The Bear's Thanksgiving, and then some:
My son told me he was making a 27 pound Turkey (oven), and wanted me to bring something smoked to go with it.
So I got a 10 pound Pork Loin, cut it in 3 pieces, and cured it for 10 days. I weighed the 3 pieces, and added 1/2 ounce (one TBS) of Tender Quick with each pound of meat.
I rubbed them individually, and put any cure that fell off of each piece in the Zip-lock bag with that particular piece, so that the exact amount of cure stays with the right piece of meat.
I also added about 1 TBS of Brown Sugar to each pound of meat. I flipped all 3 bags every day & gave them a quick massage,
pulling the bottom of the bag nice and tight, so the meat would lay in the curing juice that had formed in the bags.
I kept my refrigerator temp at 37˚/38˚ for the whole 10 days. The thickest part of the Loin was about 3 1/2", so I figured it should be in cure for at least 9 days---I made it 10 days.
10 Days Later:
After curing, I got it out & rinsed each piece, and soaked them in a big bowl of ice water.
Then I rinsed a piece, dried it with paper towels, and took a couple slices off of it for testing.
The meat was dark pink all the way through, proving that the cure went all the way to the middle.
I fried those test pieces, and they were not salty in the least, MMMmmmmm!!!
Next I rinsed the other two pieces well, and dried them off real good with paper towels.
Then I set one of my MES grill racks on top of two bowls, so the meat doesn't get against my counter top.
I placed the three pieces on the rack, and sprinkled CBP, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder on all three of them.
Then I put the rack in my meat fridge uncovered for a night of rest & pellicle forming.
Next Day:
Then on Thanksgiving Morning, I pre-heated my MES 40 at 8 AM to 120˚.
8:15 AM----Put rack with loins in smoker, on second shelf from top, and probed two pieces.
9:00 AM----Load 5 X 11 experimental AMNS with Hickory Dust, light one end, and put on bottom bars on left.
10:00 AM--Bump heat to 130˚.
11:00 AM--Bump heat to 140˚. (Add 3 cups of boiling water to water pan)
11:30 AM--Bump heat to 150˚.
12 Noon- --Bump heat to 160˚. (Meat probes now reading 100˚ and 98˚)
12:30 PM--Bump heat to 170˚.
1:00 PM----Bump heat to 190˚. (Meat probes now reading 111˚ and 113˚)
1:30 PM----Bump heat to 210˚. (Add 2 more cups of boiling water to water pan)
2:00 PM----Bump heat to 220˚. (Meat probes now reading 130˚ and 133˚)
2:30 PM----Pulled AMNS out, foiled center piece of loin, placed pineapple slices on top, added pineapple juice, re-probed, and put back in smoker.
3:00 PM----Foiled piece probe reading 150˚. Other piece reading 155˚.
4:00 PM----Unfoiled piece reading 164˚---Checked other unfoiled piece--read 170˚. Pulled those two pieces.
4:30 PM----Foiled piece hit 164˚. Shut smoker off & removed.
4:50 PM----Sliced foiled piece, put in nice dish, and covered to take to son's house.
Also wrapped other two semi-cooled pieces in cling wrap, and put in meat fridge for next day slicing.
5 PM Arrived at son's house with 4 pounds of sliced loin ham to go with his Turkey and all the trimmings.
Did not take pictures of the filling, two pumpkin pies, and the chocolate peanut butter pie Mrs Bear made (sorry).
The next day I sliced the remaining two pieces into 3/4" slices for Boneless Smoked Pork Chops.
This stuff is actually the exact same thing as Canadian Bacon, but since I still have some of that in my freezer, I didn't cut any that thin.
Many pictures & comments below:
Thanks for looking,
Bear
9.9 Pound Pork Loin:
Three pieces of loin in cure, ready for fridge:
Soaking in ice water for 1 hour, after curing for 10 days:
Fy testing a couple of pieces---MMMMmmmm.....
Seasoned and ready for overnight in fridge:
One end of AMNS lit & ready to go (Hickory Dust):
Smoking away:
Nice AMNS Smoke:
What do you think---Is that nice smoke, or what??
Loin Ham ready for slicing:
Mrs. Bear playing with the camera---"Look!--A trained Bear!"
(If I'd have known she was taking pics, I would have sucked in my Bear Gut!)
Nice little slices for the big Dinner:
Sliced & ready to cover:
Next day, slicing up some nice "Boneless Smoked Pork Chops":
Closeup of Pork Chops:
Wrapped for freezing (in pairs for me & the Mrs):
Next day Supper (Oddball pieces---Middle one for Mrs Bear):
Bear's day after TG Supper (Smoked Pork Chops, Roasted Reds, Corn, and stuffed mushrooms):
Bear's Breakfast two days later:
My son told me he was making a 27 pound Turkey (oven), and wanted me to bring something smoked to go with it.
