Homemade Sausage Making

Ok my pork belly is done curing, soaked & rinsed. Cut a piece and tried very good with 2.5% salt & #1cure not too salty.
Got hanging in window in garage and will cold smoke for 6 hours tomorrow and taste again.
More pics tomorrow as the story unfolds with my cardboard box & A-Maze-N smoker tray.

If you just cold smoke it are you going to hang it to dry like Shinkenspeck? If it's just cold smoked it's not ready to eat?

Yes hanging to dry so it take the smoke and yes it will not be ready to eat, looking for a frying bacon.

Well 8am the bacon went into the smoker (cardboard box) everything going great.
A-Maze-N smoker tray gives off a nice smoke and I have the electric burner inside to keep temps around 40 to 50*f (it is 25*f today) my temp control working great.
First pics ......... oh the box cost $11

Since your hose is probably frozen I would keep a fire extinguisher handy
Only because its on the deck.

No seriously, I was preparing for something to go wrong, however, BobK you kinda slapped me on the back of my head.
So you got me thinking, (and I said to myself... self) why not just move it off the deck, I mean how hard can that be.
Now I have nothing at all to worry about and I can relax and do some other things.
Really thanks I appreciate and will forever, remember this conversation.

Ok day one done, 8 hours smoke in my cardboard box with Apple pellets in the A-Maze-N smoker tray.

So, the U-Haul box for $11 dollars worked out super great and so did the pellet tray, the hot plate worked out good too, but once the box and everything got up to temp and the outside temps hit 33*f, I did not need it, as temps held at 50 - 51*f all day.

I'm very very pleased with my first attempt in many years, so much so, that come the spring time, I'm gonna build a nice wooden smokehouse out back.

So I have the bacon hanging in my garage overnight (it's cold), then will give it another 8 hours with apple smoke tomorrow, then give it another taste.

Right now I'm very excited and thank you all for your support and help.

Oh the smoke in the meat and box looks a little light, what do you think, should I be heavier on the smoke?

I would not go heavier, a light white wisp is all you need for flavor, I doesn't get as dark in lower temps., you are smoking for flavor and it is also drying.

I gotcha BobK, I guess I doing everything right so far, thanks

Ok final update on my bacon.
I give it a 7.5 out of 10, reason being to much sugar and not enough salty taste.
Other then that, everything else went great, just the right amount of smoke, so it has great flavor, it just needs that extra salt to make the taste stand out like salt will do.
Now I'm not sure if it was because I only used 2.5% salt or maybe I over soaked & rinsed.
But sucessful, thanks for the help, and no need to post pics except for the 2 test slices.

Kijek wrote:maybe I over soaked & rinsed.

You do not need to soak an EQ cure. It simply cant get too salty. That was your problem.

Yeah you know I remember you saying that once before, I won't forget next time.

Ok with the weather so beautiful out I decided to makes 5 lbs for kielbasi and took out the ol' box smoker again. This $11 dollar box works pretty damn good I have to say.
Now I know BobK is gonna get all over me for placing it on my deck, but the lawn is all muddy.
But don't worry, I'm enjoying sitting next to it and watching the smoke come out.
Besides that girl on the box is starting to look pretty good.