I've made a number of cured loin bacon.
Tried a variety of cure methods.
Tried a few smoke/cook methods.
Finally decided a basic 2% wet brine and 150 ppm nitrite cure is my preference. No sugar or other added flavors.
The single biggest change was NOT over cooking the loin. I used to take it 145° IT
Big shout out to
daveomak
after I read his thread Pork loin .... about pasteurization.
Finally got a chance to try it last month (March 2020) on a sacrificial 2# sirloin roast end of a loin.
Absolutely amazing. I gave away most of it to brag about my results.
The true test is if one can repeat the end product?
Restart with 3# and 2# loins. 3# loin started a week earlier than 2#.
Pulled both from brine and decided to try the bondage method. Don't have netting so tried a simple twine tie.
Air dried for 22 hours. Using a new (to me) MB pellet pooper. Learned how to get the cook chamber down to the 160° range.
Pellet poopers are not generous with smoke so I added a tube of 50/50 cherry and hickory pellets.
I think this was 2 hours into the smoke when I turned the meat.
Tube lasted about 4 hours which is probably about the time the outer temperature was 140° point and stops taking on smoke
2# loin finished first. Cooled for about an hour and then bagged.
3# loin took another 3 hours to get the IT profile.
Shut off the pooper and pulled the temp probe for the last 30 minutes.
The 3# piece.
Big test is the slice and fry? This was a week after smoking to let it rest.
A few slices in the skillet for a quick warm up and slight saute.
Considered Eggs Benedict, but ...
Bread fit the bacon slices better than muffins, and the belly has already grown enough this winter to obstruct the obligatory shoe shot so Hollandaise Sauce was nixed.
The 2# loin was given away to pay back for the farm fresh eggs my wife gets from a co-worker.
Thanks for looking
-John
Tried a variety of cure methods.
Tried a few smoke/cook methods.
Finally decided a basic 2% wet brine and 150 ppm nitrite cure is my preference. No sugar or other added flavors.
The single biggest change was NOT over cooking the loin. I used to take it 145° IT
Big shout out to
daveomak
after I read his thread Pork loin .... about pasteurization.Finally got a chance to try it last month (March 2020) on a sacrificial 2# sirloin roast end of a loin.
Absolutely amazing. I gave away most of it to brag about my results.
The true test is if one can repeat the end product?
Restart with 3# and 2# loins. 3# loin started a week earlier than 2#.
Pulled both from brine and decided to try the bondage method. Don't have netting so tried a simple twine tie.
Air dried for 22 hours. Using a new (to me) MB pellet pooper. Learned how to get the cook chamber down to the 160° range.
Pellet poopers are not generous with smoke so I added a tube of 50/50 cherry and hickory pellets.
I think this was 2 hours into the smoke when I turned the meat.
Tube lasted about 4 hours which is probably about the time the outer temperature was 140° point and stops taking on smoke
2# loin finished first. Cooled for about an hour and then bagged.
3# loin took another 3 hours to get the IT profile.
Shut off the pooper and pulled the temp probe for the last 30 minutes.
The 3# piece.
Big test is the slice and fry? This was a week after smoking to let it rest.
A few slices in the skillet for a quick warm up and slight saute.
Considered Eggs Benedict, but ...
Bread fit the bacon slices better than muffins, and the belly has already grown enough this winter to obstruct the obligatory shoe shot so Hollandaise Sauce was nixed.
The 2# loin was given away to pay back for the farm fresh eggs my wife gets from a co-worker.
Thanks for looking
-John
