Canadian Bacon in "The Briner Jr."

[DivotMaker]

I'm on day 3 of a 12-day brine (cure).  I have 9 lbs of pork loin in my The Briner Jr for Canadian bacon!  Mark from MO (Shomesmoke) turned us on to this one, and I couldn't wait to try it!  Here's a link to the original recipe on another forum (Jeff Phillips'):

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136954/canadian-bacon-using-pops-brine-2nd-try

Here's Mark's post:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1058.0

Picture 1 is the Briner Jr. full of pork loin, pic 2 shows the retaining ring in place, and pic 3 is the loins in the brine.  They'll quietly sit in the fridge until Saturday night (11/23).  At that time, I'll take them out, rinse/soak in cold water for an hour, then put in the fridge uncovered to dry overnight.

Sunday, 11/24?  That'll be Smokin-It Canadian bacon day!  Stay tuned!

 

[shomesmoke]

Ya Tony Im getting anxious to, I wish I had started this process a few days sooner our deer season opens Sat. this would sure make some good eatn in the deer stand. I will be spending about 12 hours a day in it for as long as it takes or till season is over. "except for Tuesday thats smokin day"!!!!

 

[DivotMaker]

Can't wait to hear your results, Mark!  You settle on a temp to smoke to yet?  And, what wood are you using?  I'm thinking of straight hickory, probably 3 oz @ 180.  I want lots of smoke in this before it hits 150 (?)!

 

[shomesmoke]

Can't wait to hear your results, Mark!  You settle on a temp to smoke to yet?  And, what wood are you using?  I'm thinking of straight hickory, probably 3 oz @ 180.  I want lots of smoke in this before it hits 150 (?)!

Tony,  I have installed a pid controller on my #3 so im going to start at 120 for 2 hours up the temp to 140 for an hour then to 185 to finish at IT of 147 or 148 them rest covered with foil that should bring the temp to the 150 fully cooked area. Going to smoke with straight cherry wood.

 

[DivotMaker]

Nice plan, Mark!  I don't have the PID, so I'll have to repeat your plan manually.  Can't wait to hear the results!

 

[DivotMaker]

Day 11 in the brine!  I'm going to take out the bacon tomorrow evening, soak in plain ice water for an hour or two, then put in the fridge to dry overnight (unwrapped).  Plan to smoke on Sunday.  My mouth is SO watering!

 

[DivotMaker]

Just saw it's supposed to get down to 16-degrees here tonight!  Definitely going to be a "cold" smoke tomorrow!

 

[DivotMaker]

5 hours into the smoke.  I started with 4 hours @ 140, then bumped it up to 175 for an hour, and just upped the temp to 200.  I've had hickory smoke the whole time, so now I'm ready for it to get to 155!  Currently at 130.  18-degrees when I started this morning, and 27 outside now.  The #1 seems to be performing well, despite the cold!

 

[shomesmoke]

Tony I hope you enjoy the bacon as much as we have, just sliced and fried the last chunk this morning for brunch. I brined a couple chickens overnight, be heatn up the #3 in an hour or so.

 

[puddle jumper]

I have been watching this all week cant wait to here how it turns out...
are you guys adding wood the whole smoke??

Also good to know you smoker is doing so good in the cold air,,, that's one of the reasons I got a new smoker this summer so I can smoke all year long and not have the wind and cold mess up my cooking...
PJ

 

[DivotMaker]

Thanks Mark and PJ!  Can't wait to try it!  12 days is a LONG time to wait! 

 

[shomesmoke]

PJ I started with 3 oz. of wood shut the door and never opened it up till the meat was up to temp. I have started spliting my wood into smaller pieces and it seems to be a more even smoke. Example today I smoked a couple of chickens with 1.5 oz of wood that was split into four pieces.

As for smoking when its cold I have used the #3 when it was 15 to 20 degrees with no problem at all. If its real windy you should try to block it or move to the other side of the house. If your smoking something with lots of fat like a pork butt when its cold watch your drip tray it can form a "grease sickle" and plug the hole in the bottom of the smoker.

