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First back bacon

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bladebuilder

bladebuilder

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Oct 6, 2014
283
94
Lloydminster, Alberta. On the border
Hey guys. So gonna try a Canadian back bacon. Starting with Pops brine. First question I have is with regards to fat. I picked up a whole loin to use for chops or roasts, but there was a good amount I internal fat. I put what was left in the freezer, till I was ready to do bacon. Is the extra fat a deal breaker when it comes to how the fat helps/hinders the curing process. Is it a personal preference thing? I see pictures of CB here, and for the most part, it's all trimmed lean. My thoughts so far, is this will be like a regular bacon, when slice to fry, just a lot wider... What are your personal preferences as far as curing process, and finished product?
 
The Loins I get don't have a lot of internal fat. They have a thin fat cap on them & a little mass of fat at the pointed end.

Most guys trim the fat cap off, but since it isn't very thick, I only trim off the stuff that's ready to fall off.

It won't effect the curing process, and personally, I like the flavor the fat gives it.

Here's some pics:

Boneless Cured & Smoked Pork Chops and Canadian Bacon       

Bear
 
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Never really heard of internal fat in a loin. Do you mean it's cometely untrimmed like a rib roast? Every loin I've seen is just the long muscle with almost zero internal fat. There is usually fat around the outside, and that's your preference if you want to trim or not. To answer your question, no, fat won't interfere with the cure. If you get a chance put up a picture of this piece of meat. You've got me curious.
 
Haha, Bear beat me to the punch. Guess we were typing at the same time. Sorry for the duplicate answers.
 
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Hey Blade, the back bacon up here usually has about 1/8"-1/4" of fat on it, but you can also find it without fat. The fat isn't a deal breaker, it will just slow down cure penetration. It comes down to personal preference. I like it with less fat, sliced ~1/4" for sammies. Finished product ends up more like ham than bacon.

I like the pops brine CB, and I just finished a batch from Shooters recipe here on the forum. Both are really good. The wife preferred the recent batch.
 
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So these are the ends. One looks like just a thick fat cap, the other is likely the same, with just a layer of red meat on top.
I don't mind some fat, as mentioned, adds flavor. Pork fat rules!!

I will thaw it out tonight, trim down the thick cap, and go from there. With pops brine, if I read correctly, there is no worry going a few days longer?
 
So my cure came in ( got mixed up originally, and had Prague 2 come) now this one shows up. Advertised as Prague 1, it shows up with 6.4% nitrite. Could I kindly ask you gents for some assistance, figuring the correct amount to use per pound for dry and wet cures? I know it's written on the label, but I would like a little confirmation. Here is the label.

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Bladebuilder said:
So my cure came in ( got mixed up originally, and had Prague 2 come) now this one shows up. Advertised as Prague 1, it shows up with 6.4% nitrite. Could I kindly ask you gents for some assistance, figuring the correct amount to use per pound for dry and wet cures? I know it's written on the label, but I would like a little confirmation. Here is the label.





I would use the same ratios as for belly bacon....

200Ppm nitrite max. for a dry rub..... and 120 Ppm max. in a brine solution....

dry rub.... 1000 grams meat x 0.000200 Ppm / 0.064 % nitrite in the cure = 3.125 grams cure per 1000 grams..

brine... 1000 grams meat + weight of water (500 grams) - 1500 grams x 0.000120 Ppm / 0.064 % nitrite = 2.81 grams cure per 1500 grams meat and water....

Both types of cure should sit in the refer for approx. 14 days.... or longer is fine... rinse and rest in the refer... form a pellicle and cold smoke below 70 deg. F for at least 4 hours or until you get a color you like... then raise the temp, if you want it cooked, to what ever temp you want it finished at...

I would add non iodized salt at a rate of 2% and sugar at 1% for a starting point....
Click to expand...
 
Ok. So after reading a bunch here on the subject, I decided to go simple for the first run. I did a couple things different.

Here is a breakdown in grams, so in the future, changes are simpler.

Based on a US gallon = 3785 grams, i used:
3785 grams water
165 grams kosher salt
130 grams of pure maple sugar
200 grams dark brown sugar
1720 grams of pork loin

6000 grams total weight of brine and meat x 0.000120 Ppm / 0.064 % nitrite = 11.25 grams cure (The Prague powder I got was 6.4% nitrite)

I completely mixed the brine, then injected in several places, recovering the run off, maintaining the proportions. Purchased a new container for the purpose, now the waiting game.

My tunnel vision, while preparing/trimming the loin, mixing/weighing ingredients had me forgetting to take photos, but here are the 2 pieces in the brine.

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So today is the day. After removing the loins from the brine, and rinsing them. I did the recommended test fry. A nice mix of sweet and salty. neither overpowering. this is gonna be good! 24 hours on a rack in the fridge to dry up. It the smoker in the morning!

So at 0-DARK-30 I fired up the A-Maze-N pellet smoker with maple pellets, and set it all out in my offset smoker/grill. (You can see why I need a new smokehouse!)

image_zpsf5824468.jpg

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We have thin blue smoke! Thils little AMNPS is pretty sweet!

image5_zps6c115fe9.jpeg

image5_zps6c115fe9.jpeg

 
So after 4 hours of cold smoke, (45 degrees) I upped the temp in the smoker to 150 for 2 hours, then 180 for 2, and 200 till internal temp was 150. (actually hit 156) I was busy eating dinner. ;)

Sorry for the poor light photo, after a day or so in the fridge to mellow out, I will get better ones. The color isnt as dark as the photo shows... Not sure why.

Has a nice maple smell, and a decent, clean smoke smell. Not overpowering at all. Gotta say I am pleased for a first attempt! Thanks for the help guys!

image_zps4056d7ea.jpg

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Reactions: pc farmer and Bearcarver
Looks perfect.    
drool.gif


points.gif
 
Oh Yeah!!!
drool.gif


That's my kind of Canadian Bacon!!--------
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How 'bout slicing some a little thinner & fax it to me!!
icon14.gif


Better get some more started!!

Bear
 
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