The quest for better bacon... Texture


 

Brad L

TVWBB Member
I do this thing… any time I drive past a butcher shop I have to stop; my wife doesn’t understand, I would bet some, or most, on this forum would get it though. A few years back I happened upon a small town old style meat shop while out of town on business. Small place, not much to look at, everything here looked old…. Real old; come to find out they have been in business since 1883. I think some of the spices were almost that old.

I didn’t find much that could handle a long trip without a cooler, but the peppered bacon looked good so I bought a pound. WOW! This is by far the best bacon I have eaten. I have made plenty of homemade bacon, much better than the supermarket; but this was different. Firm, smoky, sweet, cooked fast, substantial.

I enjoy the occasional trip to pick up a few pounds, but I get great enjoyment from making something spectacular at home, something I can share with others to blow their mind, and say I did it myself! Challenge accepted.

My friend called and asked If I wanted any pork this month from our regular group buy; I haven’t been smoking enough lately and my supply of bacon rashers was getting low in the freezer so I ordered two rind less bellies. They were both about 12 pounds each so I cut them in half, rubbed them with Morton’s Tender quick, and stuffed them in 2-1/2 gallon bags. It has now been 10 days of flipping, massaging, and waiting. Tonight’s the night that we take this to the next level.

The plan: 4 pieces of belly = 4 different tests – Generally, trying to reduce weight to improve flavor and texture.

Test 1: 4 - 30 minute water soaks, overnight pellicle formation, cold smoke 4 hours, hot smoke to finish temp, hang in cheesecloth (much like pancetta) for about 14 days.

Test 2: 4 - 30 minute water soaks, 3 day pellicle formation, cold smoke 4 hours, hot smoke to temp, rest 1-2 days to mellow flavors.

Edit:
Test 3: Continue to cure for total of 21 days, 2 hour water soak, 2 day pellicle formation, cold smoke 8 hours day 1, cold smoke 8 hours day 2, rest day 3, and cold smoke 8 hours day 4, 4 days refrigerated to bloom.

Edit:
Test 4: Continue to cure for total of 21 days, 2 hour water soak, 2 day pellicle formation, cold smoke 8 hours day 1, cold smoke 8 hours day 2, rest day 3, and cold smoke 8 hours day 4, 4 days refrigerated to bloom then 10 days hanging at room temp in cheesecloth to air dry.

I will update this thread as I progress through these different slabs, I am anxious to see if the curing time has more effect on the finished product or the hang drying. I hope to follow the weight (loss) and show pictures of the slabs as comparisons. Worst case... yeah I don't see one.

What is your opinion?
Am I wasting my time?
Should I be trying something different? (Other than pig breed or type of cure used – things that I can still change)
 
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hehehe... I do the same thing. Wife also thinks I am crazy. That said I have befriend the local charcuterie/bacon guy (who hails from Austria originally) and just happens to make the absolute best bacon I have ever had. Somehow he has managed to get the fat so firm it is as good as the meat. Subtle pickling spice taste and it fries up like a dream. Zero water exuded. In fact you can eat the stuff raw. I've hinted to him that I would love the recipe but I think I will have to go to work for him to find out how he does it.

I'll be interested in your results. Bacon on!!
 
Waiting with baited breath as I'm prepping to make another batch!
Last batch I did, I formed pellicle for a couple days and the belly firmed up so nice and the rested for two days in fridge after smoke.
My bet is on variety number 2 :)
Do you have an aging box for the pancetta variation or just gonna hang in a cool dry place?

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!
 
Test 1 is smoked and hanging, just wrapped in cheesecloth and hanging in my kitchen. The pancetta recipe in Charcuterie suggests that this is acceptable, I am keeping a close eye on it though. This is one fantastic air freshener!
Green Weight: 6# 4oz
Cured and Smoked: 5# 8 oz
Results: -12% weight



Test 2: This was pretty much my standard bacon with a longer, pre-smoke drying time. This has been smoked and is awaiting the other slabs for comparison.
Green Weight: 5# 11oz
Cured and Smoked: 4# 13oz
Results: -15% weight

The one thing I noticed about this slab was that during the cold smoking process the color was much more uniform and visually more appealing. I will make sure to get a few shots of tests 3 and 4 before the hot smoke to compare. The hot smoke really changes the color to a rich mahogany color and worth the second step.