 

[DivotMaker]

6:15 total time in the smoke, pulled it at 155 IT.  Wow!  This stuff is good!  I can't wait to taste it after it has a chance to rest in the fridge!  Not too sweet, not too salty, but just a little too much garlic in the cure for my taste.  I'll see how it tastes once it rests in the fridge, but I may have to adjust that next time.  I'll definitely be making more!

 

[benjammn]

wow that looks amazing! such a long time to wait but sounds like well worth the trouble.

 

[DivotMaker]

No doubt, Ben!  The waiting is definitely the hardest part!  Very easy recipe, and great results!  I took about 2 lbs to work one day and had rave reviews!  Lots of folks said it was the best "ham" they'd ever had!  Hehe.  Great on pizza, btw!  I got a cheese-only pizza from Papa Murphy's and added this; absolutely incredible!  Better than the CB they sell, for sure!

 

[benjammn]

I bet! I might have to schedule this one in.

 

[jaybob]

So is this how you get smoked ham? (or what's the difference in Canadian Bacon) I'm confused on how to actually get smoked ham (besides buying it at Gates BBQ)

Although I guess a ham is just actually the leg of a pig right?

Actually I guess it doesn't have to be a ham, just something that tastes like smoked ham. LOL I'm cracking myself up and confusing myself I think.

My wife and I visit a local BBQ place called Gates and absolutely love their smoked Turkey and Ham on bread. The turkey part I can figure out... it's learning how to get the smoked ham part that's confusing me and the guy at the local grocery suggested a Pork Loin, which we smoked today and doesn't really taste the same or pink inside like this pictures (possibly the brine in this CA Bacon thread had something to do with the color?). Sounds like I just need to purchase a cured ham and smoke it I guess.

 

[DivotMaker]

So is this how you get smoked ham? (or what's the difference in Canadian Bacon) I'm confused on how to actually get smoked ham (besides buying it at Gates BBQ)

Although I guess a ham is just actually the leg of a pig right?

Actually I guess it doesn't have to be a ham, just something that tastes like smoked ham. LOL I'm cracking myself up and confusing myself I think.

My wife and I visit a local BBQ place called Gates and absolutely love their smoked Turkey and Ham on bread. The turkey part I can figure out... it's learning how to get the smoked ham part that's confusing me and the guy at the local grocery suggested a Pork Loin, which we smoked today and doesn't really taste the same or pink inside like this pictures (possibly the brine in this CA Bacon thread had something to do with the color?). Sounds like I just need to purchase a cured ham and smoke it I guess.

Funny you posted this right now, Jared; I'm actually eating some of this CB right now with melted cheese on it!   You have a multi-part question, so let's work our way through it!

First, Canadian bacon is not ham, but it is cured pork, so the taste is similar.  You're right - the brine is the key to the pink color.  The "curing salt #1" in the brine produces that.  It is sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite that cures the meat.  Curing is a form of preservative, but is a natural preservative (folks been using this for a long time).  Cured, smoked meat will last much longer than meat that has only been smoked.

Yes, ham is actually made from the upper portion of Porky's back leg (not to be confused with the pork "butt," which is actually the upper shoulder of the front leg...go figure).  This Canadian bacon is made from the pork loin, which runs along the back of the hog.  The loin used to be a highly-desirable cut among the wealthy way back when; ever heard the expression "living high on the hog?"  The upper cuts meant you had money.

Next, a smoked pork loin is mighty tasty, and makes some of the best pork sammies I've ever had, but does not look or taste like ham until it's cured.  Follow the cure instructions above - it's really easy. 

I would really like to produce a ham, from raw hind quarter to smoked goodness, but this is a very long and complex process.  Still researching, and hopefully will tackle one day.  Pork loin CB is a quick fix for homemade "ham-like" meat!

Next time, I think I'll cut the powdered garlic in half, and possibly add a little more salt to the brine.  This is very good, but I think I can tweak it a little for my taste.

Hope this helps! ;D

 

[es1025]

tony
What is cure #1?

I want to give CB a try but don't know what the cure is?

 

[DivotMaker]

Ed, it's Instacure #1, also called Prague powder #1.  Essentially, it's pink salt (so you don't mistake it for regular salt) and sodium nitrite.  #1 is used for wet cures like this, and cure #2 is used for dry curing (it also contains sodium nitrates).  I get mine from Amazon - just search for it.  It's cheap, and a little goes a long way.