Canadian Bacon Question

[JZ]

The recipe site is still down and I have a pork loin in the fridge screaming at me to make some CBB. This will be a first for me and I want to get it right (don't want 9lbs of terrible meat - maybe I should do less for the first time). I found a couple of recipes on this site that call for MTQ and all I have is cure 1.

I also found a recipe on another site that calls for 8 tsp of cure 1 for 4 lbs of pork - but I think that sounds like way too much. I would like to use one of the recipes others have posted here and want to find out if there is a conversion for using cure 1 instead of MTQ and will that alter the taste much.

[devo]

This should help you out:
1 Tbl. Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
Basic cure is cure #1

Ingredients:
Boneless pork loin (size will depend on how much bacon you want to make.)
1 Tbl. Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
1 tsp. dark brown sugar per pound
1 tsp. garlic powder per pound
1 tsp. onion powder per pound

Directions:
Trim fat and silver skin from pork loin.
Cut into 3 to 4 pound sections.
Weight each section.
Make a note of the weight of each piece before measuring the dry ingredients.
Measure all dry ingredients for each section of meat based on the weight of each section, and thoroughly mix.
Example if you have two sections; one weighting 4 pounds and one weighting 3 pounds, measure all the dry ingredients for the 4 pound piece and place that in one bowl; and measure all the ingredients you will use on the 3 pound piece and put that in a separate bowl.
Rub the entire mixture on to the loin.
Make sure to cover all surfaces, and work the dry cure into any crevices in the meat.
Place loins into separate one gallon sealable plastic bags, and remove as much air as possible.
Cure meat in the refrigerator at 36- 40 F
My refrigerator was at 38 F.
Due to the thickness of the loin you will need to cure them for 6 days.
Once a day turn meat over.
You do not have to open the bags, if some liquid has formed give the bag a few shakes to redistribute the liquid.
When the loins are fully cured, remove loins from plastic bags and thoroughly rinse off.
Soak loin pieces in about three gallons of cool water for 30 minutes; remove from soak and pat dry.
Refrigerate uncovered overnight, or long enough to allow to dry and to form pellicle on the surface.
You may also see an iridescent sheen on the surface. *
Place loins into a 225 F preheated Bradley.
Apply maple smoke for 1:40 to 2:00 hours.
Continue to cook until an internal temperature of 140 F - 150 F is reached. The higher you take the internal temperature, the less moisture will remain in the meat.
It is important to take the internal temperature of each piece of loin. **
I now only take may Canadian Bacon to 140 F. The texture and moistness is much better. If you decide to use the 140 F temperature, make sure that your probe is in the thickest part of the meat. After it the meat reaches 140 F, slowly move the probe in and out. If there is a drop in temperature, leave the probe at that spot and continue to cook until the 140 F internal temperature is reached. If you have a good instant read thermometer, also use that to get your final reading.
Remove loins from smoker, and tent foil until loins are cool enough to be handled by hand.
Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least two days.
Cut into 1/8 inch thick slices and serve
(if serving with crackers you may have to quarter each slice.)


Additional information:
This recipe is a modification of Morton Tender Quick recipe and curing methods; and Mallard Wacker?s cooking guidelines for Buck Board Bacon.

You can add or subtract as many spices and flavoring you want to this recipe, as long as you maintain the correct amount of Tender Quick.

The dark brown sugar gives it a nice distinctive flavor, but you can replacement it with light brown sugar, or regular sugar or use maple granules.

You can increase the amount of applied smoke, but I like my Canadian bacon and pastrami lightly smoked. Keep in mind, that smoking a 225 F, your loins are going to reach 145 F -150 F in about 3 to 4 hours.

*OPTIONAL: At this point I used butcher's twine and tied the loin every 2-3 inches. This helps the bacon maintain a more rounded shape, and the even shape helps all parts cook more uniformly.

** I had two pieces in the smoker, and the tapered piece took 45 minutes longer to reach 150 F.

[JZ]

Thanks Devo.

I recall reading on some previous thread that Morton's has more salt and other additives than cure #1 and as such the measurements for each are different. So one Tbsp of cure #1 is not the same as 1 Tbsp of MTQ and if I was going to use cure #1 in place of MTQ I would use less cure #1 and add more salt to offset the difference in the 2 cures. Maybe I am wrong though - old age plays tricks on the memory some times. LOL

When I make sausage the recipes call for 1tsp of cure #1 to 5 lbs of meat. So if I use 1 Tbsp of cure 1 for each lb of loin I will be using 15 times as much cure as I do for sausage. Is that right - I just want to make sure.

[devo]

If you are substituing TQ in a recipe that calls for Cure #1, you must add 1.5 teaspoons of TQ per pound of meat/fat, and also eliminate any salt that is called for in the recipe.

[devo]

Oh and as Nepas has posted ...don't forget about the propylene glycol if your using Morton's Tender Quick™

Copy and past from one of Nepas post
What Is Propylene Glycol And Why You Should Avoid It. It is is a chemical found in personal care products that acts as a penetration enhancer that keeps products from melting in heat and/or freezing when it is cold. It is found in items such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, acne treatment, moisturizer, toothpaste, deodorant, nail polish, mascara; basically anything you could possibly use on your body, propylene glycol is in it. But why should you avoid propylene glycol?

For starters it alters the structure of the skin by allowing chemicals to penetrate deep beneath it while increasing their ability to reach the blood stream. Sounds lovely, right? So even if propylene glycol was good for you, it's main job is to help any other chemicals you come in contact with reach your bloodstream. However, there is even more to it than just that...