This picture is post cold smoke / pre hot smoke


I am already starting to see test 1 shrinking a bit, the color looks deeper also.
Edit: Lost 7oz hanging in 7 days so far. As of today 5# 1oz

I don't know if I will be able to wait for test 3 and 4 to be done before I have to try a sample!
 
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Waiting with baited breath as I'm prepping to make another batch!
Last batch I did, I formed pellicle for a couple days and the belly firmed up so nice and the rested for two days in fridge after smoke.
My bet is on variety number 2 :)
Do you have an aging box for the pancetta variation or just gonna hang in a cool dry place?

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!

I also did a batch like this a while back, I never seemed to have enough time to smoke it or slice it. I think I went a few days forming the pellicle and a few more post smoke. It was coincidentally the best batch I have made at home. After catching up in Charcuterie and Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon I was starting to get the impression that most high quality cured meat products extend curing time as well as drying time. I am waiting for a taste test before trying some really long time frames; like used by Bentons.

I'd love to see a picture your last batch!
 
New around here and am interested in the outcome and process

Question if I may ~~ why cold smoke and then hot smoke :confused:
 
Welcome to the forum Robert, great people and pictures around these parts!

My goal is to add more smoke flavor to the bacon. I struggle keeping my WSM temp low enough to smoke long enough for the flavor I want. This is my first attempt cold smoking bacon so I am not sure this will work like I am expecting. I also am planning on a future slab of bacon to do a long cold smoke only and this is just to try out that process. Gotta play with those new toys. :wsm:
 
...
What is your opinion?
Am I wasting my time?
Should I be trying something different? (Other than pig breed or type of cure used – things that I can still change)


You seem to be using the same cook method. Cold smoke 4 hrs then hot smoke to temp. Try a true long low smoke. Honestly that's gonna be a significant differentiator, perhaps as much as the pre-cook treatment. I recently did a Canadian bacon 27 hour cook on my Big Steel Keg at 160ºF without ATC, and a couple months back I posted how to do sub 150ºF long term in the WSM here http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?52932-145%BAF-for-16-Hours-Double-Diffuser.



If I can do that in an insulated kamado you can do it in your WSM.
 
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Shawn, great suggestion. After considerable reading and searching I have decided to change test #3 to be an entirely cold smoked version. I am not completely sure how long I will cold smoke, it will depend on what it looks like. I am going to try to cold smoke for 8 hours overnight for a few nights. A lot of what I read, suggested keeping cold smoking temps under 90 degrees, this will only be possible at night with my setup. I am going to try and get the first overnight going on Tuesday this week
 
Shawn, great suggestion. After considerable reading and searching I have decided to change test #3 to be an entirely cold smoked version. I am not completely sure how long I will cold smoke, it will depend on what it looks like. I am going to try to cold smoke for 8 hours overnight for a few nights. A lot of what I read, suggested keeping cold smoking temps under 90 degrees, this will only be possible at night with my setup. I am going to try and get the first overnight going on Tuesday this week
That's a really progressive idea. If you can figure it out it could be the best WSM bacon method ever!
 
