Canadian Bacon

gregbooras

Moderator
My wife loves Canadian Bacon on pizza, so after reading the posts for Canadian bacon here I had to give it a try.

Tomorrow is the second day, I will pull from the briner and dry out for one day in the refrigerator.

Plan to smoke on Sunday and I will post the results!

Thanks again SuperDave, Pork Belly and Divotmaker and anyone I forgot for their posts on CB.

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 145 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.

Greg
 

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Greg, I'm a little confused.  Is it a pork loin or pork tenderloin you are starting with?  I've only seen tenderloin two to a pack, each being about 2" in diameter to start with. Really tender and great on the grill.
CB is also on my short list of upcoming smokes.

 
DivotMaker said:
Great stuff, Greg!  You'll love it so much more than the "store bought" stuff!

Tony,

Tomorrow will be the real test the smoke. Why wife said why is there pork unwrapped in the spare frig....

I said because that's the way I roll :)

Greg
 
Greg,
My CB needed another day after the smoke to "settle".  The night I pulled it out of the smoker I was a little disappointed but frowns turned to smiles the next day. 
 
SuperDave said:
Greg,
My CB needed another day after the smoke to "settle".  The night I pulled it out of the smoker I was a little disappointed but frowns turned to smiles the next day.

Good to know, I will let you know how it goes!

Thanks Greg
 
Well I am pretty happy with my first go at Canadian Bacon, my wife said wow good, taste like a really good ham :)

Smoked today at 230 degrees for 1.5 hours with 2 oz of mixed cherry and apple wood. Pulled when the temp hit 155 degrees and let rest for 30 minutes before sampling. First taste good smoke flavor not over powering and the salt a tad high but still taste great.

I know others have said after two days the salt level seems to drop with smoke level, so I will report back in a few days.

For lunch it looks like CB sandwiches on sourdough bread!

Greg
 

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Looks good, Greg!  I smoke mine much longer, at a lower temp (140 for 4 hours, 1 hour at 175, then finish at 200 until 155 IT).  I find the long smoke, with CB, gives it a really good flavor, especially after resting for a few days.  Not overpowering at all, just good smoke penetration.
 
DivotMaker said:
Looks good, Greg!  I smoke mine much longer, at a lower temp (140 for 4 hours, 1 hour at 175, then finish at 200 until 155 IT).  I find the long smoke, with CB, gives it a really good flavor, especially after resting for a few days.  Not overpowering at all, just good smoke penetration.

The smoke flavor seemed pretty good, I will see how it tastes tomorrow.

Greg
 
The one thing I will do next time is to tie the loin with butchers twine every two or three inches, this will help hold the round shape and help all parts to cook more uniformly.

Greg
 
I always tie up my pork loin. It holds it much better for smoking. I also tie the thin end under so it makes the thin end the same size as the rest of the loin.
 
If you cut whole loins into quarters you can avoid tying them they keep their shape. A quarter of a loin is a good amount for our family to take out of the freezer at a time.
 
Pork Belly said:
If you cut whole loins into quarters you can avoid tying them they keep their shape. A quarter of a loin is a good amount for our family to take out of the freezer at a time.

Hey sounds good, I am planning to make some Reuben out of some of my cb tonight!

Greg
 
A Reuban has Corned beef, what you planing would be a Monte Cristo. Still very good but not a Reuban.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_sandwich
 
Pork Belly said:
A Reuban has Corned beef, what you planing would be a Monte Cristo. Still very good but not a Reuban.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_sandwich

Depending where you live folks use different kinds of meats for Reuben, while the original/classic is with corned beef there are variations and really about personal taste.

For example here is Florida we have Grouper Reubens, some do Turkey Reubens, Veggie Reubens, there is a chain out of Wisconsin that sells Ham Reubens.

Heck I have leftover cb so I sliced the cb very thin, use a bit of thousand island sauce on the rye bread, add Swiss cheese and the sauerkraut and heat in a pan until everything is married!

Just my twist!

Brian but the Monte Cristo does sound good also.

Greg
 
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