# 1st Canadian Bacon with Q-view



## seboke (May 21, 2008)

Started my first attempt at Canadian Bacon last night. Got lots of good info from cowgirl. Used her basic brine and followed her method of changing it up a bit.

Started with a 6.78 lb loin from Costco.



Cut it in half...


and trimmed it up.


Brine fixins:
2 gal water
2 c TQ
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp red pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 big onion slices
8 smashed cloves garlic


Ready for the fridge. Added some green pepper, probably just for some color in the brine. Can't hurt right?


See ya'll back here in 5-6 days for the follow-up!


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## fatback joe (May 21, 2008)

Costco?............I thought you went to McDill...........glad I didn't hide in your trunk for that trip.  LOL

Looks like you are off to a good start on the loin.


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## seboke (May 21, 2008)

Costco always beats the commissary on the loins, and they ain't this big!  Butts and ribs can't be beat on base though.  Heading there today to stock up for Mem Day smoke!


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## bb53chevpro (May 21, 2008)

Looks like a nice start. Looking forward to seeing the end results.
Andy.


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## dadwith4daughters (May 21, 2008)

OK, so you got me thinking about doing my own "first" canadian bacon. I've never used the Morton's product Tender Quick. What exactly is that and do you use it in anything else?


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## lcruzen (May 21, 2008)

Looking good! I usually do a dry cure on mine so I'm curious to see the end product.


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## sumosmoke (May 21, 2008)

Seboke - good luck on your first canadian bacon smoke! Looks like you're off to a good start and if you're under cowgirl's wing, you're definitely on the right track


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## travcoman45 (May 21, 2008)

Lookin  good, cant wait ta see how it comes out!


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

I see the MTQ in a lot of recipes for curing, but have seen a lot more positive reviews on the Hi Mountain cures.  MTQ is a salt based curing agent for meat for lack of a scientific description.  I could not find in anywhere locally and finally ordered some from the Morton's website.  This is my first time using it on anything.


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

Yeah, I bothered cowgirl a lot to get her method/recipe.  She was great in PMing and emailing answers to all my (dumb?) questions.


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## ronp (May 22, 2008)

Well, I did some research and just as I thought. It has sodium nitrates, sodium nitrites, and propylene glycol. They are all suspect to be cancer causing chemicals in the natural health industry. We had a dog here that was killed from licking antifreeze from the floor. They blamed it on the propylene glycol, a main ingredient in antifreeze. I even found it in my dogs treats. I've been wondering about that lately and glad I researched it.

Think about this, when smoking was created for preservation, those chemicals didn't exist and it worked. I think the nitrates are mainly for a nice pink color, hell, I just did a canadian bacon without the cure and it tastes awsome, not the color of commercially canadian, but if I was blindfolded I don't know if I would care.

I am a health food nut and read about the nitrates all the time, now I know Mortons has them. 

You can go here to read about the dangers. of nitrates and nitrites.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...ite+and+cancer

Thanks for bringing up this subject, I'll pass for now and use sea salt and brown sugar etc.


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## cowgirl (May 22, 2008)

Seboke...you've never bothered me....and you've never asked a dumb question. PM or email me anytime.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Don't know if I'm much help, but I'll try...
Hope it all turns out well for ya.


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

Hey Patty, was just jerking your chain knowing you'd read this.  But really I'm giving you a bunch of kudos!  There are several members in this forum that I turn to specifically to get answers to methods I want to try and you are one of them!  A big public THANKS for helping me out with the CB, and from what ronp said, I hope it doesn't kill me!


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## cowgirl (May 22, 2008)

Thank you for the kind words Seboke.....I appreciate all the help you've given me too. I enjoy your posts and your awesome Qviews.


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

I hope to have a bunch of q-view up after this weekend.  I actually get to smoke twice over the long weekend.  Having guests over Sat for a B-day party (pork and beef ribs, london broil, pig candy), but the CB cure won't be ready.  Looking at Sun or Mon for that.


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## cowgirl (May 22, 2008)

Sounds like a great party Seboke,  dibs on any leftovers.


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## seboke (May 27, 2008)

OK, 6 days in the brine cure, turned once at day 3.  Sliced off a couple chunks yesterday morning to fry up for the salt check.  Were mildly too salty, so today I game them the fresh water bath for 3 hours, changing the water every 3 hours.  Got them drying in the fridge now, and am going to light the fire as soon as I post this.  Running Q-view to follow!


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## seboke (May 27, 2008)

Here we go!  

Day 5 of the brine, pulled off two slices for the frying pan salty test






Came off a little salty.  Didn't have time for the rinse then smoke yesterday, so the loins got one more day in the brine.  Figured it couldn't make it THAT much more salty, especially since I was going to give them the water soak to pull some salt out.

