OK, so I've done two batches of Canadian Bacon, and am beginning to understand the whole cure then smoke concept. I picked up some of those "fake rib" cuts of pork shoulder a couple of weeks ago, turned half of it into some awesome BBQ, and decided to attempt Buck Board Bacon with the rest.
So trolling through the forums for recipes, I ended up curing the meat in Morton's TQ, onion powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar then into the fridge for two weeks.
Soaked, smoked with hickory until 130F, chilled, then sliced.
I'm pretty happy with the outcome, although I think I'll skip some of the sugar next time. It's sweeter than I was expecting.
So now a question for the experts:
What is the "flavor" that screams "BACON!" Is it just more smoke? Is it the meat used: Pork belly instead of pork shoulder? This batch tastes more like a non-salty country ham, than "BACON!". I would, however, easily use this in place of an expensive Italian prosciutto.
Bacon after rinse and soak:
Bacon after smoking, I cut the meat in half to better fit my meat slicer:
Sliced:
First batch ready for the oven:
So trolling through the forums for recipes, I ended up curing the meat in Morton's TQ, onion powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar then into the fridge for two weeks.
Soaked, smoked with hickory until 130F, chilled, then sliced.
I'm pretty happy with the outcome, although I think I'll skip some of the sugar next time. It's sweeter than I was expecting.
So now a question for the experts:
What is the "flavor" that screams "BACON!" Is it just more smoke? Is it the meat used: Pork belly instead of pork shoulder? This batch tastes more like a non-salty country ham, than "BACON!". I would, however, easily use this in place of an expensive Italian prosciutto.
Bacon after rinse and soak:
Bacon after smoking, I cut the meat in half to better fit my meat slicer:
Sliced:
First batch ready for the oven: