Canadian Bacon and Dried Beef (cured & smoked)

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Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
Group Lead
Sep 12, 2009
45,279
18,182
Macungie, PA
Canadian Bacon and Dried Beef (cured & smoked)
I noticed I had 4 pounds of Pork Loin sitting in my freezer, and I was out of Canadian Bacon.
I was also out of Dried Beef, but I had plenty of Tender Quick in the cabinet.
So I did the logical thing, and went to get some lean beef.
I usually use Eye Rounds for my Dried Beef, but Weiss' had Bottom Round Roasts on sale ($2.49).
So Bottom Round it is, for the Dried Beef !!!
They only had 2 of them out, and the ones next to them (Rotisserie Roast ??) looked good too, so I got 2 of each.

Day #1 (Prep & Cure):
Trim all of the fat off of the Beef (10 pounds after trimming), and trimmed loose fat from Pork loin.
Butterfly the Rotisserie Roasts, because they were a little thicker than I wanted.
Cut the Pork Loin into two pieces, 2 pounds each.
Rinse well, dry, and weigh each piece.
Weigh the proper amounts of TQ for each piece (1/2 ounce per pound of meat).
Rub the TQ & one or two tsp of Brown Sugar per pound on each piece of meat to be cured.
I put any cure that falls off before it gets in the bag, in the bag with the piece it belongs with.
Squeeze excess air out of bags, and zip them up.
Tip: Fold Ziplock bags back at the opening, like a pants cuff, until you're ready to close. This way you don't get any cure or sugar in the zipper, which will ruin the seal of the zipper.
Put Bags in Fridge (37˚/38˚) for proper amount of time.
The thickest piece I had was about 2 3/4"", so I made the number of days to be 9 days.
That includes one extra day, to come up to a Saturday remove from cure, and a Sunday Smoke.
Note: I Never cure for less than 7 days.

Day #9 (Get ready to smoke):
Drain Juices from bags, remove meat & rinse, and soak in cold water for 1/2 hour.
Cut a couple slices of each meat, and do a fry test for salt flavor & to check if cured to centers.
Fry test was perfect, so I rinsed, dried, put the pieces on smoker racks.
I sprinkled both sides with Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder.
Then into the meat fridge over night to begin the pellicle formation.

Day #10 (Smoking Day!!!):
6:30------------Pre-heat MES 40 to 140˚.
7:00------------Put racks in smoker, and cut heat setting back to 130˚
8:00------------Put in well lit AMNS, and probe one piece of loin & one piece of beef.
10:00-----------Meat temps are 108˚ and 108˚. Bump temp up to 140˚.
12:00-----------Meat temps are 124˚ and 124˚. Bump temp up to 150˚.
2:00-------------Meat temps are 132˚ and 131˚. Bump temp up to 170˚
4:00-------------Meat temps are 141˚ and 142˚. Bump temp up to 180˚.
4:50-------------Meat temps are 146˚ and 147˚. Remove CB at 147˚ & 149˚. Eat Supper.
5:00-------------Cut heat back to 150˚ to Dry Beef a little more. AMNS burned out after 9 hours.
8:00-------------Dried Beef temps 146˚ and 147˚. Bump heat up to 180˚ to finish.
9:30-------------Remove Dried Beef at 150˚ and 152˚.
Wrap all pieces, not eaten for supper, in Saran Wrap, and put in Fridge for 36 hours.

Day #12 (Slicing & Packaging):
Slice remaining Canadian Bacon in 1/4" slices, vacuum pack & freeze.
Slice outer part of Dried Beef pieces 1/8" thick, and give to my Son. He says it's the best Jerky there is.
Slice all Dried Beef paper thin, vacuum pack & freeze.
Results: Canadian Bacon is Great. Dried Beef is best ever. I don't think it's because of the different meat, because I think the Eye Round is better for Dried Beef. I think it's better because I put smoke on it for a longer time, and I also got it drier than my previous Dried Beef smokes. This stuff is Perfect !!

There You have it. Enjoy the Qview and BearViews.
Sorry about the lack of pics in the preparation. I had some that didn't come out good.

Thanks for looking,

Bear



Test frying slices---Beef on left---Pork on right:
DSC02647-1-1.jpg


Three hunks of cured seasoned Beef:
DSC02652-1-1.jpg


Bottom Round Roast on left----Other two are pieces of Pork Loin:
DSC02654-1-1.jpg


My set-up:
Right side foil coated piece of aluminum, tilted up on left side, persuades heat to go up middle of smoker.
Upside down half foil pan on left keeps drippings off of AMNS.
DSC02661-1-1.jpg


Canadian Bacon fresh out of smoker:
DSC02666-1-1.jpg


My Supper that night:
DSC02670-1-1.jpg


CB all sliced up:
DSC02682-1-1.jpg


Dried Beef ready for slicing:
DSC02679-1-1.jpg


Three plates of dried Beef, and two bowls of Dried Beef Jerky:
DSC02690-1-1.jpg


Everything vacuum packed, and ready for freezer:
DSC02693-1-1.jpg


That's All Folks!
 
