Author Topic: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin  (Read 5060 times)

rkr

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What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« on: December 05, 2015, 08:12:36 PM »
I'm still pretty new at this smoking stuff.  Am loving my #2!  My family is crazy about the smoked pork loins I've made. Now I'm ready to change things up a little.  I have a bag of Morton's  tender quick and a beautiful half of a pork loin.  I'd love some recommendations on the best way to proceed for Canadian bacon.  Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Bexx from Hollywood, MD

gregbooras

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Re: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2015, 08:27:16 PM »
Brian,

If you do a search you will find recipes for Canadian bacon, but here is my version.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=3136.msg24304#msg24304

Smoked Canadian Bacon
•   4 lbs. Pork Tenderloin (trim and remove fat)
•   Brine for Pork Tenderloin

Brine:
1 Cup Sea Salt
½ Cup Maple Syrup
1 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Bay Leafs
1 T Minced Garlic
2 T Curing Salt #1
2 t course ground black pepper
2 t onion powder

Using the Jr. Briner add 96 oz. of water, next in a sauce pan add 32 oz. of water and everything listed above in the Brine. Heat over medium heat, stirring until all the salt and the sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and add the brine to the Jr. Briner, refrigerate for several hours until cold.
Remove the fat from the pork loin and cut it in half long ways (loins will be about 2” round). Add the loin to the briner and then push the locking plate down until the meat is totally submerged.

Place in refrigerator for 2 days!

After the 48 hours, drain the brine and remove the loins. Rinse the loins in cold water and then put back into the briner and cover with water and allow to soak for 30 minutes (this will remove some of the salt).
Remove from water, pat dry the loins and then place on a rack over a baking sheet. Put that back into the refrigerator for 24 hours to air dry.

Smoke at 230 degrees (2 oz. apple/cherry wood) until the temp of the loin reaches 155 degrees. Trim any remaining excess fat and allow to cool to room temperature. Wrap the pork tightly and refrigerate for up to 10 days or wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap then a layer of foil and freeze for up to 6 months.

Smoke time 1.5 hours at 230 degrees, remove at 155 degrees.
•   Next time every 2-3 inches tie the loin with butchers twine to help hold the round shape and help all parts to cook more uniformly.

SconnieQ

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Re: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2015, 09:07:15 PM »
Bexx, since you are using TenderQuick (also a great product) instead of Prague Powder #1, you might want to follow this recipe for curing, from the Morton website. It is a dry cure:

Ingredients
1 boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon Morton® Tender Quick® per pound of loin
1 teaspoon sugar per pound of loin

That's the basic salt/sugar part of the cure, and is all that is needed for basic canadian bacon. If desired, you can add other flavor ideas from Greg's brine recipe (garlic, maple syrup, onion powder, etc.).

Directions
Trim fat from pork loin. Mix Morton® Tender Quick® and sugar. Rub mixture into the loin. Place loin in ziplock bag. Refrigerate and allow to cure for 3-5 days. Remove from cure.
Soak loin in cool water for 30 minutes; pat dry. Refrigerate uncovered to dry.

Proceed with Greg's directions on smoking.
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rkr

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Re: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2015, 07:28:39 PM »
Greg and Sconnie,
Thanks for the advice.  I haven't gotten around to getting curing salt #1, and am glad that you were able to provide a recipe using tender quick.  After having read a it about botulism, I began to wonder if tender quick was going to be useful at all with a smoker.  I'll give your recipe a whirl, Sconnie, and steal some ideas from Greg as well. 

Pork Belly

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Re: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2015, 08:41:10 PM »
Place loin on cookies sheet, shake on some tender quick. Insure all surfaces of the loin are lightly coated, not caked with the tender quick.
Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup to a large zip bag, rub the bag to insure even coating of syrup and sugar in the bag.
Add meat to bag.
Place in shallow dish and refrigerate for 7 days flipping top to bottom once daily.
Rise with cool water, and pat dry.
place on rack in fridge uncovered for 24 hours.
Smoke at 200 until 150 IT  OR Cold Smoke until your bored with it and raise temp to 200 to finish at an IT of 150.

You can slice thin for sandwiches or to put on crackers. Slice it thick and pan sear lightly for breakfast.  Don't want it sweet, don' add the sweet stuff. Like pepper or garlic use some of that.

Keep it simple.
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rkr

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Re: What do do with tender quick and half a pork loin
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2015, 09:03:57 PM »
Thanks Brian.  Sounds simple enough! 

Bexx from Hollywood, MD