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
