Commonly called "Canadian Bacon" done CosmicCowboy style.
I have been researching classic meat curing for several months and really wanted to try back bacon. I messed around with regular bacon a few years ago and it was good but at the time I wasn't really set up to smoke large quantities and thats not something you want to do a few pounds at a time. There are two basic styles of curing...one is a dry cure and one is a wet cure...the wet cure is a little "easier" but I chose to do a dry cure for this one. I didn't use one single recipe but rather read dozens from classic 18th century cures to other hobbyists recipes and came up my own in what I considered was "kicking it up a notch"...I wasn't trying to preserve meat to live on over the winter...My plan was to make a big, really exceptional batch and give it out to family and friends for Christmas.
I started with three 8-9# cryovac'd pork loins. I cut each one into three equally sized pieces ( making a total of 9 big pieces) and then trimmed them mercilessly. I patted them dry and then spread them out on my cutting boards to air dry some more.
Then I mixed my dry rub. I used:
1 cup natural raw sugar
1 cup Bolners meat market steak rub (very similar to Montreal steak seasoning but fresher)
2 cups Kosher salt.
2 tsp. curing salt (sodium nitrate)
Thats just barely enough nitrate to be sure and "safe" but not overdone like most commercially prepared cured meats.
I mixed it really really well to get the curing salt evenly distributed.
I then packed the cure on as thick as the meat would take it and placed them in 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks, 3 to a bag. I put the three bags in the refrigerator and stacked them on top of each other.
I left them in the refrigerator for 6 days taking them out every night, wiggling them around so all surfaces got continued exposure to the cure, flipping them over and changing the stacking order.
On the sixth night I took them out, and individually scrubbed/washed them under running water and then soaked them all in my bean pot with cold tap water for a couple of hours changing the water several times.
I threw away the left over watery cure mixture and bags. By that time the cure had pulled out a lot of moisture and they were about half as thick as they were when I started and very "firm"
I patted them dry and then recoated them with a solid coat of the same steak seasoning. I put them back in new 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks and put them back in the refrigerator.
My initial intention was to smoke them on the hot side of my smoker at 210-225 till they got to 160.
I had a problem though in that I was cooking so much stuff (for three families...2 turkeys, 2 hams, 2 beef tenderloins and a big prime rib) on the hot side in the first round that I didn't have room for the bacon.
I decided to put them in the "cold" smoker while I cooked the other stuff...they went into my pits warmer, which with the cold weather and the 50mph wind was smoking at about 65-70 degrees...I did this for about 6 hours while I cooked the other stuff...I honestly don't think this was necessary as far as creating a great finished product but it put even more smoke on it and reduced the moisture even more...
After I pulled the other stuff off I flipped them to the hot side and took them to 160...pulled them off, let them cool, and then cut the 9 pieces in half (making 18 total pieces about 1# apiece) and shrink wrapped them.
I cut mine this morning after it rested over night. Guys, this stuff is heavenly. I mean, better than good. It's salty but not too salty, has a great smoky/spicy pop and for a first effort I honestly can't think of a single thing I would improve.
My sister just called after she tried hers...she said it was so good she went back and licked the cutting board after she sliced hers LOL.
Heres a picture of them right before I pulled them off the pit...
Trust me guys...this ones worth the trouble...
I have been researching classic meat curing for several months and really wanted to try back bacon. I messed around with regular bacon a few years ago and it was good but at the time I wasn't really set up to smoke large quantities and thats not something you want to do a few pounds at a time. There are two basic styles of curing...one is a dry cure and one is a wet cure...the wet cure is a little "easier" but I chose to do a dry cure for this one. I didn't use one single recipe but rather read dozens from classic 18th century cures to other hobbyists recipes and came up my own in what I considered was "kicking it up a notch"...I wasn't trying to preserve meat to live on over the winter...My plan was to make a big, really exceptional batch and give it out to family and friends for Christmas.
I started with three 8-9# cryovac'd pork loins. I cut each one into three equally sized pieces ( making a total of 9 big pieces) and then trimmed them mercilessly. I patted them dry and then spread them out on my cutting boards to air dry some more.
Then I mixed my dry rub. I used:
1 cup natural raw sugar
1 cup Bolners meat market steak rub (very similar to Montreal steak seasoning but fresher)
2 cups Kosher salt.
2 tsp. curing salt (sodium nitrate)
Thats just barely enough nitrate to be sure and "safe" but not overdone like most commercially prepared cured meats.
I mixed it really really well to get the curing salt evenly distributed.
I then packed the cure on as thick as the meat would take it and placed them in 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks, 3 to a bag. I put the three bags in the refrigerator and stacked them on top of each other.
I left them in the refrigerator for 6 days taking them out every night, wiggling them around so all surfaces got continued exposure to the cure, flipping them over and changing the stacking order.
On the sixth night I took them out, and individually scrubbed/washed them under running water and then soaked them all in my bean pot with cold tap water for a couple of hours changing the water several times.
I threw away the left over watery cure mixture and bags. By that time the cure had pulled out a lot of moisture and they were about half as thick as they were when I started and very "firm"
I patted them dry and then recoated them with a solid coat of the same steak seasoning. I put them back in new 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks and put them back in the refrigerator.
My initial intention was to smoke them on the hot side of my smoker at 210-225 till they got to 160.
I had a problem though in that I was cooking so much stuff (for three families...2 turkeys, 2 hams, 2 beef tenderloins and a big prime rib) on the hot side in the first round that I didn't have room for the bacon.
I decided to put them in the "cold" smoker while I cooked the other stuff...they went into my pits warmer, which with the cold weather and the 50mph wind was smoking at about 65-70 degrees...I did this for about 6 hours while I cooked the other stuff...I honestly don't think this was necessary as far as creating a great finished product but it put even more smoke on it and reduced the moisture even more...
After I pulled the other stuff off I flipped them to the hot side and took them to 160...pulled them off, let them cool, and then cut the 9 pieces in half (making 18 total pieces about 1# apiece) and shrink wrapped them.
I cut mine this morning after it rested over night. Guys, this stuff is heavenly. I mean, better than good. It's salty but not too salty, has a great smoky/spicy pop and for a first effort I honestly can't think of a single thing I would improve.
My sister just called after she tried hers...she said it was so good she went back and licked the cutting board after she sliced hers LOL.
Heres a picture of them right before I pulled them off the pit...
Trust me guys...this ones worth the trouble...
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