1st attempt at Canadian Bacon - want to make sure I don't screw up...

smoking b · Oct 29, 2012

     Hi everyone! I am about to attempt my first ever CB - perhaps as soon as tomorrow (actually I guess later today) I want to make sure I don't screw this up somehow & it was suggested that I post the recipe & procedure I am going to use before I start to avoid problems from the get go.

     I have a large pork loin I got on sale that I am going to use. I plan on using Morton's Tender Quick & doing a dry cure. I will use 1 Tablespoon per pound of meat & also 1 teaspoon of sugar (probably sugar in the raw). I would like to cut the loin into three pieces to try three different styles. Plain - with just the TQ & sugar - sort of a "control" so to speak so I have a point of reference. One with Shooter's recipe as it sounds pretty good to me. & lastly I would like to make one with cracked pepper to give to my Mom as she really likes that style bacon.

     My first question involves the piece with Shooter's recipe. Should I apply the cure to the meat first & then the spices thus ensuring even coverage of the cure? Or is it ok to mix the cure with the spices & then rub everything on at once?

     The second question I have is about the cracked pepper bacon. Should I apply the pepper at the same time as the cure & sugar or would it be better to wait till the loin is done curing & then add the pepper?

     For curing time I will measure the thickest part of my loin & halve that then divide it by 1/4th. That should give me the number of days I need to cure & I will add two days to that as a safety measure. I will have the pieces of loin in individual ziplock bags & will massage them & turn them over daily. Once they are done curing, I will rinse them off & do a fry test to see if they need additional soaking. I will then put them in the fridge overnight to form a pellicle.

     The next day I will cold smoke them with a mixture of hickory & apple. I may add some sassafrass &/or cherry to the mix - haven't decided yet. Once smoked I will let them in the fridge for a couple days (to finish or mellow out or whatever it is that happens) & then freeze whatever doesn't get eaten right away.

     So that's my plan so far... Any thoughts, suggestions or things I have planned that are utterly wrong? Don't be afraid to let me have it if need be - I have thick skin

Thanks in advance for any input!

Edit: I was going to try a brine but couldn't find any cure #1 local to me so my 2nd attempt will be with a brine. At least I will be able to compare the two side by side then...

bmudd14474 · Oct 29, 2012

My first CB was with TQ and it came out good. I also cut the loin into 3 pieces.

On the CBP question you apply it when you go to smoke in not during the curing process. Atleast thats how I do it.

Sounds like a decent plan for the first time. I would follow Mortons directions on the cure and sounds like you are good on curing time. It will prob be about 8 days.

Hope that helps.

Brian

smoking b · Oct 29, 2012

Thank you Brian! I will wait till after the cure to add the pepper. Should I also wait till after the cure to add the rest of the ingredients in Shooter's recipe then or go ahead & add them from the beginning?

woodcutter · Oct 29, 2012

I just made my first Canadian Bacon last weekend. The recipe called for TQ and when I test fried it it was too salty. So it was soaked for 1 hour and then I hot smoked it to 145. Still turned out a little salty. I will try cure # 1 next time. I would be interested in how yours turns out......Thanks!

mike johnson · Oct 29, 2012

I am currently into my 6th day of a dry cure for CB using Hi Mountain BBB Cure. This too is my first attempt at canadian bacon. I hope all goes well with your CB. Dont forget to post Pics.

daveomak · Oct 29, 2012

Jeremy, morning and welcome to the forum.... When you cut the loin into three pieces, add the cure based on the weight of each piece... When calculating time to cure, 1/4" of thickness per day is the penetration rate (assumed) and divide by 2 because you will be curing from both (all) sides of the meat...(4" = 16 , 1/4" sections/2 = 8 days + 2).... then we usually add 2 days for good measure..... After the curing time, rinse and soak to remove some salt... that soak time is not a given and will vary from 2 hours to 12 or longer depending on personal tastes and past practice... I don't use TQ but someone who has might give their time table for salt removal... Dave