Last edited:
Looks great Bear!

Another great step by step tutorial!

You really are an asset to this forum!

                       
points.gif
 
Looks perfect Bear!

Yeah, Willie, the slicing and packing is not my favorite part of the deal.

I want to try that dried beef, just haven't gotten off my duff to do it.  I also want to corn a round roast like the Aussies do.  I'm thinking that would make a leaner pastrami.  So many things yet to try.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Looks great Bear!

Another great step by step tutorial!

You really are an asset to this forum!

                       
points.gif
Thank You very much Al !

It's always nice to be appreciated !

I do my best.

Bear
 
I have my beef soaking now it had been in the fridge for about 13 days, I rinsed it and just tried it without frying not much of a salt taste. putting it on tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the info Bear, I think it is going to be great..
 
What do you do with the dried beef (how do you eat it)?  Do you just use it in sandwiches (if so is it the main meat in there) or do you use it in other things?
I like to just eat it right out of the vacuum pack bag, but it goes to fast, so I have to stretch it.

All of my life since before Vietnam, I got every Deer hind quarter made into Venison Dried Beef.

I like to take nice fresh bread (preferably Italian), and coat both slices with Miracle Whip (Mayo if you must).

Then some Dried Beef, and a slice of American Cheese.

Mrs Bear used to pack my lunch every day.

If she made me Ham & Cheese, I would get tired of it in 3 days.

Same thing with Lebanon Bologna & Cheese, and any other sammy.

But I could eat the Dried Beef & Cheese until I ran out of it, which was usually 2 or 3 months---Every day, 5 days a week !!!!!

Some people use it for Dried Beef & Gravy on toast (A form of SOS), but to me that is ruining it by partially cooking it, causing it to lose it's flavor.  (MY OPINION !!!!!)

Bear
 


I have my beef soaking now it had been in the fridge for about 13 days, I rinsed it and just tried it without frying not much of a salt taste. putting it on tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the info Bear, I think it is going to be great..
Sounds great !!!

The fry test doesn't taste anything like how great it will be after smoking it !!!

Don't allow me to miss your post !!!!

Thanks,

Bear
 


Another great job Bear,
drool.gif
 I have my first dried beef curing right now, can't wait for the fry test. 
icon14.gif
Thanks Meat,

Same as I said to "shtrdave", above.

Bear
 
 
Last edited:
Great looking CB and dried beef, Bear.  I could handle a plate like yours any day.
Looks-Great.gif
 
I can't wait for winter to come back, my mother used to make something called a Dry Eye, and the last one she made I smoked it some after it was done. I think this would work out well for what she made, It was cured with salt petre and had some other stuff in it, unfortunately she never told me what was in it or the amounts used, but it wold sit in the fridge in a glass dish for a week with half of the rub and then you rinse it off and put the other half on and back to the fridge for another week then was pat dry and hang usually with some balertwine form the hay bales, for a few weeks in a cool dry place (corner of our basement) until the surface was completely dry then you could slice it and it was fantastic dark around the edges and that red cured color in side, wish I knew her recipe.
 
You Da Man Bear it all looks just great !!!!! 
Thank You very much Roller.

Bear
 


Looks perfect Bear!

Yeah, Willie, the slicing and packing is not my favorite part of the deal.

I want to try that dried beef, just haven't gotten off my duff to do it.  I also want to corn a round roast like the Aussies do.  I'm thinking that would make a leaner pastrami.  So many things yet to try.

Good luck and good smoking.
Thanks Merv!!

Try it, you'll love it !!

Bear


looks excellent, as always. looks like you had a full day slicing and bagging....great tutorial as well....enjoy the fruits of your labor
Thanks Willie!!

The bagging wasn't too bad, but slicing about 8 pounds of Dried Beef "paper thin" takes a long time!!!

The guy who used to make mine, before I had a smoker, used to have an automatic chipper/slicer, and the sliced Dried Beef would just come right down a conveyor belt to you!!!

Bear


Looks great Bear,I have 8 days to wait yet for my pork loins to cure.I really enjoy tour tutorials.

drool.gif
Thank You Much !

Bear
 
Another Awesome Smoke My Friend

And a 2 for one!

Send me that 5x11, so I can squash it!

Todd
 
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