to firm up and slice easier when fully cooled.

Ackman · Dec 4, 2013

Well I have always hot smoked in the past. The other week I decided to try cold smoking. I ran it about 6 hours. In my humble opinion, it tasted no different then hot smoking and that is quicker and easier--fwiw

cowgirl · Dec 4, 2013

How long do you cold smoke your bacon?

It depends on the wood I'm using. When using alder and fruit woods I smoke longer. Any heavy woods, I smoke for a shorter period.

It's a matter of taste, everyone is different. I start checking the bacon after 6 hours no matter what wood I'm burning. Slice and fry a piece...keeping in mind it will be stronger after wrapping and resting.

Some times 6 hours is enough of a cold smoke (under 85F) for me, other times it takes 17+ hours.

Good luck with yours!

JazzCat · Dec 4, 2013

..to an internal temp of 140ºF in the smoker no higher than 150ºF...
plenty of apple & hickory:becky:

5 lbs have good as short as 7 hours...
and as long as 13 hours....

YetiDave · Dec 5, 2013

The best result I've had was from 2 x 12 hour smoking sessions, spaced 12 hours apart. Basically just let it go through the night, refrigerate until night time and then start it up again, then rest for a couple of days (uncovered)

I used 2:1 hickory to oak dust

oldbill · Dec 5, 2013

HookedOnQ said:
Just trying to get a general idea of how long I should smoke my bacon. I will prolly have to break it up into two days so im thinking two 5 hr smokes 10hrs total. What are your opinions on this? Also ill be using a mix of hickory and oak

I smoke mine at 200 to 225 degrees and to an internal temp of 140. It takes about three hours. Meat will only collect so much smoke and the bulk of it is at the beginning of the cook and during the first two to three hours. I smoked my bacon with pecan and it turned out amazing but I think that oak and hickory will be really good too, I would imagine that the oak would mellow out the hickory a little. Have fun!!!:-D

YetiDave · Dec 5, 2013

oldbill said:
Meat will only collect so much smoke and the bulk of it is at the beginning of the cook

Not with cold smoking it won't, as you're not cooking the meat

Teamfour · Dec 5, 2013

I go 8 hours at 85 degrees. Blend of maple, cherry, and hickory pellets in an A-Maze-N tray.

oldbill · Dec 5, 2013

oldbill said:
I smoke mine at 200 to 225 degrees and to an internal temp of 140. It takes about three hours. Meat will only collect so much smoke and the bulk of it is at the beginning of the cook and during the first two to three hours. I smoked my bacon with pecan and it turned out amazing but I think that oak and hickory will be really good too, I would imagine that the oak would mellow out the hickory a little. Have fun!!!:-D

All though I didn't use the same curing recipe as is on this site I did use the same basic smoking method. The thing I like about the site is that it goes into the science of what meat does when introduced to different temps, moisture levels and so on. This guy calls himself "Meathead" and has done controlled experiments on all kinds of meats, with several different types of cookers and has collected quite a bit of information to reference to. Here's the link to the bacon page!:-D http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/making_bacon_from_scratch.html

oldbill · Dec 5, 2013

YetiDave said:
Not with cold smoking it won't, as you're not cooking the meat

Oops,... you are correct! For some reason my brain didn't process the "cold" part in the original post! LOL!

HookedOnQ · Dec 5, 2013

Thanks for all the input and advice everyone! Seems like its mostly about personal preference. I think I will do a 5hr smoke than do a test fry and go from there intill I find what works for me.

YetiDave · Dec 5, 2013

I'm sure one person on here said they like 50-60 hours of cold smoke on their bacon, I'd be very interested to try it but my bacon already takes 2 weeks to make :becky:

How long do you cold smoke your bacon?

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