Canadian bacon tastes too much like ham

[jfalls55]

 :-[

I've attempted twice to make a canadian bacon that tastes similar to what is available here in the good ole' heartland USA (Nebraska) stores. I know some folks will ask why I want to produce an inferior product. Simply put, I'm trying to get my wife to gradually come over to eating my type of cooking. She thinks any smoked food smells and tastes like it was cooked in a burning house. I do NOT put that much smoke to my food.  I'm a pretty religious recipe follower. In addition, I repeatedly get requests from work for more of my 'efforts', so I don't think it's the food.

I start with a standard, fat-trimmed pork loin ~ 8 to 10 lbs. I used Dizzy Pigs  recipe.
-------  http://www.dizzypigbbq.com/recipesBacon.html  ---------
I use a Traeger  (Lil' Tex) pellet pooper (works great!) with apple with some pecan mixed in..

The first time, I didn't have any juniper berries, but the second time I did. The first batch, I added some maple syrup to the brine, and it did help. The second batch I left it out.

I cut the loin into 3 equal pieces, prepped as per the recipe, and brined for 6 days. The loins were rubbed with a sweet pork rub and cornmeal. I smoked 2 sections in the Traeger at ~ 220 degrees for about 3 hours. I baked the remaing piece in the oven for about 3 hours. I cooked for an ending temp of about 145 to 150.

The oven version tastes great, but it tastes closer to ham. The smoked versions have a flavor profile all their own, also great. They don't taste like anything similar to standard canadian bacon. I would be grateful for any ideas or suggestions. Please remember, I'm trying to get my wife interested in getting involved in this, and she isn't too adventurous at this point.

[West Coast Kansan]

jfalls55, welcome. I understand COMPLETELY about the wife. It takes time and a very slow ramp up with a very very mild smoke flavor.

Get this, when we first got married. My wife and I lived on a family dairy farm. She would not drink milk from the barn unless i brought it to the house in a glass picture. She still knew it was from the barn but was ok if not associated with a seperator bucket or anything dairy related.

Takes much patience, stroking and gentle reinforcement with periodic rewards.  ;D

Think I will go clear footprints and change my forum password. 8)

[Biggun]

JF-

   To many, including me, NONE of the homemade bacon products really taste like bacon, but like a different flavored ham- you're not doing anything wrong! For taste variations, look at some of the "Mallard Wacker" and "Habsmoker" tutorials- they experiment with a wide variety of flavors and ingredients- some are bound to hit the taste buds right! For REAL bacon, apparently using a pork belly, used for commercial bacon, will give you real "bacon" taste due to its fat content and texture. I guess a similar cut exists for "true" CB flavor, but I don't know what it is. Something is bound to appeal to the missus!

Good luck

[Gizmo]

As Biggun mentioned on type of meat, taste and variations, many of the recipes are very tasty.  The Habanero Smoker recipe was my last venture on a pork loin and to me it does taste like canadian bacon.  So far, I have made bacon and canadian bacon.  I have not cured a ham yet.  The bacon I have made was from a pork belly.  Looked like bacon, tasted like bacon.  I made 3 different batches.  Morton's Tender Quick with an apple smoke.  Morton's Tender Quick with a hickory smoke.  The last batch was S&P Maple cure that I also added pure maple syrup to after the initial cure and then smoked with alternating alder and oak.  All three were very good.  For Hab's canadian bacon, when sliced thin tasts like canadian bacon.  When sliced thicker and grilled, has a bit of a different taste but my wife says it does not taste like ham (she won't eat ham).   Habs mentioned if slice real thick, can be cooked like a pork chop turns tasting very much like a pork chop.  So, I suspect even within the same piece of meat, you can get some taste variation based on post preperation.  Think I need to run to the deli to get a small amount of canadian bacon to do a blind taste test just to make sure the old memory isn't getting too old.   :D

[West Coast Kansan]

Gizmo, Let me know where to sign up for the testing. May require several samples!  :D

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum jfalls55.  I have not delved into bacon yet so I can not help here.  I'm sure someone on this forum will be able to explain how to get the results you are looking for.