So I got a 10 pound Pork Loin, cut it in 3 pieces, and cured it for 10 days. I weighed the 3 pieces, and added 1/2 ounce (one TBS) of Tender Quick with each pound of meat.
I rubbed them individually, and put any cure that fell off of each piece in the Zip-lock bag with that particular piece, so that the exact amount of cure stays with the right piece of meat.
I also added about 1 TBS of Brown Sugar to each pound of meat. I flipped all 3 bags every day & gave them a quick massage,
pulling the bottom of the bag nice and tight, so the meat would lay in the curing juice that had formed in the bags.
I kept my refrigerator temp at 37˚/38˚ for the whole 10 days. The thickest part of the Loin was about 3 1/2", so I figured it should be in cure for at least 9 days---I made it 10 days.
10 Days Later:
After curing, I got it out & rinsed each piece, and soaked them in a big bowl of ice water.
Then I rinsed a piece, dried it with paper towels, and took a couple slices off of it for testing.
The meat was dark pink all the way through, proving that the cure went all the way to the middle.
I fried those test pieces, and they were not salty in the least, MMMmmmmm!!!
Next I rinsed the other two pieces well, and dried them off real good with paper towels.
Then I set one of my MES grill racks on top of two bowls, so the meat doesn't get against my counter top.
I placed the three pieces on the rack, and sprinkled CBP, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder on all three of them.
Then I put the rack in my meat fridge uncovered for a night of rest & pellicle forming.
Next Day:
Then on Thanksgiving Morning, I pre-heated my MES 40 at 8 AM to 120˚.
8:15 AM----Put rack with loins in smoker, on second shelf from top, and probed two pieces.
9:00 AM----Load 5 X 11 experimental AMNS with Hickory Dust, light one end, and put on bottom bars on left.
10:00 AM--Bump heat to 130˚.
11:00 AM--Bump heat to 140˚. (Add 3 cups of boiling water to water pan)
11:30 AM--Bump heat to 150˚.
12 Noon- --Bump heat to 160˚. (Meat probes now reading 100˚ and 98˚)
12:30 PM--Bump heat to 170˚.
1:00 PM----Bump heat to 190˚. (Meat probes now reading 111˚ and 113˚)
1:30 PM----Bump heat to 210˚. (Add 2 more cups of boiling water to water pan)
2:00 PM----Bump heat to 220˚. (Meat probes now reading 130˚ and 133˚)
2:30 PM----Pulled AMNS out, foiled center piece of loin, placed pineapple slices on top, added pineapple juice, re-probed, and put back in smoker.
3:00 PM----Foiled piece probe reading 150˚. Other piece reading 155˚.
4:00 PM----Unfoiled piece reading 164˚---Checked other unfoiled piece--read 170˚. Pulled those two pieces.
4:30 PM----Foiled piece hit 164˚. Shut smoker off & removed.
4:50 PM----Sliced foiled piece, put in nice dish, and covered to take to son's house.
Also wrapped other two semi-cooled pieces in cling wrap, and put in meat fridge for next day slicing.
5 PM Arrived at son's house with 4 pounds of sliced loin ham to go with his Turkey and all the trimmings.
Did not take pictures of the filling, two pumpkin pies, and the chocolate peanut butter pie Mrs Bear made (sorry).
The next day I sliced the remaining two pieces into 3/4" slices for Boneless Smoked Pork Chops.
This stuff is actually the exact same thing as Canadian Bacon, but since I still have some of that in my freezer, I didn't cut any that thin.
Many pictures & comments below:
Thanks for looking,
Bear
9.9 Pound Pork Loin:
Three pieces of loin in cure, ready for fridge:
Soaking in ice water for 1 hour, after curing for 10 days:
Fy testing a couple of pieces---MMMMmmmm.....
Seasoned and ready for overnight in fridge:
One end of AMNS lit & ready to go (Hickory Dust):
Smoking away:
Nice AMNS Smoke:
What do you think---Is that nice smoke, or what??
Loin Ham ready for slicing:
Mrs. Bear playing with the camera---"Look!--A trained Bear!"
(If I'd have known she was taking pics, I would have sucked in my Bear Gut!)
Nice little slices for the big Dinner:
Sliced & ready to cover:
Next day, slicing up some nice "Boneless Smoked Pork Chops":
Closeup of Pork Chops:
Wrapped for freezing (in pairs for me & the Mrs):
Next day Supper (Oddball pieces---Middle one for Mrs Bear):
Bear's day after TG Supper (Smoked Pork Chops, Roasted Reds, Corn, and stuffed mushrooms):
Bear's Breakfast two days later:
