It either sounds like you did not cure it long enough, or did not use enough saltpeter in your cure to get the desired effects you were looking for. The website you linked, does not have a picture of the cooked finished product. Maybe he is getting the same results as you are, and that could be a palatable color for him. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate) is a very slow acting cure, and has to break down to sodium nitrite first before the cure starts working. Also when I dry cure loin, I trim off all surface fat and I don't drain off the liquid until the meat is finished curing. Do a search on buckboard bacon, and Canadian bacon for methods on curing loin.
As for your other question was it bacon or ham? Ham is a term referring to a particular cuts of meat from a pig or hog. You can have fresh ham, cured ham (wet or dry cured), or smoked cured ham. It's the nitrates or nitrites that give cured pork that identifiable flavor. For me all cured pork has a slight flavor similar to cured ham. The difference is what different spices, herbs and flavorings you add to the cure; and the texture of meat.
