Makin' Bacon

Hi,

Is it possible to make good bacon in a standard smoker with off set smoke
box? I seem to remember that the temperature for smoking bacon is so low
that it's kinda risky doing it without curing. If it can be done safely,
advice on how to do it right would be great.

--
//ceed

On 11 May 2007 14:20:40 GMT, ceed wrote:


You would need to cure it anyway. That is - if you wanted it to
taste like bacon. You could get away with a #1 powder, I suspect.

-sw

I posted here a few weeks back about customizing bacon, using my
Bradley. What works for me is to get 3-5 # of Albertson's bulk bacon.
It's already cured and thick sliced, but not really flavored or
seasoned. What I do is mix up 1/4 cup of maple syrup with an equal
amount of water and pour it onto the piled bacon, mixing it up so that
each raw slice is coated.

It's then placed on my 8 wire racks, like jerky and cold smoked with a
single puck of apple wood for 30-40 minutes. The additional time allows
the single puck to be fully used. More than one puck, for me, overdoes
the smoke.

The smoked bacon is then bagged and refrigerated until used. It has an
excellent, premium taste. It would also be possible when placed on the
racks to add cracked pepper, if that's desirable.

Nonny

ceed wrote:

--
---Nonnymus---
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

Steve Wertz <swertz@cluemail.compost> wrote:

Yes. #2 should NOT be used for curing bacon! Nitre is unnecessary.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

"ceed" <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:Xns992D5F0E5C4F4ceedspameater@130.133.1.4...

Use a hotplate and sawdust or chips for the smoke. A fire is going to be
too hot.

"Edwin Pawlowski" <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:4B61i.8345$[Only registered users can see links. ].prodigy.ne t...

I have one of those large offset firebox Charbroilers. Between our wind and
cold there may be thirty days in the year when I can control the temps to
stay high enough in it to use for barbeque. Recently I had the brainstorm
that if I couldn't keep the temps high, I could try to control the low. I
made some very good moose jerky.

I'm now thinking of trying the trout and salmon, which I normally hot smoke,
as a cured cold smoke. I made the jerky by keeping a foil pie plate of lump
charcoal going for heat and smoke making. I'm thinking a smaller intense
heat source for the cold smoke. Of course I could simply use fewer coals
and more draft, but I'm considering using a sterno or even a candle-like
stove arrangement to make the cold smoke. I'm also considering attaching a
smoke box to where the stack comes out the side to cool it even more.

These are spring and summer experiments though. The snow has just left the
yard with no guarantee that it won't make a brief return yet. It's still
too deep in the woods to open many ATV trails, but not deep enough to keep
the skidoo trails open either. Now's the time to be experimenting.

Nick Cramer <n_cramerSPAM@pacbell.net> wrote in news:20070511161237.887
$ng@newsreader.com:


This curing thing confuses me. Not only does each cure have different
names, but they have numbers as well. It took me a while to find out that
what in the store was labeled "Nitre" in fact is "Salpeter". When I look
up "Salpeter" it tells me the name may refer to "Potassium Nitrate" AND
"Sodium Nitrate". But none of these have a number. Then it's Prague
Poweder #1 which DOES have a number. Does Prague Powder #1 come under
other names as well? And now finally it's #2. What is that, and how many
names does that have?

Is there an overview on cures for different kinds of uses somewhere? I
have searched but can not find a place where curing is covered in
general. One thing that would be great to know is if I for instance can
use Salpeter to cure meat for sausage, or if only Prague Powder can be
used for that. Those kind of things.

--
//ceed

"ceed" <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message

There are two basic cures. the #1 and #2. The other names are used as brand
names like Modern cure, Prague powder, InstaCure, etc. Go by the number

This may explean better [Only registered users can see links. ]
In the sausage industry the nitrites and nitrates are pre-formulated into a
product called Prague powder #1 and Prague powder #2. Prague powder #1
contains 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% sodium chloride and is used for the
preparation of all cured meats and sausages other than the dry type. Prague
powder #2 contains 1 ounce of sodium nitrite and 0.64 ounces sodium nitrate
per pound of finished product (the remaining 14.36 ounces is sodium
chloride) and is used for the preparation of Cured dry sausages. Prague
powder #2 should NEVER be used on any product that will be fried at high
temperature (eg. bacon) because of the formation of nitrosamines.

Most of us that do hams, bacon and corn some beef will be using the #1
formula, while making dried sausages like salami wil use #2. This place add
more names, like Tinted Cure

[Only registered users can see links. ]

Thsi place callsit Fast Cure or Quick Cure
[Only registered users can see links. ]

The reason for the tint is so that you don't confuse the curing salt with
table salt and use it in the wrong place. It is also made this way to help
with distribution of the cure. They are not mixing the two powders together
and hoping you get the right proportion. What is done is the salt and the
nitrites are all dissolved in a water based solution, mixed to the proper
percentage, dried, then granulated. That assures you get even distribution.

ceed <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:

As someone mentioned yesterday, get Rytek Kutas' book, "Great Sausage
Recipes and Meat Curing." I don't remember what my 1984 edition cost. You
should be able to find it used or from [Only registered users can see links. ]

BTW Prague Powder #1 is also called Insta Cure #1.
Prague #2 is Insta Cure #2.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

Nick Cramer <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote in news:20070513012446.413
$[Only registered users can see links. ]:


Thanks! Found and ordered the book from Amazon.com.

--
//ceed