Another Happy Ending - Canadian Bacon
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 01:31
I picked up 15 pounds of nice pork loin on sale week and decided it was time to make some Canadian bacon. I used CW's formula for the brine (of course) and added one cup of Camps maple syrup. I cut the whole loins in half so they's be easier to deal with in the fridge and the smoker
15 lbs. pork loins
4 &1/2 tblspns. Cure #1
6 qts. icewater
1 & 1/8 cup powdered dextrose
1 & 1/2 cup salt
1 cup Camps maple syrup
I geezed up each loin piece with 5-6 ounces of the brine solution, put them is a container with the rest of the brine solution, and weighed them down with a wire rack and a rock to ensure they'd stay submerged.
After a 5-day soak in the fridge I pulled them out and dumped them into the sink for a nice two hour fresh-water bath to reduce some of the salt.
I dried the loins with a towel and slipped them into some stockingettes, I like to see meat hanging. The went into a pre-heated smoker, 100°, for two hours with dampers wide open to dry. Raised the temp to 110° and put in a large pan of moistened applewood with dampers half open, good for the next eight hours. I woke up and raised the temp on the smoker to 130°, put on some fresh wood chips, and let it go for another 4 hours, then removed the chip pan and raised the smoker temp to 175, closing the dampers at that time
My game plan was to pull off at 149°, that where I was at 20 hours into it
It was out of the smoker and into a half hour ice-water bath.
Then a night to rest in the fridge
After morning coffee it was time to have a little taste sample and set-up shop. We were way way happy with the flavor and did quite a bit of sample-snacking
After the the tasting accolades were thru I managed to get everything sliced and shrink-wrapped. The new meat slicer worked beautifully, tho just like when using a table-saw, I had the work area evacuated. Breakfast will most certainly have to be Eggs Benedict!
15 lbs. pork loins
4 &1/2 tblspns. Cure #1
6 qts. icewater
1 & 1/8 cup powdered dextrose
1 & 1/2 cup salt
1 cup Camps maple syrup
I geezed up each loin piece with 5-6 ounces of the brine solution, put them is a container with the rest of the brine solution, and weighed them down with a wire rack and a rock to ensure they'd stay submerged.
After a 5-day soak in the fridge I pulled them out and dumped them into the sink for a nice two hour fresh-water bath to reduce some of the salt.
I dried the loins with a towel and slipped them into some stockingettes, I like to see meat hanging. The went into a pre-heated smoker, 100°, for two hours with dampers wide open to dry. Raised the temp to 110° and put in a large pan of moistened applewood with dampers half open, good for the next eight hours. I woke up and raised the temp on the smoker to 130°, put on some fresh wood chips, and let it go for another 4 hours, then removed the chip pan and raised the smoker temp to 175, closing the dampers at that time
My game plan was to pull off at 149°, that where I was at 20 hours into it
It was out of the smoker and into a half hour ice-water bath.
Then a night to rest in the fridge
After morning coffee it was time to have a little taste sample and set-up shop. We were way way happy with the flavor and did quite a bit of sample-snacking
After the the tasting accolades were thru I managed to get everything sliced and shrink-wrapped. The new meat slicer worked beautifully, tho just like when using a table-saw, I had the work area evacuated. Breakfast will most certainly have to be Eggs Benedict!