Back Bacon question

[potsieko]

How long do you guys and gals brine your loins for back (Canadian) bacon? I've injected the loins with, and submersed in Pop's brine. I figured (but could very well be wrong), 5 days would be plenty. But since this is my first try at back bacon - I wanted to hear from those who've successfully done it this way.



Thanks in advance,
Potsie

 

[daveomak]

7 days per inch thickness...

 

[biteme7951]

2 weeks for me. you can't really over cure but you can sure undercure. I Inject brine also as even 2 weeks sometimes doesn't get all the way to center on the loins.

 

[Gwanger]

2 weeks for me. you can't really over cure but you can sure undercure. I Inject brine also as even 2 weeks sometimes doesn't get all the way to center on the loins.

I would check w/Bear carver if pops doesn't give you the info thickness of product plays into equation as far as days in brine possible injection needed bc of thickness. go to Bears bacon post. I think he might use 1 day per 1/2 in. plus 2 days for safety using TQ. I just checked Bear has a post curing pork loin for can. bacon. check bacon posts he is on there

 

[indaswamp]

I use Dr. Blonders cure calculator and and depending on the thickness, I brine mine for 6~10 day. Then pull it out to dry and equalize.

 

[SmokinAl]

2 weeks for me here too!
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

I would check w/Bear carver if pops doesn't give you the info thickness of product plays into equation as far as days in brine possible injection needed bc of thickness. go to Bears bacon post. I think he might use 1 day per 1/2 in. plus 2 days for safety using TQ. I just checked Bear has a post curing pork loin for can. bacon. check bacon posts he is on there

In this case "Potsie" is using Pops' Brine to cure, so he should use the curing time recommended by Pops.
I believe it takes longer in a diluted Brine cure than in a Dry cure like I use.

Bear

 

[potsieko]

Thanks everyone! My concern/question was due to the fact I've injected them. I wasn't sure if by doing that, it would decrease the brine time. Looks like I'll let them brine for 2 weeks! Pics and a new post to follow, after I'm done. Thanks again, and happy smoking!

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks everyone! My concern/question was due to the fact I've injected them. I wasn't sure if by doing that, it would decrease the brine time. Looks like I'll let them brine for 2 weeks! Pics and a new post to follow, after I'm done. Thanks again, and happy smoking!

I don't do that, but I'm sure you're right about it cutting the time down.
I believe I read where Pops said when you inject cure, it means you're curing from the inside out, as well as from the outside in, but you would have to ask someone like Pops to find out how much less time it takes by doing so.

Bear

 

[Gwanger]

In this case "Potsie" is using Pops' Brine to cure, so he should use the curing time recommended by Pops.
I believe it takes longer in a diluted Brine cure than in a Dry cure like I use.

Bear

Bear, if he is using POPs brine and method than I dont understand why he was asking about cure times, didnt mean to chalenge Pop on this, I t just sounded like he was looking for info on cure times. I wont say anything next time

 

[dee envy]

I exclusively use Pop's brine and I agree with the two weeks "minimum". I usually let it cure for three weeks if I can't smoke it right away. You can be sure that it is fully cured at this rate.
Any cut that is over two inches thick is always injected as well.

 

[indaswamp]

If you are injecting, it will speed the process....

 

[Bearcarver]

Bear, if he is using POPs brine and method than I dont understand why he was asking about cure times, didnt mean to chalenge Pop on this, I t just sounded like he was looking for info on cure times. I wont say anything next time

You didn't say anything wrong. You're doing fine!
I just wanted to make sure nobody uses my Curing Time Calculating with Pops' method of curing. My curing times go strictly by thickness, and I no longer inject anything.
And the OP seemed to basically want to know if injecting would cut down the time needed for curing, and I gave my best answer for that.

Bear

 

[Gwanger]

You didn't say anything wrong. You're doing fine!
I just wanted to make sure nobody uses my Curing Time Calculating with Pops' method of curing. My curing times go strictly by thickness, and I no longer inject anything.
And the OP seemed to basically want to know if injecting would cut down the time needed for curing, and I gave my best answer for that.

Bear

thnx for clearing that up, since I have not read POPS brine ,I am not knowing what his methods are, so by his asking about curing times after injection I thought he was reaching out for answers.Bear I don't want this to get mushy,I am your #1 fan bc of all the info you give to the forum members,and all your informative posts. Gwanger

 

[potsieko]

Thanks again for all the responses - but I guess I should have worded my question more specifically.

If injecting brine AND submersing in brine - how much does it reduce the brine time? If most go 2 weeks WITHOUT injecting, common sense tells me the brine time would be reduced. Is it reduced by half? 1/3? 2/3? If no one has done it this way - looks like I'll be the guinea pig! I'll pull one of the loins out at 7 days and proceed with the normal procedure of drying/smoking/resting/slicing. I'm really trying to determine if I can do this in one week, as opposed to two weeks.

-Potsie

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks again for all the responses - but I guess I should have worded my question more specifically.

If injecting brine AND submersing in brine - how much does it reduce the brine time? If most go 2 weeks WITHOUT injecting, common sense tells me the brine time would be reduced. Is it reduced by half? 1/3? 2/3? If no one has done it this way - looks like I'll be the guinea pig! I'll pull one of the loins out at 7 days and proceed with the normal procedure of drying/smoking/resting/slicing. I'm really trying to determine if I can do this in one week, as opposed to two weeks.

-Potsie

I would say it would be best to check with Pops.
However I would also say it would depend on how well & evenly you injected the inside. Could be a third or even half, but you really don't know exactly.
The main thing is I wouldn't rush it.
Then when you decide it's been long enough, give it a test. Cut through the thickest point of the biggest piece, and check the color of the center to see if the cure got all the way to the center. If it did it will be Pink all the way, and if it didn't it will have a Brown-Gray area in the center.
Then as long as you have already cut it open, might as well cut a couple slices & do a Fry test to see if you're happy with the salt flavor.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

You will need to know how many CC's, of the brine, you injected... What the Ppm nitrite the brine is.... Then calculate if you added enough nitrite to properly cure the hunk of meat you injected...
If you can't do that, then leave the hunk of meat in Pops brine/cure solution for the full recommended time...

 

[Bearcarver]

Well said Dave!
I hoped one of you guys would jump in on this, because I know it's a lot different than my Dry curing with TQ.

Thanks,
Bear