Canadian bacon in the smoker

annie1992

10 years ago

FOAS started a thread regarding a smoker, which led me to realize that we had a pork loin that needed something "done" with it a couple of weeks ago. So, Elery fired up the smoker and I got busy curing the pork.

Three days of curing in the refrigerator and it was ready for the smoker. Some apple chips and tending and soon we had this:

Which we sliced up like this:

Packaged until I ran out of food saver bags and stashed away next to the frozen eggs for breakfast about January:

I've learned to just package enough for Elery, I and Cooper, we can always open two packages if necessary.

We had sandwiches with Great White tomatoes from the garden and Canadian Bacon, a smear of homemade aioli.

It was worth the wait. So, FOAS, get out there and smoke something! Um.....that doesn't sound quite right, somehow. (grin)

Annie

Comments (9)

bcskye
10 years ago
M-m-m!!! That looks super yummy.
shirl36
10 years ago
We smoke pork and beef at our house too.
I am wondering about your curing procedure, tell us abit
about it. I understood you used a pork loin.

We have used pork loins, tenderloins and shoulder. Using a rub and Mortons curing salt. Our finished product reminds me of the meat my grandparents cured and smoked 70 years ago.
Their cured meat always tasted so good. I am always interested in other peoples procedures. We slice fairly thin and vaccum seal then freeze in portions for the two of us. If more are here we take out more packages like you. We are pleased with our results but always open for new suggestions. We like beef tenderloins smoked with homemade rools, makes sandwiches out of this world.

Appreciate all your comments and pictures. Shirl
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Yes you must inject. Using only the canister and vacuum (Food Saver one??) will not allow the brine to penetrate properly. They also so this with all hames. My pump is 4 ounce capacity and has a long needle with several side holes punched into it. I push the needle all the way in, and start to pump in the brine while slowly taking out the needle. The pumping makes the meat swell up. I weigh before and after to ensure the proper amount of brine. These people have a brass one at $12.50 - http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1003 The site below has a stainless one from Morton, for $30. Both are decnet quailty. I also added a regular needle that looks like a giant needle on a syringe, with the end tapered at an angle. This is used in thinner meat poultry brining as its got no side holes. At best the vacuum pump on a FS machine will only give you about 15-20 in. Whereas a regular vacuum pump would bring down the vacuum to 30 in. BE CAREFUL!! don't get ANY liqiid ito the vacuum hose or pump!! My more powerful vacuum pump also has a moisture trap to collect any liquids that might enter the hose. Here is a link that might be useful: Brine Pump
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Diane, this is the recipe that Elery uses, from Michael Ruhlman. It's essentially their Canadian Bacon recipe, but simply cured and not smoked. Canadian Bacon or Peameal Bacon 1 2-4 pound pork loin For the brine: 2 quarts of water 2.5 ounces (5 tablespoons) MortonÃ¢ÂÂs kosher salt 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sodium nitrite (I use DQ Cure #1) 4 ounces (1/2 cup) sugar 5 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife 2 bay leaves 1 large bunch of sage (optional) 7 or 8 thyme sprigs (optional) 1 lemon halved (optional) 1.Combine the brine ingredients in a pot and bring it to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove it from the heat, allow it to cool, then chill it in the refrigerator. 2.Submerge the pork loin in the brine (or put it all in a large zip top bag) and refrigerate for 72 hours (give or take a few hours depending on your schedule). 3.Remove the loin from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate it uncovered for 4 hours or up to a day. 4.For Canadian Bacon: hot smoke the loin to an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees F. or 60 to 65 degrees C. 5.For peameal bacon, roll the loin in cornmeal to coat. Cut into slices and saute or grill. 6.In both cases, refrigerate the bacon until ready to cut and serve, either cold or reheated. That recipe sounds interesting, although we've never done the "injection" thing. Our peameal bacon is nicely flavored throughout, so I'm wondering if it would make it even better or if it's an unnecessary step. I would love the addition of maple syrup in place of sugar. We never use the lemon anyway because Mother is allergic to lemons and we don't want to risk her eating any. We slice ours very thinly and just give it a quick "griddle" until brown on both sides, and it's a nice change from other breakfast meats. Good luck, Diane, and if you use that recipe, let me know how it came out. Annie
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Annie, I'm interested in the panchetta. How did you age it? Or, I guess more accurately...where did you age it? I Googled & found a site that recommends hanging in a 60 degree environment with about 50% humidity. I can manage the temperature here during winter but did you just put a humidifier in the room? Did yours get moldy? How long did it hang...10 days? BTW, I had to pay $5.99/lb. for pork belly. Organic, from Whole Paycheck. Annie, is it OK to order a non-organic belly from our regular grocery store...or will it be filled with junk? I specifically asked WW & was told there's never anything injected & the hogs are feed whatever it is that hogs are supposed to eat with no growth hormones or antibiotics. We're trying really hard to reduce the junk in our diet...any suggestions on what we should ask for? I'd love to get the cost down although good organic apple-smoked bacon costs about $12/lb. here. Thanks, Tricia
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Comments (36)
Chase, you need the pink salt and/or stuff like it in cured and semi-cured sausages/hams/bacon/etc. Things that you hang to air dry, stuff that will be kept in the rafters all year. So, today's home smoker needn't worry about it too much, I don't think. Except I'd be leery of omitting it from a recipe that had it in. Morton sells a cure mix. If you go to their website there is a smattering of info on it. Sorry, just re-read your post and see that I'm not answering it, heh. No, pink salt is not pink...that is a reference to the fact that it maintains pink in the meat it is curing. So you don't get the grey sausage or bacon. Except when it (the salt) is artificially dyed pink so you don't fill your salt shaker with it I guess. Pink salt is a mixture of table salt and sodium nitrate or nitrite. Nitrite is most common. Its also called Prague powder, probably only in the trade tho. Oh, and for those worried about amount of nitrates/nitrites, pink salt is 94-95% salt and 4-5% nitrites. So very little goes into a batch of whatever. Sodium nitrate and or nitrite is water soluble so any plant grown in soil that uptakes a lot of water has naturally occurring nitrites/nitrates. Lettuce is one. As I said earlier, your Caesar salad probably contains more nitrates/nitrites than your bacon and eggs, no matter who makes the bacon. Celery is another veggie with lots of nitrates/nitrites. Of course depending on where it is grown...the soil it is grown in specifically. Man, I ramble on and on when its late and I'm tired,eh? Here is a link that might be useful: This is what I use.
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annie1992
Original Author
10 years ago
Shirl, I have a book called "Charcuterie", by a Michigan chef named Brian Polsyn who had a restaurant (now closed) and Michael Ruhlman. I highly recommend it, I got a copy for Sharon/Chase when we visited her a few years ago.

