Cold-smoked bacon involves curing the meat (wet or dry curing) and adequately drying the outside of the meat to form a pellicle so the smoke vapor sticks to it. (Hot Smoked Bacon: When curing the meat, you add salt for flavor but not to preserve it. You smoke and cook the meat indirectly with hot heat until it reaches a cooked internal meat temperature. Then, you slice and eat, or re-fry and eat.)