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i put some jalapeno powder in with the cure. i wasn't sure how that would work out, so i went easy on this first batch. i also have some habanero powder. either way, it will get more heat next time. i'll probably cold smoke it for 12 hours and then smoke it to temp(150). It looks better coming off t...

it does put out a lot of smoke if desired, it has a variable speed control fro the air pump or fan mechanism, i like that part about it. its a good idea, but needs a few tweaks. maybe its a temp thing. if you have a cold smoker and it's in the middle of winter, i think it would work. probably should...

my self, idk. the posts i have been looking at for inspiration, they bring them up to 150 degrees. so, i figured i would follow the directions as best as i could(things like what cure i could get local, couldn't help). when there are several bacon how to's around here with a good following, why not ...

interesting first run. probably not the best, but maybe equal to the fancy store bought stuff. it is just slightly too salty for my tastes.before smoking, i soaked in cold water 1 hr, changed water, soaked a 2nd hour. this recipe may need a 3rd hour fresh water soak. texture and flavor way better if...

IMG_20131228_212808_273.jpg well there it is. bacon 1.0 about 12 hours cook time, thats a mix of cold smoke and a small fire. i let it get away a bit, internal temp 154. looks good anyways vac sealing in brine sounds easier than what i did. big plastic tray... so this is how they sell pork bellies ...

IMG_20131228_113305_986.jpg IMG_20131228_113318_826.jpg IMG_20131228_113330_050.jpg i went to sportsman's warehouse and got the hi mountain buck board bacon cure ans mix in some more brown sugar and jalapeno powder for this first batch. also got some hi country game curing salt. these little 18g po...

IMG_20131228_113318_826.jpg IMG_20131228_113305_986.jpg i gotta quit trying to reinvent the wheel. so i was thinking i might want to cold smoke my bacon project to get more smoke time before i bring it up to temp... it occurred to me that i should simply do this. drill a hole. now my cold smoker ge...

i've been letting it sit for about a week before i start in on it. i've not noticed any ash tray like flavors. the outer surface has a very strong smoke flavor, that does smooth out after a while. but some people have said it tastes good. its just a pure smoke flavor. a few friends have said my chee...

the people at the cheese counter talked me into using this cheese paper stuff. it's a two layer breathable wrap, supposed to keep the humidity the same as a real cheese cave and let it age and keep properly. http://www.formaticum.com/products/cheese-paper i wrap it in this stuff and let it rest in t...

today's work. smoked this batch 5.5 hours on apple pellets.

old school. i like it. interesting clip there.

there are a few more stores i can check for the good stuff. if i wind up going to the sporting goods store i'll get some pink salt and the hi mountain buckboard bacon cure. now is a good as time as any to try a few things on a small scale.

Has anyone every tried morton sugar cure(smoke flavored), that is all i have been able to find so far. I found pink salt, and a buckboard bacon cure, hi mountain brand.

any idea wich of those 3 would be better?

i bought a box of pork bellies today, but i cant find any of the tender quick. just the smoke flavored sugar cure by morton. the sporting goods store has some pink salt and some other cures i'm not sure about for making sausage. not sure what i'll use yet.

damn, thats a nice looking smoker.

hows this... cop car lights from the street through my kitchen window? it could have just been my crappy razr m droid, it sucks at everything(taking pictures, not locking up....) i should have kept my i phone it was a tasty project. definitely going to do another one. with out having a trailer rig a...

cop car through lights on the street?
optical illusion. the pig was a nice mahogany color

i have to redo the extra shelf to make room for slightly bigger pigs, also, i have to buy progressively bigger mini pigs until i figure out how much will fit in the smoker. at first i had a concern about the pig being slightly bigger than the door opening, but the skin toughened up and i was able to...

IMG_20131207_160324_475.jpg IMG_20131207_160656_508.jpg here is the finished pig. it came out awesome. all the different parts had their own flavor. the "bacon"/pork belly and cheeks were the best. i cooked it for 8 hours. after 5 hours it was at 175 at the ham. i bet it would have been done at 7hr...

the restaurant supply place usually stocks these. they have a random selection from 75lbs on down. when i bought this, it was the last one.

i'm aiming for 275, it's cold out, hard to get my dampers set for a steady temp. not sure how long it will take. i've read 4-5hrs for 165 internal temp for carving, but i am going for pulling temps.

IMG_20131207_082810_140.jpg 60 gallon tank and 26 pound pig. if i had thought of this when i was building/planning , i would have made the door bigger. cant remember what my reason was , but i had one at the time, to make the door smaller than the cook surface. i could cram a lot more pig in there ...

60 gallon tank and 26 pound pig.

here is it is ready for the smoker. that goya mojo juice is some good stuff if you are feeling lazy and dont want to make something.

thinking about some bamboo skewers to hold the cavity open. not sure if that would help any

IMG_20131207_071147_392.jpg IMG_20131207_072152_970.jpg here is the pig out of the plastic wrap. it was pretty clean. just had to trim off a few pieces of wtf and rinse. i split the rib cage and pulled the membrane off the ribs and belly flaps so i could get more rub in there. after reading up on t...

2.8 per pound on the smallest ones. The 60/70 pounders were $2.5 a pound