Back Bacon (w/Pics)

[Shawn W]

Pics Here, click the 2005-08-20 Back Bacon link.

I made some back bacon (Canadian Bacon) and it turned out really well. After looking at a few recipes I decided to use the Mortons Back Bacon Recipe which is a dry cure, then smoke the back bacon.

The pork loin pieces were cured for four days, then cooked for seven hours on the WSM to an internal temp of 150ºF. For the first four hours I ran the WSM at around 160ºF then the remainder of the cook in the 180ºF - 200ºF zone.

To run the WSM at this temperature I started with an empty ring, 20 lit Kingsford briquettes and one gallon of water with three trays of ice cubes in the Brinkmann pan. About every hour thereafter I added another 10 - 15 lit briquettes.

I used one half handful each of maple and hickory chips in both the first and second hours, then applied no more smoke wood for the rest of the cook.

 

[K Kruger]

Wow, Shawn, good show! That looks terrific.

 

[Bill Hays]

Damn, that looks good! Let's eat!!!

 

[Bryan S]

Looks real good Buddy. That book you want is still on backorder. I'll keep checking. Now i'm ready to do the back bacon with the High Mountain BuckBoard Bacon Cure i told you about.

 

[Kim Petersson]

Always enjoy looking at your photos. Supper must be awesome at your house.

 

[michael w.]

High Mountain BuckBoard Bacon Cure well worth money. Buckboard bacon

 

[Rick Soliman]

Shawn I cant help but notice your chicken pictures what was the cooking method and would you share your brine with me.

Thanks
Rick

 

[Shawn W]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rick Soli:
Shawn I cant help but notice your chicken pictures what was the cooking method and would you share your brine with me.

Thanks
Rick </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Sure Rick. Those chicken were brined with the Apple-Brined Whole Turkey brine recipe for 7 hours.

Drained them, dried them, seperated the skin from the breast by sliding my hand under the skin (thanks Kevin), then gave them a little EVOO rub down.

Fired up a mix of old and new lump and briquettes and dumped them in, put the middle section on to shelter from the wind until all coals were lit.

Once it was rolling along I put both on the top grate breast up, untied and with no water pan.

The WSM managed to hold 325F for 80 minutes and when the ET-73 told me the bird hit 165F in the breast I checked them. There was still pink juice in the cavity so I fliped them over for another 20 minutes then removed them.

For subsequent chicken cooks I have used the empty water pan to avoid the smoke created by the drippings. To me a little of that taste is OK but it can get overwhelming.

 

[K Kruger]

Shawn--

What size hunk did you do the bacon with?

 

[Shawn W]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Shawn--

What size hunk did you do the bacon with? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I bought two whole loins in cryovac around 2' in length, cut them in half and used the smaller ends of each. I didn't weigh them but guestimated around 3.5lbs each when mixing up the cure.

 

[Frank C]

I reccomend Hi-Mountain as well. I love doing Buckboard bacon.. and I'm almost out since I live in NJ and it is Tomato (BLT) season.

I just got a meat slicer so no more begging a caterer to use his meat slicer... A meat slicer really improves your product IMHO... Since it is a process I do four Butts at a time and foodsaver it all... the family loves the "lean bacon".