Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 gallon / 4 liters water
1 and 1/2 cups / 350 grams kosher salt
1 cup / 225 grams sugar
1 and 1/2 oz. / 42 grams pink curing salt (8 teaspoons)
1 large bunch fresh sage
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
1, 4-pound boneless pork loin.
Skin Removed (saved for Pork Rind's)
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Directions: |
Directions:Making Canadian Bacon at home takes no special skills, just time and a key ingredient. The key ingredient is “pink salt” or curing salts. If you want your bacon to taste like bacon, you'll need this. You can find this salt at any specialty spice store. Make sure you advise the staff you are making bacon.
To make the brine, place all the ingredients except the pork & the PINK Salt into a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Ensure the brine is completely cooled, you don't want the pork to cook once you have submerged it. Adding the Pink salt to the boil with kill the effectiveness of the salt. The Pink salt only gets added to the brine once it has cooled.
Once the brine is cold, add the pork loin and the Pink Salt to the brine and mix thoroughly. Using a food safe plastic container, weigh the pork down with a plate and keep it completely submerged refrigerated for 10 days. Stir the brine every 2 days.
After 10 days, remove the pork from the brine (discard the brine), rinse with cold water and pat dry. Place the pork on a rack over a plate or baking sheet in the fridge to dry out for 24 hours.
When ready, set up a smoker to hot-smoke at 200-225 degrees. Prepare your personal choice of wood-chips chips or chunks (I suggest apple and cherry wood). Smoke the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the smoker. Cool, slice and serve. The Canadian bacon will keep, tightly wrapped in the fridge, for about 21 days. Freeze the remainder using vacuum sealing process for best results.
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