If I may and I hope I am not overstepping the bounds as I am fairly new here. The one thing I can categorically say is that you will have more luck with just cold smoking ~~ hot smoking is just that ~~ once it is done there is nothing else you can do to it except eat it

Cold smoking on the other hand is an art all to itself, depending on how long you smoke as well as how many smokes you do will add to the outcome of the product. The other thing about cold smoking is that once you have finished with smoking one should let the product mature for a given amount of time (usually 4 days minimum ~~ I do up to 14/28 days) as this will add to the flavour profile as well as add to the colour of the product
Normally one dries the meat overnight so the pellicle forms to a tacky stage ~~ do no more because if one does the smoke will not have anything to adder to

Smoking ~~ I normally do a 6 – 8 hour smoke on day one, day two I will do the same ~~ now on day three I will let it rest (no smoke) ~~ day four do the same as day one and two

Now comes the fun part ~~ the waiting ~~ yes one needs to wait so that the bacon can mature and build up the flavour ~~ four days minimum fourteen – twenty eight if you can and this will depend on your hanging facilities

If you follow these simple steps you will have the best bacon around ... hands down

A little about myself ... I am a butcher by trade and learned my craft in the UK in the sixties which also will let you know how long I have been doing it/this

I am not trying to come across as a smartarse .. far from it.. I only wish to help if I can

a64h.jpg
 
Robert, I think you will find many around here open to suggestions, I certainly am willing. Happy actually. This whole process is different than I anticipated, it has been very enjoyable.

The only problem I am having now is the slabs have been drying two days and they are no longer tacky. Not much I can do at this time. First smoking session starts shortly.

What do you recommend for hanging? How long can I safely hang without a precisely controlled chamber?
 
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Cold smoking bacon is the answer. It's like nothing you've ever tasted with hot smoke. Build a cold smoke generator or buy one you won't look back.
 
If I may and I hope I am not overstepping the bounds as I am fairly new here. The one thing I can categorically say is that you will have more luck with just cold smoking ~~ hot smoking is just that ~~ once it is done there is nothing else you can do to it except eat it

Cold smoking on the other hand is an art all to itself, depending on how long you smoke as well as how many smokes you do will add to the outcome of the product. The other thing about cold smoking is that once you have finished with smoking one should let the product mature for a given amount of time (usually 4 days minimum ~~ I do up to 14/28 days) as this will add to the flavour profile as well as add to the colour of the product
Normally one dries the meat overnight so the pellicle forms to a tacky stage ~~ do no more because if one does the smoke will not have anything to adder to

Smoking ~~ I normally do a 6 – 8 hour smoke on day one, day two I will do the same ~~ now on day three I will let it rest (no smoke) ~~ day four do the same as day one and two

Now comes the fun part ~~ the waiting ~~ yes one needs to wait so that the bacon can mature and build up the flavour ~~ four days minimum fourteen – twenty eight if you can and this will depend on your hanging facilities

If you follow these simple steps you will have the best bacon around ... hands down

A little about myself ... I am a butcher by trade and learned my craft in the UK in the sixties which also will let you know how long I have been doing it/this

I am not trying to come across as a smartarse .. far from it.. I only wish to help if I can

a64h.jpg

Hey brican. Wunderdave here.
 
New around here and am interested in the outcome and process

Question if I may ~~ why cold smoke and then hot smoke :confused:

There's a typical idea around here that bacon should be cooked after or during smoking as part of the processing. For food safety purposes I guess. But as you know that's not entirely necessary since it's cured and will be cooked later.
 
Shawn, great suggestion. After considerable reading and searching I have decided to change test #3 to be an entirely cold smoked version. I am not completely sure how long I will cold smoke, it will depend on what it looks like. I am going to try to cold smoke for 8 hours overnight for a few nights. A lot of what I read, suggested keeping cold smoking temps under 90 degrees, this will only be possible at night with my setup. I am going to try and get the first overnight going on Tuesday this week

That's a really progressive idea. If you can figure it out it could be the best WSM bacon method ever!

Yep as described by Robert g as well this is the trick to really smoky amazing bacon.
 
What do you recommend for hanging? How long can I safely hang without a precisely controlled chamber?

What do you mean by hanging ??

If we are talking about 'after' you have finished smoking ~~ all you need is somewhere cool ~~~ 38 - 48 degrees F

I have safely gone as high as 57 degrees F with no problem ~~ just make sure you have a genital air flow (not direct on the bacon )
 

 

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