How Toxic is Propylene Glycol? According to the Environmental Working Group, propylene glycol can cause a whole host of problems. It is rated a 4 by them, which is categorized as a "moderate" health issue. It has been shown to be linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive issues, allergies/immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. It has been found to provoke skin irritation and sensitization in humans as low as 2% concentration, while the industry review panel recommends cosmetics can contain up to 50% of the substance.

How to Spot Propylene Glycol
When looking at ingredient lists, you can look for names like 1,2-Dihydroxypropane; 2-Hydroxypropanol; Methylethy Glycol; 1,2-Propanediol; Propane-1,2-Diol.

I would in no way ever recommend mixing the two together for any reason whatsoever. Curing "pink salt" is not so expensive that it cannot be purchased in one or five pound amounts without having to pinch pennies by purchasing an "envelope" of the stuff. It doesn't spoil or weaken if kept out of the light and away from moisture. On the "Sunday afternoon" he ran out, he should have placed the meat into the refrigerator and ordered some on Monday by Fed-Ex "overnight" or some other light-speed carrier. Really, shouldn't any sausage maker have plenty of cure on hand if he is serious about the hobby?

[JZ]

Thanks Devo.

I found this thread that explains the difference.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=26400.0

[SiFumar]

This should help you out:
1 Tbl. Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
Basic cure is cure #1

I strongly disagree with this statement Devo.  Basic Cure IS NOT cure #1!  Basic cure is a mixture of salt, sugar and cure #1. And that you use in place of MTQ. Tbs for Tbs.  I can't find Hab's recipe right off hand(and the recipe site is still not up).  Hopefully Habs will be on later.

[Habanero Smoker]

As SiFumar stated the Basic Cure is a TQ substitute. The basic cure is a ready to use cure and is easy to use. You can also use his mix for your belly bacon, corned beef, pastrami curing.

Don't be concerned about the  propylene glycol that is contained in TQ. It is a miniscule amount to keep the different ingredients evenly distributed and from separating during shipment and other movement.

Basic Cure

This recipe/formula based on the one from Charcuterie, by Ruhlman and Polcyn, and I've found it to be a good substitute for Morton's Tender Quick. Use the way you would use TQ; 1 tablespoon per pound. If you don't need this much at one time, you can halve or quarter the recipe.

Basic Dry Cure:
1 pound/450 grams pickling salt
8 ounces/225 grams granulated sugar
2.5 ounces/68 grams pink salt (InstaCure #1; or DQ Powder; or Prague Powder #1; or Cure #1; or TCM)
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. It is important to mix this thoroughly to ensure that the pink salt and other ingredients are equally distributed.
I used a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (do not use the whisk). I mixed the ingredients at speed #2 for two minutes. Scraped the sides and mixed for two more minutes.

I now use 1 Tablespoon per pound, no matter what the weight of the meat is.
(Former Instructions)
For meat up to four pounds measure 1 tablespoon per pound.
The actual measurement should be 2 ounces per 5 pounds of meat. Which comes to about 2.25 teaspoons per pound, but you don't have to be exact when using a dry cure.

Store in an air tight container away from sunlight, and it will last indefinitely.
If hard lumps form during storage discard and make a new batch. If the lumps fall apart easily with a little pressure the cure is still good to use.

To use the Basic Cure Mix as part of your favorite curing recipes, measure out the amount per pound that your need, then you can add your additional seasonings such as additional sugar, garlic, onions and/or herbs (do not add additional salt).

Additional Instructions/Notes:

If like the flavor of Turbinado sugar, and if you have some patients you can use that instead of granulated sugar. Turbinado sugar comes in large crystals, but in a dry cure you want all ingredients about the same size so that they evenly mix, and don't separate during storage. So you will need to grind the Turbinado sugar to white sugar granular size, without turning it into powder form. I have a small blade grinder and the best way I've found to do this is to pulse 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time until you get the right uniformity. There are about 8 tablespoons in 8 ounces of Turbinado sugar.

Comment by Habanero Smoker: I like Morton's Tender Quick for it convenience, but most of today's recipes call for pink salt, and Morton's TQ is not easy to find in my area. I have a plenty of pink salt, and I was happy when I came across this recipe. I've been using this cure a lot, not only as a substitute for Morton's Tender Quick, but it is handy to have this cure mixture on hand instead of starting from scratch each time I want to cure bacon, or pastrami.

Source:
Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. Charcuterie. The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing. NY/London. W.M. Morton Co.; 2005

[devo]

This should help you out:
1 Tbl. Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
Basic cure is cure #1

I strongly disagree with this statement Devo.  Basic Cure IS NOT cure #1!  Basic cure is a mixture of salt, sugar and cure #1. And that you use in place of MTQ. Tbs for Tbs.  I can't find Hab's recipe right off hand(and the recipe site is still not up).  Hopefully Habs will be on later.

Ya your right, bad day, need to read what I type, what can I say you noticed it i didnt. Thanks

[JZ]

Thanks everyone and a special thanks to Habs. I have printed this out and will place the info in my recently started smoker / sausage binder.

I will be mixing up the basic cure and using for my first CBB.  ;D

[sjmcdowall]

And you WILL post pics of the amazing end result I presume??!!?  :)

[JZ]

I believe I MUST and hopefully the results WILL be amazing. :)

I only did half of the loin - just in case this doesn't turn out.