How Long Do You Smoke Your Bacons & Hams?

Are you cold smoking or hot smoking?

I've done it both ways. When cold smoking I usually leave them in for two or three days. If you are hot smoking, I leave them in until they get up to cooked temperature which varies depending on the cuts you are smoking.

 

Yup, and sausage too if you made it.

 

Assuming you already have it cured then cold smoking can be done in as little as 3 hours. However the longer you cold smoke it the better the smoke will penetrate and the better it will taste. My grandparents cold smoked it everyday until it was ate up. They would go out to the smoke house and cut off what they needed for the day, rub a little curing salt back on the fresh cut and then build a small smoldering fire for more smoke. This was done until there was no more left to eat. So I guess there is really no minamum time frame.

 

"How Long Do You Smoke Your Bacons & Hams?"

Depends on the type of paper you use and how fat you roll them ;-) Happy New Year!

 

You sure you don't go by Spaceship?

 

Well then, I'll give you a bump. What are your concerns? The smoking part is about the most straight forward part of the whole process. What are you using for smoke? How did you brine it? How long has it been in the brine? What are you using for a smokehouse? What are you smoking besides hams and bacons? Do you have any specific questions? What, what?

 

People have been smoking meat since the discovery of fire. If your ancestors could do it, you can do it too!
Basically there are two types of smoking techniques; hot and cold. Hot smoking is very simple and is nothing more than using heat/hot smoke to cook your food item. It is usually done at temperatures above 180F and can be done in just about anything including an electric smoker, a BBQ pit, a charcoal briquette/gas grill or over a camp fire on a spit. Usually the food is cooked low (185-350F) and slow (1+ hours). Smoke/cook food item till its done. Time varies per food item and cooking apparatus.
Cold smoking is a different animal. Here you kind of “precook” the food item by soaking it in a brine solution/dry curing for a given number of days. The brine/dry cure basically dehydrates and denatures the proteins in the food item similar to cooking it but without the heat. The salt from the brine solution keeps the bacteria and molds away from your food item. After brining, you will basically wash the food item and let it dry for about a day or so then you give it a good dose of smoke to add flavor and some preservative qualities. Cold smoking can be done at any temp between 65-180F using anything that will hold smoke. I have seen smokers made from everything from barrels, cardboard boxes, refrigerators, to outhouses. All you really need is a heat source and a method to contain the smoke. How long you smoke your food item will depend on numerous factors including your smoking equipment, your smoking fuel, your heat source, the item being smoked and how much smoke flavor you like and the temperature of your smoke. My little book indicates that brine cured bacon should be cold smoked (75-85F) for at least 24 hours, more if you want a more intense smoke flavor. The same book indicates that dry or brine cured ham should be cold smoked (75-85F) for at least 48 hours. In a smoke shed/house where smoke intensity is less the ham can smoke for up to 30 days with intermittent smoking.
Basically there are no hard rules for cold smoking meats. It is almost impossible to screw up. In a worse case scenario you will end up with too much or too little smoke flavor. Apple wood is excellent for smoking. It is very mild and adds an almost “sweet” flavor. It would be hard to over-smoke using apple but too much can impart a bitter taste. I prefer hickory but its flavor is very intense.
If you are still having trouble see if you can find a smokehouse in you area that will give you a hand. Good luck.

 

Seems pretty easy...divide your available wood into three equal piles and smoke for as long as one pile lasts. You might consider making the ham pile somewhat bigger since you just going age them, the smoke will help with that and help discourage pests.

I've never really noticed much of a difference between smoking for a half day or several days. You might get a bit more fly ash on it the longer you leave it in. We just happen to be blessed with lots of Birch and I love tending smoking meat.

The only time I tried dry curing was a disaster on a rather large scale. I was doing four hogs at once and they ended up getting bone soured. I've used brine curing ever since and it is way easier and never had any loss that way.

Dry curing just doesn't really taste like ham to me, too salty.

 

Imagine how many of our ancestors died figuring this stuff out?

Back when I worked in a small meat processing place down the road, after Christmas was when folks started bringing in their extra meat to have different products made, sausage, jerky or what ever. It's what kept the business hopping through the winter. One March, I had an individual bring in two deer hams that had been hanging in his shed all winter. These things were green with fuzzy mold and I couln't believe that he wanted us to make sausage out of it. I was surprised to find that after slicing all the mold off the meat was all red, and smelled just fine underneath the green rind!

Bet you can't wait to get that smoking done so you can taste your wares. I hope you'll report back on your results.

 

Isn't smoking fun! Can't wait for the ham update.

Your hams will probably be even saltier than the bacon, because of the large amount of salt you have to use along the bone and on the outside. To me it's too salty to just eat by itself, but it is a wonderful addition to beans or peas.

Hopefully, next time you'll have more freezer space and can give brine curing a try. If you are used to the more conventional taste of hams you get in the store, you'll be happier.

 

Hi Karen, I just found this thread, sounds like you are doing great!
One thing to remember....when dry curing you need to let the salt equalize before you smoke the ham. Soak the ham in water for an hour, dry, wrap and keep below 60 degrees for at least 14 days (depending on the size of the ham) to equalize the salt content. If you are doing a whole ham, it could sit for up to 20 days.
When ready to smoke, make sure the ham is wiped dry, any moisture will make the smoke streak.
I like to smoke my hams longer than my bacon, just my preference. You are doing great!!!

 

I bet your hams will taste great anyway!!
The way I learned is you let the salt equalize when dry curing, but if you do a brine cure or combination cure (dry rub AND injection) you don't need to do this.

I think I can smell your smokehouse now!! YUMMMMMMMMMM!