Best Bacon I EVER made - BUT#$%

[Dakota Don]

I apologize at the outset for no pictures...wife was in a hurry (yeah, we'll call it that  ) On sunday I put the Grill Grates across the top of my BEESR, set to 15, let it preheat for about 20 minutes. About 10 minutes into the preheat I threw a mix of apple wood  and hickory chips into the hopper for a 'kiss' of flavor. I cooked with Grates up. The bacon turned out WONDERFUL. Even the wife said it was the best we've had in years, and it wasn't even my go-to brand, which is Wrights Thick Cut, it was just some low priced Oscar Meyer thin sliced...WOW !  The wife loved not having the smell of cooked bacon in the house (I love that smell, but it's even better outside with some smoke added.)
OK, Here's the issue... I had bacon grease all over the inside and some on the outside of the BEESR. The GG ,of course, had a lot on them as well.  I didn't panic, after everything cooled a bit a grabbed the grates, drained what i could off of them and set them back on top of the cooker  and set the BEESR to 'Clean'.  I thought that would take care of it...nope, so I turned the Grill Grates on end and set them in the chamber of the BEESR and set it to 'Clean' again.  Better, but still pretty greasy. Yes, I love a nice patina, but this in not that, it was just a greasy mess. I put the Grates in the Quantum and cranked it on high and let it roll for about 20 minutes at 650 degrees... after a bit of smoking and a lovely aroma in the air, the grates were ready for another cook... although BLACK instead of the nice patina I had started creating a few cooks back.  I used paper towels to clean up the outside of the BEESR and the rim around the top. I didn't mess with the inside, as I feel that has become part of the patina.
The big question (finally) I want to do this OFTEN, but if it's going to be this messy I may have to rethink a few things about it. I am hoping for ideas and suggestions. Also, I'm thinking on Saturday I'll cook bacon again, In the BEESR, of course, but this time on the FLAT SIDE of the grates. (but that might actually lead to a bigger mess, as the rails on the grates held a LOT of the grease, now there will be nothing to stop it from going everywhere.    Any help is appreciated... Thanks Gang

[teesquare]

Wow - What a dilemma Don!

I cooked a lot of bacon in my Yoder YS-640, and it was a mess to clean up, but I would probably do it again - not often, but occasionally.

What about bitin' the bullet and cook a big mess of bacon at one time, then vacuum pack portions and freeze? THen when you want more, you drop the bag in hot water for a few minutes to warm it back up without re-cooking or over cooking it...

I know that does not change the actual cleanup headache, but it makes for fewer clean ups.
T

[teesquare]

don't use your GrillGrates
cook your bacon by draping it over the sides of the BEESR's basket
then the drippings are just like any other dripping fat - to the drip pan

And cook as much as you can, for fewer clean ups .....Jack knows the BEESR for sur

[Hub]

Once or twice a year I do a big batch of pig candy.  One time I did it all in the Traeger, on the grids.  Completely filled the grease bucket and then spent a long time cleaning the grids afterward (sticky, greasy, hard to clean).  Got to thinking (I don't do it often) . . .

I was cooking at 350 degrees -- no significant smoke production or flavor was expected or even needed since the bacon is already smoked.  So, the next time I used the wall oven in the kitchen and put the bacon on top of parchment paper sheets lining half pans.  All the grease is absorbed by it during the cook AND all the sticky residue is easily disposed of by just tossing the paper sheets after the cook.  No muss, no fuss, no extended clean-up (the half pans fit in my dishwasher).

Worth considering . . .

Hub

[Dakota Don]

Thanks Gang! These are all great suggestions... The wife wants BLTs tonight and she doesn't want the smell of bacon in the house, so we talked about the options briefly and then compromised and did it the way she wanted... it will be cooked outside   . So I am going to incorporate all of these ideas over the next few weeks. Tonight I am going to implement Capt Jack's method of draping the bacon over the sides of the basket. If that goes well (as I'm sure it will) I will cook up a BUNCH to have in the freezer for 'those' days. And then I will use HUB's suggestion for those cold, stormy, -20* days that we'll be getting here in Iowa in the not too distant future.

[Pappymn]

Thanks Gang! These are all great suggestions... The wife wants BLTs tonight and she doesn't want the smell of bacon in the house, so we talked about the options briefly and then compromised and did it the way she wanted... it will be cooked outside   . So I am going to incorporate all of these ideas over the next few weeks. Tonight I am going to implement Capt Jack's method of draping the bacon over the sides of the basket. If that goes well (as I'm sure it will) I will cook up a BUNCH to have in the freezer for 'those' days. And then I will use HUB's suggestion for those cold, stormy, -20* days that we'll be getting here in Iowa in the not too distant future.

Doesn't want the smell of bacon in the house? Think it might be time for an intervention

[muebe]

Don have you thought about using a pan on the BEESR to pre-cook the bacon then when much of the fat starts to render use the grill grates?

[Dakota Don]

Don have you thought about using a pan on the BEESR to pre-cook the bacon then when much of the fat starts to render use the grill grates?

Great Idea Muebe, I hadn't thought of that, I'm going to try it. Also, I see the grates that come with the SRG have a ring around the outer edge, creating a damn that would contain the grease. I'm not sure if this was a special modification that a member made, or if that is how Char Broil makes it? So in addition to the great suggestions shared here, I might try to find somebody to make a ring about an inch high to go around the grates and attach.

[Dakota Don]

By The Way, I failed to mention in my opening post that part of the reason it was the best bacon ever was because I used Tee's Super Pig Bacon Rub! LOVE IT! I've had it in my arsenal for awhile, but it was hiding behind some other bags of spices, so this was my first chance to use it, WOW. Is this what is used to make pig candy? I had seen that post somewhere (I lost some files on my computer back in April due to a hard drive hick-up)I hope I can find it again.