One of the things I did in my COVID 19 isolation is go through my freezer. I found a pork belly, a pork shoulder and a pork loin roast. It was obviously time to make bacon.
Each of these pork cuts make a different kind of bacon but the process for each is the same. Pork belly makes regular side bacon. Pork Shoulder makes buckboard bacon. Pork loin makes back bacon. As for back bacon, Americans call that Canadian bacon.
To make each bacon you must prepare the meat.
For the pork shoulder, remove any skin and cut the roast into slabs. For the pork belly, remove the skin. For the pork loin, you do not have to trim unless you want to remove some of the fat cap.
After this, each piece of pork can be prepared the same. Start by weighing each piece of pork.
You will need to make a cure mix for each piece of pork. Work with one piece at a time.
If you are working in metric, for each kilogram the piece weighs, mix:
Put the meat on a plate or tray and rub the cure mix in.
Put the meat in a resealable plastic bag or a vacuum sealer bag. Scrape any rub the fell onto the plate into the bag. Seal the bag but do not suck the air out.
Repeat for each piece of meat.
Put the meat in the fridge. Measure the thickest part of the pieces. You will need to leave the meat in the fridge for 4 days per inch (2.5 cm) of the meat plus 2 days. So, a 2-inch (5 cm) thickness will need 10 days (4 times 2 plus 2). Turn the meat and massage every day or two.
Take the meat out and soak it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.
Pat the meat dry with paper towel and put it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight for the surface to dry.
I smoked at 200 F to an internal temperature of 145 F in my Traeger Timberline.
I let it cool and then refrigerated for a day and sliced.
Of course, you must try some!
The Verdict
I love home made bacon! The Canadian (Back) Bacon is very lean. The belly bacon has that great bacon crunch. The Buckboard bacon is between the two. They all have a nice mild smoke taste and a great balance of salt and sugar!
Disco
Each of these pork cuts make a different kind of bacon but the process for each is the same. Pork belly makes regular side bacon. Pork Shoulder makes buckboard bacon. Pork loin makes back bacon. As for back bacon, Americans call that Canadian bacon.
To make each bacon you must prepare the meat.
For the pork shoulder, remove any skin and cut the roast into slabs. For the pork belly, remove the skin. For the pork loin, you do not have to trim unless you want to remove some of the fat cap.
After this, each piece of pork can be prepared the same. Start by weighing each piece of pork.
You will need to make a cure mix for each piece of pork. Work with one piece at a time.
If you are working in metric, for each kilogram the piece weighs, mix:
- 30 ml/25.8 grams of brown sugar
- 15 ml/19.2 grams of kosher salt
- 2.3 ml/3 grams Prague powder #1
- 2 1/2 teaspoons/0.35 oz brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon/0.3 oz Kosher salt
- 1/5 teaspoon/0.04 oz Prague powder #1
Put the meat on a plate or tray and rub the cure mix in.
Put the meat in a resealable plastic bag or a vacuum sealer bag. Scrape any rub the fell onto the plate into the bag. Seal the bag but do not suck the air out.
Repeat for each piece of meat.
Put the meat in the fridge. Measure the thickest part of the pieces. You will need to leave the meat in the fridge for 4 days per inch (2.5 cm) of the meat plus 2 days. So, a 2-inch (5 cm) thickness will need 10 days (4 times 2 plus 2). Turn the meat and massage every day or two.
Take the meat out and soak it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.
Pat the meat dry with paper towel and put it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight for the surface to dry.
I smoked at 200 F to an internal temperature of 145 F in my Traeger Timberline.
I let it cool and then refrigerated for a day and sliced.
Of course, you must try some!
The Verdict
I love home made bacon! The Canadian (Back) Bacon is very lean. The belly bacon has that great bacon crunch. The Buckboard bacon is between the two. They all have a nice mild smoke taste and a great balance of salt and sugar!
Disco
