My first Canadian Bacon

Caribou · April 27, 2012, 08:48:42 PM

Ok, I'm going to do that tomorrow which will be day 9 of the curing.
Thanks and I will keep everyone posted,
Carolyn

Habanero Smoker · April 28, 2012, 02:18:47 AM

Firmness is one test, but not 100% accurate, but if it is a cure that is unknown it may be a little difficult to judge. If you are going to take them out of the cure based on firmness, since this is a new cure for you, insert a boning knife in the thickest part of the loin, and twist it so you can see the interior of the meat. If it is red all the way to the center it is fully cured. Or if your loin pieces are large enough, cut one in half to check the color.

Once you decide they are fully cured, you may want to taste test one right after you have rinsed off the cure, to see if it does need soaking. As Viper pointed out, the meat near the surface will be a little saltier. That is were the heaviest concentration of salt and cure will be, and why you should let the meat rest at least 24 hours prior to smoking/cooking; after it has been removed from the cure (brine). That gives the salt and cure time to equally distribute throughout.

Caribou · April 28, 2012, 04:43:37 AM

Thanks Habs,
I will do that today because they do seem quite firm.
I went to the Cabela's site to see if they show a breakdown of the ingredients but they do not. So, the amount of cure in their Maple Cure is a mystery.
Carolyn

viper125 · April 28, 2012, 04:37:21 PM

Thats why I always use Tender quick or cure 1. I like to know the little things.LOL Also when mixing your own you can adjust for flavor. To me it's a lot better then doctoring some one elses up. Plus when you get it to your taste it's all yours and you can share or hog! ;)

Caribou · April 28, 2012, 04:44:14 PM

Hi there,
Well, I took the loins out of their brine today and did a knife cut to see if they cured all the way to the center and they were..yay!
Then I cut a couple slices off and fried them up. They were both definitely too salty so I did the 30 minute cold water soak and now they are in the frig drying off for tomorrow's smoke.
Thanks so much guys, I know you kept me from ruining it.
I will post pics tomorrow to show you the results :)
Carolyn

viper125 · April 28, 2012, 05:08:27 PM

I have at times soaked up to two hours changing water every 15 minutes. Some just seems to brine quicker then others. I usually figure thickness of meat divide by two and brine one day for every quarter of inch then add two days for safety. Not sure where I got that but think it may have been HAB!

Habanero Smoker · April 29, 2012, 02:04:11 AM

Carol;

Glade they are fully cured. If you use 3 gallons of water or more for soaking you don't have to change the water until after 30 minutes, though I may flip them over at the 15 minute mark. I find one soaking is enough, but if it is still too salty give it another soak.

Viper;

That curing time formula you have didn't come from me, though it calculates in the approximate times I use (though longer curing times). When using a dry cure, for loins and brisket (beef), I start with curing about 2 days per inch, and always round up for any fraction. For example a loin that is 2 1/4-inches thick would be rounded up to 3-inches, and would be cured for 6 days. If a loin is much over 3-inches then I will usually use a wet brine; but not always. For bacon I use the standard 5-7 days.

viper125 · April 29, 2012, 08:01:22 AM

Sorry Hab, just wanted to give credit to the people who deserves it. Now I have to figure where I got it LOL. Sure is hell getting old and not remembering well. But it has been working great for me. Always cured to center and not to salty. Yes any thing over 3 inches I wet brine and possibly inject.

Caribou · April 29, 2012, 06:27:36 PM

Hello :)
I promised pictures of my Canadian bacon today:

It came out great!! We all took a little taste and were very impressed.
Thanks so much for the guidance :)
Carolyn

viper125 · April 29, 2012, 06:35:00 PM

r spoiled. No more store bought bacon. LOL

Caribou · April 29, 2012, 06:58:43 PM

U R right! :D
I'm really happy with it. I want to get an entire loin next time though.
Carolyn

squirtthecat · April 29, 2012, 07:09:38 PM

Fantastic!!

SiFumar · April 29, 2012, 10:29:44 PM

Looks like you did really well on it.

Habanero Smoker · April 30, 2012, 01:37:37 AM

Nice finished product.

When I get whole loins, if the tender loin is still attached I generally remove it. My preference is to look for loin roast cut from the shoulder end. That is the part of the loin that has the darker color. It has more flavor, and better texture. So when I happen to come upon those roasts, and they are on sale I try to stock up.

Caribou · April 30, 2012, 04:46:27 AM

Thanks everyone :)
I bought half a pig from my friend and half the loin was used up as pork chops which I'm not the biggest fan of. Next time I will get the entire loin intact.
So, that little fat strip is the tenderloin, I was wondering what that was and why my Canadian bacon looked different.
Next time I'm doing your recipe Habs, then I won't have doubts. :)
Carolyn

My first Canadian Bacon

squirtthecat