Canadian Bacon

[Ted M (FatEddy)]

Picked up a whole pork loin on sale. Lopped off two pieces about 2.5 lbs. each for Canadian Bacon. Remaining 4+ lbs. went into the freezer for a future meal.

Cured them for a week. Morton's Tender Quick + Brown Sugar. One got spiked with some Makers Mark Bourbon, the other got Maple Syrup. I used the general formula here.

After the weeklong cure, tied them up and dried a day in the fridge.

Onto the WSM. Water in the pan and two Weber charcoal baskets of K-blue with the Apple for smoke wood.

Took exactly 3 hours to get to 140 internal and pulled them. Sealed them up and iced them down. At the 2 hour mark added more Apple wood (Mistake)

The Bourbon laced....

Maple laced....

The second addition of Smoke wood brought them over the top smoky in my opinion, maybe it will mellow with some aging. Salt level was a little high. I only soaked them after the cure for about 5 minutes. Should have tasted it at this point for saltiness. All in all I would say it was success.

Only the slightest maple flavor on one and I really could not detect any bourbon flavor on the other. The smoke was overpowering.

 

[Andy Beers]

looks nice

 

[Geir Widar]

If yours reacts like my bacon, they will mellow. If you give them some time, the bitter and overpowering smoke- tastes will dissapear, and you will be left with bacon that tastes smoked food.

I have the same experience as you, I seem to get almost no taste of spices, liquids and so on that I add during curing. If you are lucky, you can taste a small hint, but that's all. Adding sugar makes the bacon browner when curing, but I can taste no difference between normal sugar and maple sirup.

These pieces looks second to none! Fantastic.

 

[Mike Coffman]

Great looking Canadian Bacon!

 

[Ted M (FatEddy)]

If yours reacts like my bacon, they will mellow. If you give them some time, the bitter and overpowering smoke- tastes will dissapear, and you will be left with bacon that tastes smoked food.

I have the same experience as you, I seem to get almost no taste of spices, liquids and so on that I add during curing. If you are lucky, you can taste a small hint, but that's all. Adding sugar makes the bacon browner when curing, but I can taste no difference between normal sugar and maple sirup.

These pieces looks second to none! Fantastic.

Geir, Thanks and I'm glad to hear the smoke will mellow. That makes me feel a little better.

 

[Tony R]

Looks very very good!!! Nice job

 

[Bob Mann]

That looks great Ted!

Bob

 

[Jim Lampe]

Ted, please PLEASE send some of that bacon this way, i'll eet it everyday and promise to include you in my prayers
Looks FANTASTIC!

 

[Geir Widar]

Geir, Thanks and I'm glad to hear the smoke will mellow. That makes me feel a little better.

Slice it up, freeze it, and leave it for a few weeks.
Then enjoy. That it my experience.

 

[Ed M.]

Your CB looks really good, Ted! I have some curing in the fridge that will get smoked this weekend.

 

[Morgan C.]

That CB looks awesome...I need to make some of that!! Nice!

 

[John Solak]

Very nice looking Canadian Bacon. I have a whole loin ready to be cured too!! I love that homemade CB!

 

[MikeB]

Uh oh, something else for me to try. Looks yummy, sounds easy- thanks for the idea!

 

[Gene Brownson]

Ted, it looks good. This is in my list of "to do's" also. I'm getting ready to do some bacon in a week or two. I have some pork belt in order.

 

[Kim Drana]

Those loins look picture perfect!

 

[Bob Correll]

Great looking Canadian bacon!
Would go great with an egg McTed!

 

[Paul Kastner]

Maybe a little to harsh on yourself from looking at the pictures and reading all the hard work you put into the smoke.

 

[Jon Des.]

Looks great to me, Ted. Try brining to cure next time, rather than rubbing, and see if you get more flavors in the pork. I did a fair amount of herbs in my last batch of CB and the flavors really came through.

 

[jeffsipes]

Looks pretty fine to me. Nice work.