Canadian bacon challenge - dry cure vs brine - side by side test

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I have the results from the first two judges. I have my parents stopping in tomorrow & I am going to have them sample & judge as well so that there are results from a couple different generations of judges. Once that is done I will post all the results from the judging as well as my own thoughts. Stay tuned for the final outcome 
110.gif
  
cheers.gif
 
33.gif
 
Ok my parents just got here. I am gonna cook some CB for them to try while waiting for the pork to finish resting & pull. I will finally be able to post the results tonight 
thumb1.gif


Updates to follow...
 
HAHAHA... Foreplay.  I probably shouldn't say what I am thinking but I will anyway.  Since you live in south central PA i would assume your close to state college and you should be lucky that Jerry Sandusky didn't have a thing for CB because you would probably be in trouble right now!    hAHAa.
laugh1.gif


Jim
 
 
Quick posting of the results. More details & thoughts to be posted a little later once my parents leave (I am enjoying the visit)  but for now here are the judges votes on the Canadian Bacon...

There were 4 judges & these were their decisions

dry cure ------- 3 votes

wet cure ------- 1 vote

Further details to come...
 
Quick posting of the results. More details & thoughts to be posted a little later once my parents leave (I am enjoying the visit)  but for now here are the judges votes on the Canadian Bacon...

There were 4 judges & these were their decisions

dry cure ------- 3 votes

wet cure ------- 1 vote

Further details to come...
Cheese and Rice! It didn't take this long to get the results of which way Florida was sending their Electoral College Votes!...JJ
PDT_Armataz_01_02.gif
 
Cheese and Rice! It didn't take this long to get the results of which way Florida was sending their Electoral College Votes!...JJ
PDT_Armataz_01_02.gif
eek.gif
   Sorry - wasn't trying to piss anyone off. I don't get to see my parents very often but they have been back in the area for a few weeks for the holidays. They were here again tonight & I wanted to spend a little time with them while I could... 
th_dunno-1%5B1%5D.gif


     I will start off by saying that everyone liked both types of bacon very much. The first 2 judges both liked the dry cure just a little more. Both stated that it had a wee bit more smoke flavor than the wet cure. I had them give their opinions when they first arrived, after having a couple drinks & at the end of the night for a total of 3 times. They made the same decision each time but stated that the wet cure was very close. I did not tell them which was which before they sampled it. Neither of these first two judges made any texture comparisons.

     The second set of judges were my parents. My dad chose the dry cured bacon & my mom chose the wet cured bacon. I had them try it both before & after the pulled pork & both chose the same each time. I did not tell them which was which before sampling either. Both of them compared the texture of the bacon. My mom preferred the wet cure because she said it was slightly more moist. My dad preferred the dry cure because it was slightly less moist & a tad bit saltier. Both thought the dry cure had a hint more smoke flavor but were quick to add that both types of bacon were very good.

     Now for my thoughts. The dry cured bacon was just a tad saltier with a tiny bit more smoke flavor - not very much though. The wet cured bacon definitely had more moisture. I was happy with both types of bacon. The dry cured bacon required just a little more effort due to having to turn the bags over every day versus placing the loin in the brine & letting it do its thing. That is not a factor for me but is something to consider. I am not really sure why the dry cured bacon took on a little bit more smoke flavor but it did. When cooking I used a bit of olive oil in the pan. The dry cure soaked up a tiny amount of it. The wet cure not so much due to the higher moisture content. It would be a lot easier to burn the dry cured bacon than the wet cured or cook it to leather consistency if not careful.

     As of right now I have to go with the dry cure as my preference mainly due to its slightly higher saltiness. To get a completely fair comparison though I need to dry cure with TQ & brine with TQ or dry cure with #1 & brine with #1 - that would level the playing field & I will try that on my next CB...
 
Thanks for the great write up! With the Pop's Brine how much salt did you use? I only ask as the recipe calls for a range of 1/3 cup to 1 cup per gallon. My first batch I used 1/3 per gallon (made 3 gallons) and added an additional 1/4 cup. I thought it was pretty spot on for CB, I prefer mine CB not very salty.  I thought that the BBB and Belly needed more salt.
 
Thanks for the great write up! With the Pop's Brine how much salt did you use? I only ask as the recipe calls for a range of 1/3 cup to 1 cup per gallon. My first batch I used 1/3 per gallon (made 3 gallons) and added an additional 1/4 cup. I thought it was pretty spot on for CB, I prefer mine CB not very salty.  I thought that the BBB and Belly needed more salt.
Since this was my first time with the brine I went for the midpoint & used 2/3 cup of salt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stovebolt
It all looks great. Now I want to try a dry cure and cold smoke. I only made CB once and it was a wet cure with a hot smoke. Came out way better than any store bought I have tasted.
 
Thanks for posting. I have been pondering the same question and do like my CB a bit on the salty side and use a dry cure. Now I have a starting point for Pop's brine. 
icon14.gif
 
It has just come to my attention that TQ should not be used at refrigerator temps due to the nitrate content not being converted to nitrites at the lower temps. My next batch will be made with cure #1 for both the dry & wet cure to do the comparison. I apologize for any confusion or misleading info.
 
Last edited:
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky