I offered to swap smoked meat for fresh home baked bread with a friend of mine. He thought that was a great idea, but did I make canadian bacon. I admitted I had never done that but I would see what I could do. A little checking online and on this forum, I decided It was well within my capabilities. The result is as follows:
I found a small 4 1/2 lb pork loin for the first try. I cut it into two pieces. Using Shooters Dry Cure Recipe, I cured the meat for five days. The local markets did not have the Morton's Tender Quick so I ordered it online. For the sugar, I used dark brown sugar. Wednesday morning I removed the potential bacon from the refrigerator and wiped/rinsed off the cure. I then soaked the meat in water for an hour, replacing the water about every 20 minutes. I dried the meat off and put it in the refrigerator uncovered on a plate. Yesterday, I removed the meat from the refrigerator and put fresh ground black pepper all over it. The smoker was heated to 210. Using a hickory and mixed fruit wood smoke, I smoked one piece to 140 and the other to 160.
The piece on the left cooked to 140, piece on right to 160
We used the two different temps so we could try the bacon both ways, i.e. need more cooking and ready to eat. The bacon sat overnight in the refrigerator. We sliced some of the 140 this morning with a couple of fried eggs and an english muffin on the side. We are now hooked!!
I now have a real problem. Do I trade my friend canadian bacon for bread or do I keep it all for myself?
I found a small 4 1/2 lb pork loin for the first try. I cut it into two pieces. Using Shooters Dry Cure Recipe, I cured the meat for five days. The local markets did not have the Morton's Tender Quick so I ordered it online. For the sugar, I used dark brown sugar. Wednesday morning I removed the potential bacon from the refrigerator and wiped/rinsed off the cure. I then soaked the meat in water for an hour, replacing the water about every 20 minutes. I dried the meat off and put it in the refrigerator uncovered on a plate. Yesterday, I removed the meat from the refrigerator and put fresh ground black pepper all over it. The smoker was heated to 210. Using a hickory and mixed fruit wood smoke, I smoked one piece to 140 and the other to 160.
The piece on the left cooked to 140, piece on right to 160
We used the two different temps so we could try the bacon both ways, i.e. need more cooking and ready to eat. The bacon sat overnight in the refrigerator. We sliced some of the 140 this morning with a couple of fried eggs and an english muffin on the side. We are now hooked!!
I now have a real problem. Do I trade my friend canadian bacon for bread or do I keep it all for myself?