Bellies ready for the smoker. Couple questions.

[Bill S.]

The bellies after curing one week in the fridge using a dry rub of kosher salt and brown sugar.. Do they look about right?. It's strange that they are two different colors. The one on the left had the same mix with just a teaspoon of black pepper added. What temp do I smoke at, low 200's or at the normal 250?

 

[Trev]

They look good to me, Bill. I did 3 slabs (total 10lb) last week and they did fine at the usual 250*. I pulled them at ~145*.
Not sure what causes the difference in shade, although I suspect it has more to do with the meat itself than the curing process, all else being equal.

 

[Bill S.]

Thx Trev,...Just threw them in about 5 minutes ago. Using maple. Was debating apple or maple, I figured on the latter since I've never used it. Figure now would be a good time.

 

[JimK]

Looking good Bill! Keep us posted.

Did you try to fry any up before you put it on the smoker?

 

[Bill S.]

Came out great, I was surprised. It tasted just like....well, bacon...lol. Me and my son polished off the peppered slab. Got four good sized sandwiches out of it, plus all the pieces we ate while cooking it..lol. Had a couple issues. One was slicing, had trouble getting full length slices, and the other is I think I sliced too soon, was sort of falling apart. Salt balance was good and had a faint pepper finish. Had no smoke flavor though, used one chunk of maple I preburned. Maybe I need more wood for a short cook.

Jim...Ate some small pieces after taking it out of the smoker before frying it up, tasted like ham. Which makes me want to try to do a ham..lol.

Didn't get any pics after slicing. These were about a half hour before they were done.

 

[Branon S.]

Skin side down!

 

[Bill S.]

Well now you tell me...lol. I had no idea. Oh well next time I know. Is there a big difference in the results?...Now this is embarrassing, what a bacon rookie...lol.

 

[JimK]

Congrats Bill! I've only got one bacon cook under my belt, but I can't wait to do it again. I used 4-5 chunks of hickory for my cook. It was incredibly smoky when I pulled it off, but by the next day, it mellowed perfectly. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Ron... L.]

Nice job.

I generally smoke my bacon with 2 or 3 chunks of apple, skin side down and try and keep the smoker at 200 or a little lower (cold water in water pan). I pull off cooker at 150-155.

I have a slicer and put bacon in freezer until quite firm prior to slicing and that seems to work for me.

Ron

 

[Brad Benski]

Bill,
Nice job. I wouldn't think you did anything wrong! Because......You ate the whole thing!

You now have some different things to try in the future.

As far as a slicer, I'd look for one of those long scalloped slicing knifes. Several people have them. Mine's a Dexter brand but it appears to be the same as the Victorinox one.

Here is the link: Amazon: Victorinox Slicing Knife
This is the one I have: Ace Mart: Dexter Slicing Knife

 

[Bill S.]

Brad...Just sliced the second one up. Much better results slicing when it's cold. Got full length strips, though I cut a bit too thin. Thx for the links.........

 

[Scooter B]

I have another 9 lbs on the smoker right now. about 1 hr in.

I'm still a rookie at this too but I have encountered a few of the same issues. I've been using applewood (mix of chunk and chip) and generally keeping around 190-210F. I'm not overly picky on the temp as long as I keep it 250 or under. I just want to maximize the time on the smoker without overcooking. Given that it's single digits outside it makes it MUCH easier to keep cool even without water in the pan.

As for slicing... I tried the long strips and without a slicer its just too **** hard to be consistent. I typically cut in half to cook anyways so I just do this before slicing now.

 

[Wolgast]

I've been using applewood (mix of chunk and chip) and generally keeping around 190-210F. I'm not overly picky on the temp as long as I keep it 250 or under. I just want to maximize the time on the smoker without overcooking.

Same here!

About slicing i think Brian Lee´s method would work fine: I placed a cutting board on top of the belly, pressed down and then used the edge as a cutting guide.