chef jimmyj · Oct 29, 2012

I have not Dry Cured CB yet but I am curious about the Cure and additional Seasoning...I made Belly Bacon and cured it first then added Pastrami Spices the night before the 10 hour smoke. You could not taste the seasoning at all. So why can't you add the Spices from the beginning? As the cure draws moisture out the juices will mix with and pick up the spice flavor then osmosis/diffusion will take the spice flavor in with the Salt and Cure. I would not think there is anything in Black Pepper, Coriander, Etc, that will reduce the effectiveness or inhibit the absorption of TQ or Cure #1. Also, I assume commercial mixes contain Cure, Salt, Sugar and Spices in one ready to apply rub that you measure according to weight...Thanks guys...JJ

diggingdogfarm · Oct 29, 2012

I would rub on the cure and then the seasonings.
There's nothing wrong with adding them right after the cure........they don't have much, if any, effect when added at the end.

~Martin

chef jimmyj · Oct 29, 2012

Thanks for the response Martin. My next run will be spiced from the start...JJ

pit 4 brains · Oct 30, 2012

Any particular reason why you are using the dry method for CB? IMHO the wet-cure method is more suited for the thicker, leaner loin than the dry method ( I actually wet-cure everything now). I started out using TQ and the dry method, but quickly went to #1 and a brine and never looked back..

Lookin' forward to the pics..

diesel · Oct 30, 2012

I may be a little late on this one....

My first question involves the piece with Shooter's recipe. Should I apply the cure to the meat first & then the spices thus ensuring even coverage of the cure? Or is it ok to mix the cure with the spices & then rub everything on at once?

I mix everything together then rub the meat down really well. Putting them in ziplock bags and rubbing them everyday will help distribute all the "goodness". I think you will probably see some juice forming after a few hours of curing.

The second question I have is about the cracked pepper bacon. Should I apply the pepper at the same time as the cure & sugar or would it be better to wait till the loin is done curing & then add the pepper?

I do both. I apply some cracked pepper during the curing process and again after. I think you will get a flavor from any spices you add during the curing process. Just wash it all off and re-apply before smoking.

I also noticed you said you couldn't get Cure #1 local that is why you are dry curing. I use butcherpacker.com for my curing "stuff". They deliver pretty quickly. I have switched to brine method now but you won't be disappointed with the dry cure.

Also, seems like everyone else has provided good advice. And you know pictures are expected.

Aaron.

smoking b · Oct 30, 2012

DaveOmak said:
Jeremy, morning and welcome to the forum.... When you cut the loin into three pieces, add the cure based on the weight of each piece... When calculating time to cure, 1/4" of thickness per day is the penetration rate (assumed) and divide by 2 because you will be curing from both (all) sides of the meat...(4" = 16 , 1/4" sections/2 = 8 days + 2).... then we usually add 2 days for good measure..... After the curing time, rinse and soak to remove some salt... that soak time is not a given and will vary from 2 hours to 12 or longer depending on personal tastes and past practice... I don't use TQ but someone who has might give their time table for salt removal... Dave

Thanks Dave. That's what I ended up doing - measuring the cure for each piece after it was weighed.

Chef JimmyJ said:
I have not Dry Cured CB yet but I am curious about the Cure and additional Seasoning...I made Belly Bacon and cured it first then added Pastrami Spices the night before the 10 hour smoke. You could not taste the seasoning at all. So why can't you add the Spices from the beginning? As the cure draws moisture out the juices will mix with and pick up the spice flavor then osmosis/diffusion will take the spice flavor in with the Salt and Cure. I would not think there is anything in Black Pepper, Coriander, Etc, that will reduce the effectiveness or inhibit the absorption of TQ or Cure #1. Also, I assume commercial mixes contain Cure, Salt, Sugar and Spices in one ready to apply rub that you measure according to weight...Thanks guys...JJ

DiggingDogFarm said:
I would rub on the cure and then the seasonings.
There's nothing wrong with adding them right after the cure........they don't have much, if any, effect when added at the end.
~Martin

Thanks JJ & Martin. I rubbed in the cure then added the spices right after.

Pit 4 Brains said:
Any particular reason why you are using the dry method for CB? IMHO the wet-cure method is more suited for the thicker, leaner loin than the dry method ( I actually wet-cure everything now). I started out using TQ and the dry method, but quickly went to #1 and a brine and never looked back..

