# Covid Bacons,  Side, Buckboard and Canadian (Back) Bacon



## disco (May 2, 2020)

One of the things I did in my COVID 19 isolation is go through my freezer. I found a pork belly, a pork shoulder and a pork loin roast. It was obviously time to make bacon.

Each of these pork cuts make a different kind of bacon but the process for each is the same. Pork belly makes regular side bacon. Pork Shoulder makes buckboard bacon. Pork loin makes back bacon. As for back bacon, Americans call that Canadian bacon.

To make each bacon you must prepare the meat.

For the pork shoulder, remove any skin and cut the roast into slabs. For the pork belly, remove the skin. For the pork loin, you do not have to trim unless you want to remove some of the fat cap.








After this, each piece of pork can be prepared the same. Start by weighing each piece of pork.

You will need to make a cure mix for each piece of pork. Work with one piece at a time.

If you are working in metric, for each kilogram the piece weighs, mix:


30 ml/25.8 grams of brown sugar
15 ml/19.2 grams of kosher salt
2.3 ml/3 grams Prague powder #1
In pounds, for each pound piece weighs, mix:


2 1/2 teaspoons/0.35 oz brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon/0.3 oz Kosher salt
1/5 teaspoon/0.04 oz Prague powder #1
So, multiply the amounts above by the weight of the meat (for example 2 kg of pork would need 60 ml (51.56 grams) of brown sugar – 2 times 30 ml (25.8 grams))

Put the meat on a plate or tray and rub the cure mix in.







Put the meat in a resealable plastic bag or a vacuum sealer bag. Scrape any rub the fell onto the plate into the bag. Seal the bag but do not suck the air out.







Repeat for each piece of meat.

Put the meat in the fridge. Measure the thickest part of the pieces. You will need to leave the meat in the fridge for 4 days per inch (2.5 cm) of the meat plus 2 days. So, a 2-inch (5 cm) thickness will need 10 days (4 times 2 plus 2). Turn the meat and massage every day or two.

Take the meat out and soak it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.

Pat the meat dry with paper towel and put it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight for the surface to dry.







I smoked at 200 F to an internal temperature of 145 F in my Traeger Timberline.







I let it cool and then refrigerated for a day and sliced.







Of course, you must try some!







The Verdict

I love home made bacon! The Canadian (Back) Bacon is very lean. The belly bacon has that great bacon crunch. The Buckboard bacon is between the two. They all have a nice mild smoke taste and a great balance of salt and sugar!

Disco


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## forktender (May 2, 2020)

Holy cow that looks amazing, I have to get over my fear of meat curing and try this out.
10 points.

Dan


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## yankee2bbq (May 2, 2020)

disco,
An amazing write up.  Very easy to understand and read. Thank you. I really want to make homemade bacon and I believe this thread pushed me to do it! I will be saving this post! 
Now, I gotta find me a pork belly!


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## chopsaw (May 2, 2020)

Nice work . Good way to spend the extra time at home . I found goodies in the bottom of the deep freeze too .


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## one eyed jack (May 2, 2020)

Pretty work Disco.  Great pictures and write-up.

Like!


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## kruizer (May 2, 2020)

Disco, you hit it out of the park once again.


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2020)

All looks Great, Disco!!
Too much work for me nowadays!
Wore me out just looking at all that Beautiful Stuff!!
Nice Job!
Like.

Bear


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## Winterrider (May 2, 2020)

Looks Fantastic. I'll have to try this route for BBB . Have only used Bears ( which is great) with tenderquick.


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## disco (May 2, 2020)

forktender said:


> Holy cow that looks amazing, I have to get over my fear of meat curing and try this out.
> 10 points.
> 
> Dan



Definitely give it a go, Dan. Bearcarver taught me how easy it was years ago and I have helped hundreds of others get started. Everyone is surprised how easy and good it is. Proof that it is easy is that I do it!



yankee2bbq said:


> disco,
> An amazing write up.  Very easy to understand and read. Thank you. I really want to make homemade bacon and I believe this thread pushed me to do it! I will be saving this post!
> Now, I gotta find me a pork belly!



Thanks for the kind words! Definitely try home made bacon. It is vastly superior to store bought.



chopsaw said:


> Nice work . Good way to spend the extra time at home . I found goodies in the bottom of the deep freeze too .



Har! It is amazing what is in those dark corners, isn't it!


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## disco (May 2, 2020)

one eyed jack said:


> Pretty work Disco.  Great pictures and write-up.
> 
> Like!



Thanks! I appreciate it!



kruizer said:


> Disco, you hit it out of the park once again.



Har, let me translate to Canadian for you. Hit it out of the park in American is scored a hat trick in Canadian! I appreciate your generous compliment.


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## disco (May 2, 2020)

Bearcarver said:


> All looks Great, Disco!!
> Too much work for me nowadays!
> Wore me out just looking at all that Beautiful Stuff!!
> Nice Job!
> ...



When the world is sane again, get your kids and family together to make bacon and you supervise!

Thanks, Bear, this is just one more of the great dishes you started me on.



Winterrider said:


> Looks Fantastic. I'll have to try this route for BBB . Have only used Bears ( which is great) with tenderquick.



I used Bear's as my go to until they stopped selling Tenderquick here. Then I had to improvise.


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## Robert H (May 4, 2020)

Well done.


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## gmc2003 (May 4, 2020)

The perfect bacon trifecta Disco. Well done!!!

Point for sure
Chris


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## disco (May 4, 2020)

Robert H said:


> Well done.



Thanks so much!



gmc2003 said:


> The perfect bacon trifecta Disco. Well done!!!
> 
> Point for sure
> Chris



I appreciate the point, Chris!


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