English or Irish Bacon

[gabriel]

I'm looking to make some English or Irish bacon. I was there a few years ago and the bacon was great flavor with out all the excess fat of th delicious American bacon. I'd like to take a crack at making some but I can't seem to get a good answer on what kind of meat it is. I read around the internet and most places say it's "back bacon" but I dont' know what American cut of meat would provide me with pork back. Any help? I have some pork loins that I got for a deal awhile ago, and was thinking about using those if I can't find anything else.

Thanks,
Gabe

 

[lazydawg]

This may help you Gabe,



A type of meat produced from the eye of the loin or the adjacent area that provides a layer of fat surrounding the meat. Similar to Canadian bacon, this meat is cured, smoked and cut into round slices. However, unlike Canadian bacon which is very lean, the fat is retained around the edge of the loin to enhance the flavor

 

[gabriel]

So when I go to my local supermarket, what cut am I looking for? I'm doing this for a healthier bacon but still around the same price if not cheaper than regular bacon so I don't want to have to buy some special cut from a butcher.

 

[t-bone tim]

Gabriel , you want to use for english style bacon , a boneless pork loin that is not trimmed down completely , ( some of the fat cap and the tail portion still left on the loin ) ... if you want a leaner bacon use a fully trimmed loin and follow steps for makin backbacon ... just remember less fat = less flavor ... english bacon is just a type of backbacon .

 

[gabriel]

ok, so I just need to find a fattier loin cut then. I do want some fat, just not the 80/20 fat/meat ratio of American bacon.

Another question about cooking it. I don't have a cold smoker so I was just going to put it on the opposite side than the fire box to cook it the least while smoking. Am I going to be able to really smoke the bacon without having a totally seperate chamber to cold smoke it? And I was planning on using Maple and Hickory wood.

 

[wutang]

Check this out.
http://smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=935

 

[gabriel]

Wow, that is a great post from Walking Dude. Thanks!

 

[wutang]

No problem.

 

[irish]

I might suggest that a smoked, boneless, skinless, rolled picnic shoulder is very often referred to as irish bacon.

 

[walking dude]

In all my research on making a irish bacon, its a center cut loin NOT trimmed up. You need some fat surrounding the loin. Thats about the ONLY difference between Irish bacon, and Candiain Bacon.

 

[gabriel]

A couple quick questions WD, what is TQ in your statement below:
"I cured it as usual, with 1 tbsp each of TQ and Brown Sugar."

And in the picture with all your seasonings, it looks like you've butterfly'd the loin or something. Is that what you did? And then you wrapped it up like a cylinder with the plastic wrap to let it sit for 5 days?

I'm hoping to season tonight and probably smoke this Sunday!

 

[walking dude]

TQ= tender quick. you can find it in most grocery stores. look in the spice aisle. I rubbed well with the tq and bs and put in a ziplock baggie for 5 days, as this small loin weighed only @2 lbs. After 5 days, rinse and rub well to remove the salt. Then into the fridge for about 8-12 hours to form the pecille. Only reason i wrapped it in the plastice wrap, was, after over nite in the fridge forming the pellicle, i wasn't able to smoke it that day. so just wrapped it to wait for the next day smoking. I then hot smoked till internals reached 160-165, spaying with a combo of apple and cherry juice, over maple smoking wood. Smoker temps averaged 250. I did NOT flay this. Thats the loin you are seein as is. I just didin't trim it of the fat, to make the irish bacon. Thats what makes it irish.

 

[gabriel]

Oh, so when you you put the TQ and BS on it did you let it sit in the fridge or just on the counter while it cured? And was there no water? Just the TQ and BS mixture?

 

[walking dude]

no water, in the fridge or it will spoil. i do a DRY cure, not a wet cure. Big difference.

 

[gabriel]

I'm doing it tonight. Thanks a million!

 

[creative rock]

Not here in northern California, I have been in every major and not so major grocery store within 50 miles of the homestead. Finally had to buy it online this morning. I reckon when these politically correct buyers for these stores sees the word nitrates and trites they panic?
So many things on this forum I want to put into the smoker, and am limited without the TQ and sugar cure.

Thanks all of the forum members for making my mouth water with your generousity in your posting of recipes and Q-Views! :D

 

[fire it up]

Have never been able to find tender quick here in Jersey either. I thought it was somewhat common, guess it is some places but not here.

 

[azrocker]

I have tried to find it also. I buy from the internet.

 

[DanMcG]

For anyone looking for Morton Salt products like TQ here's a store locator that they have on there site. Might save ya some gas looking for it.

http://www.mortonsalt.com/store-locator/index.html

 

[creative rock]

Believe me Dan, I used it, I put every zip code I could think of, including ones from southern calif where I used to live, no hits on TQ, but I do know it works on table salt ;)

In my hunt for it, I even tried very large sporting stores that so call cater to the hunters, of course no luck.

Main problem with buying via online is the shipping... Salt is HEAVEY!!! but I figure it is cheaper to pay shipping then to drive out of state, lol