First attempt at Canadian Bacon - W/ QView

[pignit]

One thing that I haven't heard talked about much here is an equalization time. Morton recommends it after the meat has been taken out of the cure and rinsed. In full hams it can take weeks. I usually let my CB sit in the fridge 24 to 48 hours after I cure to let it equalize. Seems to be less salty when I do that. I don't do it every time but when I have the time I do.

 

[downstatesmoker]

Would have been good to have that info yesterday

I will definitely have to try that next time. I just tried another piece and it is noticeably less salty. I've got the fire started and the smoker coming up to temp (150) so in the mean time I will continue to soak.

Have more Qview later.

-Chris

 

[ronp]

Sometimes some of that salt taste will leach out during the smoke. Just depends on how salty it is.

Good luck.

 

[silverwolf636]

I knew it was going to happen sometime here: I just drooled all over my keyboard seeing that bacon in the skillet. I guess I'm not over doing stuff like that. Oh well. Now I'm going to have to try that cb myself.

 

[downstatesmoker]

Nice. Thank you for the compliment. Bacon is almost up to 160. going to pull in a little while. Will take more pics and post tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Your salt may have been OK, like RonP mentioned. I noticed mine was a quite bit salty before soaking in fresh water also. After smoking, chilling overnight and slicing, the saltiness was pretty much gone.

I noticed this with my chicken sausage a couple weeks back...served hot was wicked salty...chilled and sliced for sandwiches was perfect.

Lookin' mighty fine there, Chris...you'll love it!

I almost can't wait for a few slices of it...oh, I still have over 5# in my freezer----------heh-heh-heh! I'll settle for pics of your's for now, LOL!

Eric

 

[downstatesmoker]

Salt content was still a bit high, but definitely good!


I had the butcher slice it up on their slicers and brought it to work. Got the approval from everyone here. Now it has to pass the family test.

 

[Bearcarver]

Looks real good Chris !
I slice mine a little thinner----LOL, I figure it lasts longer that way.
Last time though, I sliced 6 pieces at 1/2" thick for "boneless smoked pork chops".
Mamma Bear loves smoked pork chops too, just like this old Bearcarver does !


BC

PS: I have to get off of this site now. I'm fasting right now----seeing these pics make that really hard ! ! ! I have to get my annual Cat-scan later today.
I'm out of here---Hungry !

 

[downstatesmoker]

Thanx Bearcarver. Good luck scannin the kitty.

 

[downstatesmoker]

So for all of you who have used TQ in the past, to get a less salty product would you go for a shorter cure time or use less TQ? I think that because the weight of the meat was a little lighter then 4lbs the amount of TQ I used (4 TB/piece) might have been on the heavy side.

While the saltiness of the bacon is definitely less than it was pre soak (for almost 2 hours changing the water every 20 minutes) it is still a little saltier then I would have liked.

Next time should I use less TQ or less curing time? Thoughts?

 

[jerseyhunter]

I believe if you use less TQ it won't cure well and less time and same results. You used to much cure as you stated so just follow the recommended amount and you should be fine.
Personally I use insta cure no 1 and a salt brine.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

A typical brine cure with TQ uses much higher concentrations...morton recommends a 20% (1 cup TQ per 4 cups water) solution by volume, not including spices.

The recipe I used for my CB if my math is correct (6 Tbls per 1/4 cup) is a concentration of 8.33%. It's alot less than is recommended. My reasoning behind this is I read a few threads here that methioned the high salt content, one stating that they would cut the recommended amount in half, even after a water soak. So, I opted for a longer curing time with a diluted solution.

My theory was partially correct in thinking this way. Though, I do not know at what point the concentration would become unsafe, or give unsatisfactory curing results.

Chris, if you went with 3 cups of water and 4 Tbls (instead of 6), then your concentration would have been 5.55%. This would have been a ratio of 0.66 to 1 or 66%---2/3 of the concentration of my recipe.

As I mentioned, not knowing at what point the concentration becomes unsafe is the question...and you won't find out unless you push the envelope, cut one open and find that it did not cure completely. Then, there may be a slight risk of microbial problems during the cure/smoking...don't know for sure on that one though...I know that I personally don't want to experience that.

I just cringe at the thought of cutting open a piece of cured meat to find that it didn't fully cure to the core.

A reduced salt content cure would be a better choice than pushing the margins of safety. I don't have those types readily available, so I'm playing the TQ game.

Eric

 

[Bearcarver]

Chris,
This brining stuff sounds too confusing to me. This is why I do the simple dry-cure.
I simply put 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) of TQ with each pound of meat in a ziplock bag. I add a little brown sugar & other stuff just for the heck of it.
Then I put it in the fridge for the required amount of days at 37*/38*, flipping it every day. It's so easy---the only thing important about the curing is the part I underlined----No more, No less-----Less TQ could cause spoilage, More TQ could be too salty to eat, which is the safety alert in TQ telling you there's too much cure in your meat.

As far as liquid brining that you guys did, someone else will have to explain that to us. I chose the dry cure because of how easy it is, and didn't pay much attention to the brining method.

Bearcarver