Looking for the best Canadian Bacon recipe.....

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skyclad

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jan 13, 2012
36
10
Hello to all smoke lovers!

I had a question regarding Canadian Bacon, and what the best recipe to make it might be..  I've seen lots of recipes here, but wondering who likes what.......and really just lookin' for the best brine recipe, or rub too if that is applicable..  For favorites on this site, feel free to just send a links to make it easy on everybody...

I've been smoking Pork Loin for years and always liked it, although a bit too lean sometimes seemed like..  Also, I've loved Canadian Bacon for decades now, so you can probably imagine how glad I was to hear that CBacon was made from Pork Loin..  Had no idea, and this seems the perfect use for PLoin..!  Now, I'm looking for what you guys think might be the best recipe..

I have a WSM 22.5 and a bunch of apple wood just waiting for me....  Thanks in advance for any help on this...!
 
May I recommend the injection method....   Provides a thorough cure with no guess work....   Shorter curing time in the refer...  Spices and herbs can be added to suit your taste....

Weigh out proper amount of cure #1 for the weight of loin you are curing (1.1 grams per pound or 0.25%)...  dissolve in distilled/spring water equal to 10% of the weight of the loin section... (Cure must be added to cool water)...  Inject all the liquid at 1.5" intervals along the loin, at ~5 CC's per injection,  to thoroughly and evenly distribute the cure....    place in zip bag in the refer for 7 days....

Spices and herbs can be infused in the injection liquid if they are removed prior to injection to avoid needle plugging....   Also, spices and herbs can be rubbed onto the exterior of the loin for surface infusion....  

Salt and sugar can be added for personal preference .....  If seasonings have salt and sugar added to them, additional salt and sugar can be a crap shoot....

I also add Ames Phos to hold moisture inside the loin...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/242305/pork-loin-canadian-bacon-my-way-money
 
I agree with Dave the brine is the way to go, however I just use Pops brine with 2 TBS cure #1 instead of two. No spices, just inject the loin with the brine as much as it will hold, then into a bag with the remaining brine & into the reefer for 12-14 days. I like pepper bacon, so a coat of mustard & black pepper, and into the smoker. More detailed instructions are to follow.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/242914/canadian-bacon-lots-of-qview

Hope this helps,

Al
 
Thanks to you guys for your recipes and suggestions!  Since everybody seems to like the injection method in this procedure, I have to ask where can I buy one of those industrial grade injectors shown in the pics.....?  The only thing I've been able to find so far is a smaller one like on the side of a Cajun Injector bottle..  Any ideas??

Thanks again for your help, and keep those recipes comin'..  I need all the help I can get...!
 
Cajun Injector needles.....   I use those....    I just found this needle at W_M.....  The bigger needles that are SS or whatever, are really good for injecting ham legs where the meat is thick and you need to get near the bone...   They also work or smaller hunks of meat....   I find they put a pretty big hole in the meat that injected stuff runs out pretty good....   that's why I went to the smaller gauge needle for injecting small hunks of meat....    I have 2 of the big injectors...   50 cc capacity.....

..
 
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I've been making Dizzy Pig's Canadien bacon for years. The only issue I have with it is My family and friends love it and there is never enough to go around. If you do not want or have Dizzy Pig's Cowlick no problem use any peppery style rub you have.
 
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I've been making Dizzy Pig's Canadien bacon for years. The only issue I have with it is My family and friends love it and there is never enough to go around. If you do not want or have Dizzy Pig's Cowlick no problem use any peppery style rub you have.
I would not use Dizzy Pig's recipe....    3 oz. of cure is good for 75#'s of meat....  Holey Kow !!!!!!!  that's ridiculous...
 
 
I would not use Dizzy Pig's recipe....    3 oz. of cure is good for 75#'s of meat....  Holey Kow !!!!!!!  that's ridiculous...
It seems the link I posted was the wrong link and yes you are correct that is way too much cure. The correct ratio of cure is:

Dizzy Pig Cow Lick Canadian Bacon

Author: Q'Fan

Recipe type: Formula for Success

Cuisine: Pork

A Dizzy Pig Spin on Canadian Bacon.

Ingredients
  • Center cut boneless pork loin, cut into three or four 8-10” pieces if whole (the whole boneless loin roast generally runs 7-8 lbs average and is close to 3 feet in length. Available at Costco, Sam’s etc)
  • Water to cover pieces of loin completely and snuggly in a non-reactive brining vessel (such as food grade pail or small cooler)
  • Salt or Morton’s Tender Quick at 3% of project weight*
  • Sugar (light or dark brown recommended) at 2% of project weight*
  • .05 oz ‘pink salt’ per pound of project weight* (use only in conjunction with straight salt. Omit if using Tender Quick!)
  • 2 TBSP Dizzy Pig Cow Lick rub per 10 lb of project weight*
  • 1 TBSP crushed juniper berries per 10 lb of project weight*
  • 1 small onion quartered, per 10 lb of project weight*
  • 2 bay leaves per 10 lb of project weight*
  • 3 cloves of garlic per 10 lb of project weight*
Sorry about that I should have read the post prior to posting.
 
FWIW....  Cure, regardless of manufacturer, should never be heated to dissolve in a liquid...    Heat deactivates nitrite making curing the meat impossible to have adequate controls...   always dissolve cure in cool water...  

Cure also deactivates during the cooking process....  therefore, what nitrite has not been "consumed" during the curing process is lessened and your uptake of nitrite lessened... 

The FDA / USDA has tested cured processed meats etc. and noted the amount of remaining cure is still adequate for stored food preservation...  The remaining nitrite has been noted to be somewhere in the vicinity of 50 Ppm...

The loss and remaining nitrite in processed meats testing is not something I have been able to verify in a document..  only in passing comments on FSIS documents....   Soooooo, I'm guessing their actual results are for internal purposes only..  and they probably vary widely with types of meats, process controls, etc..... 
 
Just a quick note to thank all you guys for the great info...  I feel much more confident in my Canadian Bacon adventure coming up soon now...!!
 
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