Anyway, the recipe is at the link I've attached. I've made the peameal bacon this way too, Elery likes that even better than the Canadian Bacon. I like 'em both and peameal bacon is seldom seen outside specific areas of Canada, so it's good to know how to make it.

Smoke away!

Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Michael Ruhlman Canadian Bacon
foodonastump
10 years ago
I see what you're trying to do here, Annie. And it's working.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
10 years ago
Second picture, magazine quality photography.

dcarch
shirl36
10 years ago
Thanks Annie for the link......I will read tonite......
We had smokin' on the September agenda ...Shirl
shirl36
10 years ago
Finally getting back to the Canadian Bacon.

annie I did follow thru...ordered the book "Charcuterie" by Chefs Polsyn and Ruhlman. Found it very interesting.
Interesting enough we first cured and smoke one pork loins cut in half. Turned out so tasty and by the time 3 kids and families visited we had not enough left to freeze.

This past week we did two whole loins cut in half giving us 4 pieces. Again they are so good and enough for each kid and families to have a meal and plenty to freeze. Next a try at Peameal bacon and the Spicy Dry Rub loin. Oh yes did want to mention the book I received was the revised and updated verison.

Our smoker setup on first try

our first loins done

Our second smoking session done

And the best part of all.... time to enjoy
annie1992
Original Author
10 years ago
Hooray, Shirl, I'm glad you did it. It is amazingly good, isn't it?

Nothing at all like that store bought Canadian bacon, this is something else entirely. My mother is the culprit in our family, she'll eat the stuff nearly as fast as we can smoke it.

It's a great book, isn't it?

OK, FOAS, it's your turn.....

Oh, and thanks, belatedly, dcarch!

Annie
foodonastump
10 years ago
Annie - I've spent at least the last 15 minutes scrolling between your "which we sliced up like this" picture and Shirl's "our second smoking section done" pic. And feeling annoyed I never ordered that smoker...

Canadian bacon in the smoker

Comments (9)

bcskye

shirl36

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Canadian bacon in the smoker

Comments (9)

bcskye

shirl36

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