first bacon - both success and failure

[Carl H.]

Inspired by Geir's experiment, my first attempt at bacon involved splitting the belly to compare cold- and hot-smoking. The hot side was done in the WSM, no water in the pan, 200-220 lid temp using cherry wood. As many seem to experience, it was better than any mass-market bacon I have ever eaten.

The cold-smoked half was a failure. After reading numerous suggestions that a soldering iron can be used to generate cold smoke, I decided it sounded easy enough to try. It was easy. I just stuck the thing in the bottom of the WSM. The cherry wood chips smoked readily but not profusely, so I closed all of the vents, including the lid. This raised the smoke density to something that looked usable. After ~ 3 hours the bacon had decent color.

The hot smoked piece had wonderful smoke flavor. The soldering iron smoke smelled like ashes in comparison. It was edible, but the flavor was not equal even to cheap supermarket bacon.

Any suggestions as to what went wrong? Lots of people say the soldering iron approach works well. Maybe closing the top vent was a mistake. I'd still like to try cold-smoking, but may have to figure out another system for the next attempt.

 

[Morgan C.]

Carl I have used a small soup can with holes drilled in it for airflow, used two lite coals and a small piece of hickory and can keep the temp under 100. It's a fairly labor intensive process as u have to add a lite coal about every hour and I have only tried with cheese to date but with good results! I use. Similar method without the can for my bacon(see the pic) an keep the temp around 150 to 175...normally about 6 or so coals and a very scaled back minion!

No water pan on either application and seems to work like a charm! Course outside temps in both cases were hovering around 35 f so if you are in southern Cali or Arizona this may not be the way to go! Part of the fun is playing around and use what suites ya!!

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Good luck!

 

[Dave from Denver]

I used to be a proponent of the soldering iron method but it's a pain in the *** so I kinda quit using mine. Sorry if I steered you wrong... Trying to decide whether I can build a cold smoke generator or should just order a pro-Q generator.

 

[Carl H.]

It's all good, Dave. As Morgan says, figuring this stuff out is a large part of the fun. Something like the Pro-Q will probably figure in my next attempt.

 

[Geir Widar]

I've tried the soldering iron method myself, and I found out that it produced very little smoke. It might help to heat the chips in a microwave, but since you have to "rattle the can", ie visit the smoker once each hour anyway, I've found out that other methods are just as good. Morgan's approach works like a charm, as well as "my" (I stole the idea) modified oil suction pump gizmo.

 

[Larry Corall]

I cold smoked my bacon on Saturday with mini-minion. Pain in the a** to get started but held 150 once it got going. First time I ever cold smoked on a WSM.
I have a MasterBuilt Digit electric that I usually use to cold smoke - that is the only thing I use it for - fish and jerky.
I like my bacon!

 

[Jon Des.]

I've cold smoked in my kettle by just hitting wood chips with a torch, but there's too much air in a WSM to get away with that.

I've had good luck cold smoking by using a few firebricks to make a very small (and insulated) compartment in the charcoal bin. Put 2 lit coals on top of a few leftover coals and top liberally with wood. I smoked cheese this way on an almost 80 degree day last June by filling the waterpan with icewater. You should be able to get a lengthy bacon smoke in this way, although I can't imagine you'd need to go longer than 5 hours.

Also, I wonder if shutting the top vent made creosote build up on your cold smoked bacon.