How to Cure and Cold Smoke Bacon

Home smoking bacon allows for a varied flavor.

To cold smoke a meat such as bacon is to smoke it at temperatures below 90 F. Before the smoking can take place, the bacon must be cured with salt to prevent bacteria from thriving. Cold smoking meat at low temperatures does not cook it and you should thoroughly cook cold smoked bacon before eating. The cold smoking process is designed to preserve and add flavor to the bacon.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh pork belly
• Salt
• Wood smoker with firebox
• Charcoal
• Wood dust or chips

Instructions

Curing Bacon

1. Cut the pork belly into slices.

2. Rub salt into the meat, making sure to cover the whole surface, then place the pieces of bacon on top of one another in a plastic container.

3. Store the container in a dry, cool place for 24 hours.

4. Drain the excess liquid from the container, pat the bacon dry and repeat the curing process as desired for up to 10 days.

5. Store the bacon in a cool, dry place ready to be smoked.

Cold Smoking

1. Light four to six pieces of charcoal and put them in the firebox. Leave to burn and then smolder. You can add more charcoal as required to maintain temperature at 80 F.

2. Add wood chips to smoldering charcoal to create smoke.

3. Place cured bacon on grill and close lid.

4. Leave bacon in the smoker for at least four hours and up to four days.

Tips & Warnings

• This is a basic recipe for cold smoking bacon. You can add additional ingredients such as sugar, thyme and pepper during the curing process to enhance the flavor of the bacon to suit individual tastes.

• Experiment with different types of wood such as oak, cherry and beech to create different flavors during the smoking process.

• Salting the bacon removes excess water from the meat and enhances the smoke flavor.

• If you don't have a smoker try using a barbecue and a cold smoke generator. This is a piece of equipment that fits inside the barbecue to produce smoke.

• The smoking process works better in cool weather when it is easier to control the temperature inside the smoker.

• Do not use treated woods.

• Always cook the bacon thoroughly before eating.

• Do not allow the temperature to go above 80 F.

References

• Food Artisan: Cold Smoking
• Cold Smoking: Cold Smoking
• "The Guardian"; Home Cured Bacon; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; November 2006
• IFood: How to Cold Smoke
• "The Guardian"; Home Smoking; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; April 2010
• Macs BBQ: Cold Smoking