Here's the loins going into the fridge to dry out a little while the fire burns down.


Fire is charcoal and oak "logs".  Will let the oak burn down to coals - by then the charcoal will be down to dust.  Ssed charcoal only to keep the oak burning.  Will toss in some hickory chunks as needed to keep the heat and smoke flowing!


To be continued!


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## jbg4208 (May 27, 2008)

DUDE!!  

the suspense !!


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## sumosmoke (May 27, 2008)

Keep the pics up to continue this story of your 1st canadian bacon! It looks good so far, hope you have an awesome smoke!


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## seboke (May 27, 2008)

Moving right along...

Pulled the CB out of the fridge to get it closer to room temp and dusted it with some CBP.  Just checked the fire, should be down to good coals in about 15 minutes, then get the fire regulated from the 500 its at now to a nice 250.


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## seboke (May 27, 2008)

Just put the CB into the smoker.  Targeting 230 till I get internal of 160.  Hopefully by midnight!


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

After 2 hours, left one at 121, right at 126


Important Safety Tip #1 from Seboke:  ALWAYS wear shoes when dumping from the charcoal chimney to the firebox!

Preburned some oak in my chimney.  Dumped it into the veggie roaster that is my charcoal pan.  A hot coal jumped out and hid in the grass.  My bare foot found it!!  Got a blister about the size of a quarter, standing up about as big as a big peanut m&m


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

Update: 3.5 hours gone by, left one at 133, right at 138.  Smoker holding good a 231.


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

Loins plateaued a bit, then took off!  Took right at 4 hours to get to 144, then about 45 minutes to jump to 160.  The other one is at 157.

Here's the first:


Gonna let them rest for 30 minutes then slice.  Driving me crazy to not go slice right now!!


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## ronp (May 28, 2008)

Looks perfect, I would like to see them sliced.


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

Me Too!!!  I haven't been this excited about a smoke since my first turkey legs a year ago!!  Slicing in 15 minutes....


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## bbqgoddess (May 28, 2008)

Wow those look beautiful.....
drooling like a baby now....
yikes sorry about your tootsies there...good advice though, I have been living on the edge and wearing flip flops...I am rethinking my smoking shoe of choice!


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## cman95 (May 28, 2008)

Man that looks good, I need to try that.


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

Started this a week ago, finishing up just now!

Here's both halves of the loin fresh out of the smoker.


Got em all sliced up


Closeup...


And packaged.


Folks, I love CB.  I can swear I will never buy it at the deli again!!!  It came out fabulous!!!!!!  Thanks again to cowgirl for all her help in making this a very successful smoke! 

Next up: Buckboard Bacon and some of that good lookin stuffed meatloaf I saw earlier today!


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## ronp (May 28, 2008)

Unbeliavable looking. Moist and juicy. I am still afraid of the nitrates, anyone else have the same fears? Can you achieve the same results with just sea salts and spices?


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## seboke (May 28, 2008)

I really don't know - this being my first time curing anything.  I was told that I had to use some type of curing agent, that just salt, sugar and spices would not cure right.  What's that cure desertlites uses?  Same ingredients?


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## richtee (May 28, 2008)

Used correctly, and not eaten all day every day Nitrates/nitrites are pretty innocuous. I have always warned people not to over-cure. It can kill you. Be difficult to eat a couple grams of the stuff and not notice tho.

It's a MUCH more efficient curing method, and gives a better cure-  EG. safer product bacteria/preservation wise. Absolutely superior to salt.

Overall... your choice. I take the health food arena "with a grain or two of salt", so to speak. Heh.


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## richtee (May 28, 2008)

Looks like some good stuff!


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## cowgirl (May 29, 2008)

Great looking bacon Seboke!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




I'm happy it turned out well for you.


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## bearmoe (May 29, 2008)

Pardon my ignorance, but can someone define 'curing' for me?  I know about brining, but curing is new to me.  It is a method for preserving the meat correct?
That bacon looks terrific, something I want to try.

Thanks


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## crockadale (May 29, 2008)

Ken,
Looks really good. Nice touch on the step by step. When my life settles down I'm going to have to do some CB.


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## t-bone tim (May 29, 2008)

Great job Seboke , looks awesome


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## erain (May 29, 2008)

looks great, can bacon on my list as well. got me thinking about the cure though. i dont know if it really worth the risk, using in correct porportions 
and having a thourough cure or having an incomplete cure and possibly suffer the cosequences??? maybe thinking to much on this but everything i have read says use the cure.... still great looking bacon!!!


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