I sure hope I'm posting this in the right place, I posted this yesterday and someone told me it was in the wrong spot.
Nice to meat yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been lurking for some time and before yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all start joking, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not originally from Texas, but I got here as soon as I could. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m an Oregonian and grew up smoking salmon and steelhead, not to mention Jerky, Elk, venison and beef. I got into making sausage about ten years ago and have been making corned beef, bacon and ham for a couple of years now. I love dry brined and box cured anything, and I have about stopped pickling pretty much altogether. I make my own Instacure (s) from kosher salt, sodium nitrite, and red food coloring. (Blue if Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m adding potassium nitrate to make Instacure 2). Chemistry is an interest and beer brewing, pyrotechnics and distilling are old hobbies. I stopped drinking a while back and after 9-11 the damn government has put a serious crimp in hobby fireworks, so that leaves meat curing as my current primary passion. Most of my smoking is done in a Texas style vertical smoker with a gas burner and an iron spider to hold wood chips. I have used “real fire†before, but I have a hard time controlling the temperature that way. I also have a 1952 Frigidaire metal sided refrigerator Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m converting to a smoker with a remote firebox, but that project isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t completed as yet. I used to do a lot of canning too, mostly smoked salmon and regular vegetables, pickles and the like but there are no salmon or cheap fresh vegetables here in Houston. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve always liked food prep and doing anything from scratch. But enoughf history, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going to try making some Canadian bacon (piecemeal?) from some loin I bought at the HEB yesterday. I though I would use my standard dry brine bacon formula and add some bay leaf. Normally I horse my bacon (and jerky) but this loin is pretty big so I though Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d try rubbing it down and sealing in a vacuum bag for a couple of week in the fridge to cure. I was reading on here where somebody was doing that? Never tried it before but it sounds like a good idea. Also from what I read in “The Sausage Maker†(my bible) Canadian bacon isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t smoked, but it sounds like most of yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all are treating it just like “belly bacon†and running it through the smoker? Also yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all seem to be getting it pretty toasty at 145-160 internal temp? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been cold smoking my regular bacon at less than 120 and relying on the frying pan to cook it. Am I doing something wrong there? It taste good to most everyone that way. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d welcome any tips yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all can give me, it will be a couple of weeks before this loin will be ready to smoke, or not? Somebody clue me in here will ya? And good to get to know y'all,
Navionjim
Nice to meat yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all! Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been lurking for some time and before yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all start joking, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not originally from Texas, but I got here as soon as I could. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m an Oregonian and grew up smoking salmon and steelhead, not to mention Jerky, Elk, venison and beef. I got into making sausage about ten years ago and have been making corned beef, bacon and ham for a couple of years now. I love dry brined and box cured anything, and I have about stopped pickling pretty much altogether. I make my own Instacure (s) from kosher salt, sodium nitrite, and red food coloring. (Blue if Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m adding potassium nitrate to make Instacure 2). Chemistry is an interest and beer brewing, pyrotechnics and distilling are old hobbies. I stopped drinking a while back and after 9-11 the damn government has put a serious crimp in hobby fireworks, so that leaves meat curing as my current primary passion. Most of my smoking is done in a Texas style vertical smoker with a gas burner and an iron spider to hold wood chips. I have used “real fire†before, but I have a hard time controlling the temperature that way. I also have a 1952 Frigidaire metal sided refrigerator Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m converting to a smoker with a remote firebox, but that project isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t completed as yet. I used to do a lot of canning too, mostly smoked salmon and regular vegetables, pickles and the like but there are no salmon or cheap fresh vegetables here in Houston. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve always liked food prep and doing anything from scratch. But enoughf history, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going to try making some Canadian bacon (piecemeal?) from some loin I bought at the HEB yesterday. I though I would use my standard dry brine bacon formula and add some bay leaf. Normally I horse my bacon (and jerky) but this loin is pretty big so I though Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d try rubbing it down and sealing in a vacuum bag for a couple of week in the fridge to cure. I was reading on here where somebody was doing that? Never tried it before but it sounds like a good idea. Also from what I read in “The Sausage Maker†(my bible) Canadian bacon isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t smoked, but it sounds like most of yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all are treating it just like “belly bacon†and running it through the smoker? Also yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all seem to be getting it pretty toasty at 145-160 internal temp? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been cold smoking my regular bacon at less than 120 and relying on the frying pan to cook it. Am I doing something wrong there? It taste good to most everyone that way. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d welcome any tips yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all can give me, it will be a couple of weeks before this loin will be ready to smoke, or not? Somebody clue me in here will ya? And good to get to know y'all,
Navionjim