Can't believe I ran out of Canadian-style bacon!! Time to make some more...
After brining and air drying, the loin sections are rubbed and ready for the smoker
About two hours later the loin sections are done
Sliced and ready for vac-packing
Must be time for some Eggs Benedict!
Now I just need to make some Hollandaise.
Here's the recipe...
Canadian-style Bacon
1 (nine-pound) boneless pork loin
For the brine:
2 quarts water, divided
1/2 cup (4.95 ounces or 140 grams) coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
4 Turkish bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 level teaspoons pink salt
Remove any fat and silverskin from the loin and divide the loin into three sections. Trimming took 1 3/4 pounds of fat and silverskin from the loin. Two of the sections will be for bacon while the third will be reserved for a cranberry-apple stuffed pork loin. (The two trimmed loin sections destined for bacon weighed 2.9 and 2.5 pounds.)
In a medium (2 1/2 quart) saucepan over medium heat, bring one quart of water to a simmer. Add all of the brine ingredients except the pink salt. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat, add the remaining quart of cold water and cool to 40 degrees F. Once the brine is cooled add the pink salt and stir well to dissolve.
Using a kitchen syringe, inject the pork loin sections with the brining solution (you want to inject 10 to 15 percent of the raw weight with the brine solution; one tablespoon of brine weighs about 1/2 ounce). Place the injected loins in a large nonreactive container. Cover with the remaining brine and refrigerate at least five days or up to seven days, turning every day.
After brining, soak the loins in cold water for at least one hour, changing the water every 30 minutes. Pat the loins dry and refrigerate, uncovered, on a cooling rack over a half sheet pan for one or two days to allow a pellicle to form.
Remove the loins from the refrigerator and season liberally with your favorite pork rub or Cajun seasoning (for this recipe I used Savor Spices’ Super Pig rub on one loin and my Cajun spice blend for the second). My recommendation is 1/2 to one tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. Bring the loin to room temperature. I tied the loins with butcher’s twine to form a cylindrical roll but it’s not really necessary.
Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225 degrees F., using apple and sugar maple wood (or whatever wood you prefer; I would not use mesquite or a heavily flavored wood). Smoke the loins to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. (about two hours or so). Remove the loins from the smoker and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. I don’t have an electric slicer so I just used a carving knife to slice the finished loins into 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch slices.
After smoking, one loin section weighed in at 2.4 pounds and the second was two pounds (despite the different starting weights, both had about a half pound loss from cooking).
Pan-fry or oven-roast the slices to your desired degree of doneness (don’t overcook the bacon). The sliced bacon may also be frozen between sheets of waxed paper and wrapped with plastic wrap for up to six months.