[Gizmo]

The blind taste test is in.  I went to the store and bought a small package of canadian bacon.  Had 4 different testers.
Difference in taste -
Store bought was sweeter (had sugar in the ingredients).
Home make was Smooooookyyyyyy.   ;D
3 prefered the home made, 1 prefered the store bought (actually prefers sweeter things).

The base flavor to me was fairly similar.  At least as similar as you (I) could tell without a super discerning palate.  The smoke flavor was definately the big favor (flavor) booster for me. 
Maybe some of the other folks out there with better taste buds can give it a go, but the bottom line will be what you and the other half prefer.  ;)

[jfalls55]

 :) Appreciate the help, and I think Habanero Smoker may be close to what's causing the difference. I'm going to put more maple syrup in the cure and rub on more when I smoke it and see if that makes a difference. If nothing else, it will make a batch of decent tasting breakfast meat, whether or not it comes out like the store-bought canadian bacon. Thanks again folks!

[West Coast Kansan]

JF55 check messages.

[Habanero Smoker]

:) Appreciate the help, and I think Habanero Smoker may be close to what's causing the difference. I'm going to put more maple syrup in the cure and rub on more when I smoke it and see if that makes a difference. If nothing else, it will make a batch of decent tasting breakfast meat, whether or not it comes out like the store-bought canadian bacon. Thanks again folks!

Let us know how you make out.

[MallardWacker]

Big J,

What ever recipe you use...man I am all about experimentation.  May I suggest this however on how you smoke the meat.  I have played around a little and I keep coming back to the procedure I have listed in my sticky.  This does make  a big difference on how the smoke is applied and the end product taste, especially when it comes to the smoke flavor.  It does not come out overpowered but more of an over-tone.  Also I can be truthful I have never tasted REAL C/B, the stuff from the store in the vac/seal bag that is produced in mass quantities can not be like what it is really suppose to be like.  If you are going to use Maple Syrup, I have used cheap and some of good quality, it does make difference...if you can afford use a good quality dark amber grade B.

Also too, if you are looking for REAL slab bacon.  I concur with the above folks...get belly and use the Buck Board Bacon cure from Hi Mountain...I bet that will get you closer.

[jfalls55]

MallardWacker, I don't know where to find the sticky you refer to.

[MallardWacker]

MallardWacker, I don't know where to find the sticky you refer to.

Under curing...first  thead at top.

Or click here>>>http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=409.0

[Webbee]

Hi there everyone! 
    I am from southwestern Ontario and I can purchase peameal bacon at any grocery store.  It is always covered with lots of corn meal and I find it very salty myself.  My family has always enjoyed this and when I worked for a grocery chain I would sell boxes of peameal bacon to the Michigan visitors.  They always said they could not buy it anywhere but here in Canada.  On that note, I tried my hand at it last week.  I used a small fesh loin around 3.5 lbs and covered it with 3.5 tablespoons of tender quick.  I let it rest in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag and as a precaution I also used a brown paper bag to protect it from light.(maybe over kill but I really wanted this to work)  I cured it for 103 hours and removed it and washed it with cold water.  Then I soaked it for 30 minutes and repeated once more.(total 1 hour soak)
    I add no other spices and when I cut it about a 1/4 inch thick and what I saw was just like the product you buy in the grocery store.  It was a nice pink colour(all the way through) which I new right away it was going to be just fine.  It tasted exactly the same except there was no strong salty flavour.  This is where I did the happy dance and had 3 fresh buns with peameal tomato, lettuce, mustard, miricle whip and a cold beer.  (I used the George Forman grill and it was so good)  The texture was right as well.  So I would say this was a very easy thing to do and it was sure a hit with my friends too.  I hope this helps because this is how the peameal bacon should taste.
P.S.  I am smoking a 10lbs shoulder right now for Easter Sunday with my family.   Happy Smoking !  Webbee

[Wildcat]

Welcome Webbee!  Nice post.  Keep them comming.