Jay: I cold smoke if at all possible. I will do 2 to 3 days of cold smoking for 8 hours. I let it rest in the fridge between this, and then let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days to mellow after it is done. Hot smoking I would stick to the low side of the temp settings 180 to 200 degrees. You need to get the bacon above 145 degrees internal temp, but still keep it low enough that you aren't rendering fat.