Bombdog

If you look carefully at that last shot you can actually see the reflection of a sausage on the smoke shield! I guess mine was that shiny back in December, but it sure doesn't look like that now!

Damn Elie, that looks AWESOME!

Okay, so I hot smoked a portion of belly last Thursday in apple smoke and cold smoked another portion on Friday in hickory. No particular reason, other than I just added the apple slab to some sausages that were hot smoking at the time. I don't have any pictures of the hot smoked right out of the smoker, but here is the cold smoked portion right after removing it from the Bradley. Both bellies were cured in the same method, for the same length of time. The only difference between the two was that the hot smoked portion spent an extra day in the fridge before the test. I wanted to make sure we were sampling the same area of each slab, so I cut the test portions from the middle of each. The cold smoked slices are on the left, the hot smoked are on the right. Once again, the cold smoked slices are on the left. I didn't notice an real difference in the way either one cooked. Here they are, draining on a paper towel. Still, I don't notice any significant difference between the two. I don't have any pictures of the food-gasm I had when I tasted each. God, this stuff is every thing that has been posted already...and more. WHY would you spend money on store bought stuff ever again? The only thing I can say is that MAYBE the hot smoked slices were a bit drier than the cold smoked ones....But I think I'll have to do another test to really know for sure. Hell, maybe several more tests! I'll not make any recommendations here. Your choice how you do your bacon. I can only say at this point, for myself, what ever differences are present are not worth making a big deal over.

Abra, what you are doing, whether intentional or not, is cold smoking your bacon. You are fine. You just need to make sure that you cook it to 150 degrees before eating it. At least that's my understanding...I'm sure someone else will chime in if I'm wrong.

I have to say that I really am feeling good about how this worked out, cold smoking the bacon today. And with what Pallee said about his set up I am even more optomistic. I held below 80 degrees pretty much the whole 4 hours. It's a bit labor intensive that you have to set a timer and make sure the ice is changed, but the results were fine. I'm going to be out of town tomorrow, but will do the cold vs hot smoked bacon comparison on Sunday and post the results/pictures

Even with the temp control on the lowest setting, it's kinda difficult to keep the chamber temps below 100. I have filled a hotel pan with ice (directly below the bacon). I checked the temperature a few minutes ago by laying an instant read thermometer on top of the slab and closed the door for a few minutes. 73 degrees F. I just have to stay on top of the ice.

I hot smoked some yesterday and have a slab in the Bradley right now cold smoking. I'll be happy to do a side by side test and let you know.

Chris, take a close look at that picture above. There just isn't ANY room for beer in there, let alone another slab of bacon. I have 6 lbs of Hungarian sausage and another bacon slab ready to go in when that batch is done. Just plan on smoking for a LONG time when you start. BTW, what kind of wood are you going to smoke the beer in?

Alright folks. I finally got around to taking some pictures of the operation here. This is the refrigerator in the garage. Left to right, Tuscan salami, panchetta, bresaola, salt cured ham in the back and more Tuscan salami. This is a shot of the Bradley in operation today. Those are chicken sausages with sundried tomato and basil and a nice chunk of soon to be smoked bacon below.

I'll bet Jean stays on as the winemaker.

Chris and Ronnie I had some difficulty keeping the temps down in the Bradley (as mentioned in Charcuterie) for the salmon. I haven't tried any cold smoking since then. I'm thinking that two hotel pans filled with ice above and below might do the trick. Let me just say, Chris, that you really need to keep an eye on the temperature once it begins to climb. As far as the recall, my smoker was recalled, right after it arrived, and before Christmas (I didn't have it yet). The place where the fiance ordered it sent a replacement before Christmas and actually have yet to pick up the recalled unit. I'm not sure, but I believe its a power cord issue. I'll try to get some pictures in the next day or so of the refrigerator I have converted to a curing chamber. Right now there is a bresaola, salt cured ham, and 5 lbs of Tuscan salami hanging. We are working on the Hungarian salami and some chicken sausage with sun dried tomatoes today. Tomorrow the pork bellies are ready to come out, of which one will hang for pancetta.

Ron, This place http://www.barbecue-store.com/bisquettes-2981.htm has been the best that I have used so far. Their customer service and shipping were great.

Chris, I got the Bradley for Christmas, and you WON'T be sorry. I got a variety pack of bisquettes to start, and have since ordered larger boxes of hickory and oak. Trust me, once you get started with this thing, you are going to want to smoke everything but the small children in the house and experiment with all diffeent flavors. I have been pleasantly surprised with the flavor of the oak. Might I recommend, highly, the whole bone in herb brined turkey brest from Ruhlman's new Charcuteri book. In either oak or hickory it is FANTASTIC. I have several sections of pork belly curing in that will come out tomorrow. I plan on doing one in hickory and one in apple for bacon.

sounds like I'm ready for a trip to Charleston (90 minutes)!

I don't know about his problems, but I have one in my garage and probably couldn't live without it now. I'm in the south and the temperature fluctuations are pretty extreme at times. I have yet to see any problems with it. I also keep my upright freezer in the garage.

Once again, my appologies for not getting the pictures...but I just pulled the herb brined turkey breast from the Bradley Smoker today....Wow...I never, ever, would have believed that turkey could taste like this. What a wonderful treat! I was hooked just reading the book, but now I'm REALLY hooked. This is great fun!

What he said....

My fiance and I are going to be married in Key West on Valentine's Day. We're having dinner that night at 912 Duval. There's another Key West dining thread here: Key West dining

Large Le Creuset dutch oven, 3rd printing of The Joy of Cooking (circa 1936) and a shiny stainless Bradley smoker!

Oh, oh, lucky me....under the tree yesterday, third edition of The Joy of Cooking, printed 1936....what a find!

Hmm, I didn't get a rating on my vineyards...but it said I am "a respected grape grower" Wonder how I am as a wine maker?

Well, my picture posting talents are lacking. But I can say that Michael is SO right about the flavor of this pork confit. I just tasted a few bits as I removed from the cooking fat and placed into jars for storage, BUT WHAT AN AWESOME flavor and texture! I was able to secure enough pork belly fat to render for the cooking liquid. I don't know how much difference that made from say, shoulder fat. Michael, if you're still checking in, on other threads I've read that duck that "ages" at least a week before eating will be better tasting. Any thoughts on the pork? (Like I'm not going to eat this stuff right away!)

Pork confit from Ruhlman's new book, Charcuterie....Wow!

Thanks Michael. I hadn't really planned on "pulling" it (poor choice of words) as much as placing in the jars in chunks.

I just finished a large amount of the pork confit that Michael so highly recommends in the book. I'll try to get some pictures today when I pull it and get it into jars. On an extremely bright note, I've found my fiance reading the book several times and just found out that she has ordered the Bradley smoker, also recommended in the book, for Christmas! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Michael, my personal thanks to you and Brian. This book is without a doubt my favorite of over 90 cookbooks in my library! Bourdain only got it half right when he said you guys were doing Gods work....you guys ARE Gods!