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Another Happy Ending - Canadian Bacon

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 01:31
by sawhorseray
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

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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.

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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.

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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

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My game plan was to pull off at 149°, that where I was at 20 hours into it

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It was out of the smoker and into a half hour ice-water bath.
Then a night to rest in the fridge

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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!

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 01:37
by sawhorseray
Here's the finished product

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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 01:40
by sawhorseray
Just a note. If you entertain the thought of getting a slicer like this, be sure to get some kevlar gloves for the cleaning phase, round razor blades are just too awkward to deal with.

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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 01:44
by NorCal Kid
Looks great!!!
I'm waiting for pork loins to go on sale so I can make more CB!

And I second the recommendation of the kevlar gloves. They're invaluable when using and cleaning a slicer.

Kevin
sawhorseray wrote:Just a note. If you entertain the thought of getting a slicer like this, be sure to get some kevlar gloves for the cleaning phase, round razor blades are just too awkward to deal with.

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 02:17
by Big Guy
Yummy :lol:

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 02:35
by two_MN_kids
sawhorseray wrote:Just a note. If you entertain the thought of getting a slicer like this, be sure to get some kevlar gloves for the cleaning phase, round razor blades are just too awkward to deal with.
Ray,

I have the same or very similar Cabala's slicer. I haven't been cut yet, but it will happen. Thanks for the advice; I need to pick up the gloves.

Jim

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 04:11
by Chuckwagon
Rawhorse! :lol:
Great job - great results. That stuff looks good enough to eat!
Keep it up pal.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 04:37
by ssorllih
The real secret is to not get into a hurry when you are cleaning knives. It takes about six hours to repair a one inch long laceration if I recall correctly.

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 06:40
by sawhorseray
ssorllih wrote:The real secret is to not get into a hurry when you are cleaning knives. It takes about six hours to repair a one inch long laceration if I recall correctly.
Yes indeed it does! Of course God only knows what's there to be breathed in while waiting, no bad ramifications so far. RAY

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 06:54
by redzed
Good job on the loins Ray! I like to eat mine on fresh rye with cheese and Bavarian mustard. These don't last long at our house. Loins are currently on sale at a local supermarket for $1.99lb. Will have to pick up a few since yours made me drool a bit.

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 07:02
by sawhorseray
NorCal Kid wrote:Looks great!!!
I'm waiting for pork loins to go on sale so I can make more CB!

And I second the recommendation of the kevlar gloves. They're invaluable when using and cleaning a slicer.

Kevin

I don't know where you are in NorCal, seems to stretch from Fresno to Eureka. Raley's now has a chain of non-union off-shoots named Food Source that has the best prices of any grocery store around, and they promise to beat ANY advertised price, on any product. Just bring in the ad and they'll beat it, pretty easy. The quality of their produce is real nice also, their beef is Harris Ranch, good enough for me. I've always been a Safeway guy until the last three months when I started going to Food Source, same stuff, WAY better prices. RAY

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 07:16
by sawhorseray
redzed wrote:Good job on the loins Ray! I like to eat mine on fresh rye with cheese and Bavarian mustard. These don't last long at our house. Loins are currently on sale at a local supermarket for $1.99lb. Will have to pick up a few since yours made me drool a bit.
My bacon might last a little longer because I can't stop eating the Kolbasz I made earlier in the week. Deli mustard with strong horseradish and some Swiss cheese makes me very happy, bottle of Becks. I might have to make another loaf of rye in my machine, been about a month now and I miss bread, refuse to pay $5 a loaf, NO WAY. RAY