🐖 4th Bacon Smoke 🐷

[Bowfineater]

Cure Formula
Pork Belly                                3145 grams            100%
Kosher Salt                                  63 grams                2%
Turbinado Cane Sugar                  32 grams                1%
TCM # 1                                  7.8 grams              0.25 %


Cured in 2.5 gal zip loc bag for 12 days

Rinsed and let rest 1 day

Smoked using 3.88 oz of smokinlicious cherry wood cut into 7 pieces


THERMAL PROCESSING & SMOKING

Stage 1 - 120° for an hour with no smoke
Stage 2 - 135° for an hour with smoke
Stage 3 - 150° for an hour with smoke
Stage 4 - 165° for an hour with smoke
Stage 5 - 180° with no smoke until internal temperature reaches 138°


Going with a little different thermal process than last time, this is from
Walton’s Inc


The Ambient Temperature here in MN @ the start of the smoke is 41F

 

[old sarge]

Good looking belly; should be some tasty bacon when finished.

 

[NDKoze]

This should be really good. Now, for the tough 12 day wait.

It is great to see you experimenting and honing your recipe/process to better fit your desired result.

 

[Bowfineater]

Could not get any smoke going, opened it up twice to cut the wood smaller.
Maybe it’s too dry?  I bought way too much from smokinlicious.

 

[NDKoze]

For low temp smokes, I either use wood chips instead of chunks as they will smoke at lower temperatures or my A-MAZE-N cold smoking tube or maze.

I doubt that it was too dry. If anything too moist, but most likely just not enough heat coming off of the element at the lower smoking temps.

 

[Bowfineater]

Yes, for lower temp smokes I cut the wood smaller, that is why I take a picture of it every time. 

When I made ham on may 10, and cut it into steaks, the wood seemed to be too small and got sooty.

Finding a balance is difficult, these smokers seem to be better at bbq temp smokes.

Anyway the bacon has a less chewy texture than last time, better I would say, but there is definitely more fat rendered out during cooking in the pan, which I would not prefer.

Next time will probably use the same smoking thermal procedure but pull at an IT of 130