Lookin' forward to the pics..

Hi Pit 4 Brains. I was going to try a wet cure but couldn't find any cure #1 local to me so decided to go with the Tender Quick. I noticed the bag said you could make a brine with it but I was worried about the salt level with the amount it called for. Also, every brine I had read about used cure #1 so I just went with the dry method. My next attempt will be with cure #1.

Diesel said:
I may be a little late on this one....

I mix everything together then rub the meat down really well. Putting them in ziplock bags and rubbing them everyday will help distribute all the "goodness". I think you will probably see some juice forming after a few hours of curing.

Thanks Aaron. I have massaged & turned each of them today & will continue to do that every day till they are done curing. & yes there was juice in the bags today when I did that.

I do both. I apply some cracked pepper during the curing process and again after. I think you will get a flavor from any spices you add during the curing process. Just wash it all off and re-apply before smoking.

I also noticed you said you couldn't get Cure #1 local that is why you are dry curing. I use butcherpacker.com for my curing "stuff". They deliver pretty quickly. I have switched to brine method now but you won't be disappointed with the dry cure.

I checked them out & they have really good prices on the cure. I will browse around the site some more once my power stabilizes & see about putting together an order with a few more things to make the shipping worthwhile.

Also, seems like everyone else has provided good advice. And you know pictures are expected.

Aaron.

smoking b · Oct 30, 2012

Woodcutter said:
I just made my first Canadian Bacon last weekend. The recipe called for TQ and when I test fried it it was too salty. So it was soaked for 1 hour and then I hot smoked it to 145. Still turned out a little salty. I will try cure # 1 next time. I would be interested in how yours turns out......Thanks!

I will make sure to post my results so everyone can see how it went.

smoking b · Oct 30, 2012

Mike Johnson said:
I am currently into my 6th day of a dry cure for CB using Hi Mountain BBB Cure. This too is my first attempt at canadian bacon. I hope all goes well with your CB. Dont forget to post Pics.

Thanks Mike! Hope yours turns out great for ya

smoking b · Oct 30, 2012

Thanks for all the replies everyone! I keep losing power & internet service here so it took me till today to be able to respond as above. I took a few pics yesterday when I was starting the cure & just tried to post them when I got power again for a while but it winked out again during the process & I lost all my pics on that card GRRR!

I will take some more when the loin is cured & post them while it is in the fridge waiting on pellicle formation...

smoking b · Nov 4, 2012

Ok it looks like tomorrow the cb should be done curing. I will take pics of everything & post them for you guys to check out as well as offer any comments. I hope everything turns out right - as far as I know I did things correctly but should know the final anwer tomorrow when I cut them open. I'm anxious

realtorterry · Nov 6, 2012

So how did we do??

smoking b · Nov 6, 2012

I decided to give them 1 more day just to make sure. I will take pics & post results this evening when I get them out.

smoking b · Nov 7, 2012

Ok here is an update.

PICT0729.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

Just after taking out of the fridge. Regular on the left, Shooter's in the middle, & the pepper on the right for my Mother.

PICT0730.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

Here they are out of the bags. I rinsed them off with some dihydrogen monoxide - it did a really good job...

PICT0731.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

They were all nice & firm but I cut them in half to make sure they had cured all the way through. They looked fine to me as far as I could tell...

PICT0732.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

I sliced a few thin pieces from the center of each slab for a fry test.

PICT0734.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

Added a wee bit of oil to fry the slices.

PICT0736.JPG

smoking b
Nov 7, 2012

While all this was going on I made some toast from homemade bread. I've been making it from Roller's recipe for a while now. Good stuff...

Ok after the slices were done I sampled them & decided they were fine. Not too salty at all & had no need for a soak. I put the meat in the fridge on small cooling racks so it can form a pellicle. Hopefully it will be ready to cold smoke tomorrow...

smoking b · Nov 7, 2012

Oh yeah - if anybody notices anything wrong or that I should have done differently please let me know. I'm new to this whole thing & don't want to make anyone sick!

1st attempt at Canadian Bacon - want to make sure I don't screw up...

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