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Canadian Bacon
Total Project Time: 3 days
Canadian Bacon is a pork loin that is brined then smoked. It's not the most desirable of smoked meats, but if you’re looking for an easy way to fix up a pizza or an egg breakfast, it will definitely do the trick. And it’s easy. All you really need is a stock pot, a Smoker, and some pork loins, and you can bang this recipe out.
1. Intro
2. Procure Equipment
3. Buy Ingredients
4. Prepare the Brine
5. Brine it Up
6. Remove from Brine
7. Smokin' Loins
8. Done, eh!
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2. Procure Equipment
Before Event
The day or multiple days before the event, procure the following equipment:
• Chef's Knife
• Cutting board
• Stockpot
• Baking sheets
• Cooling racks
• Smoker
• Meat Thermometer
• Wood Chips
• Plastic wrap -
3. Buy Ingredients
Before Event
The day before brining, procure the following ingredients:
• 2 pork loins
• 4 tbsp. fennel seed
• 4 tbsp. black peppercorns
• 8 star anise
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 heads garlic
• 1 ½ cups Kosher Salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp. Instacure No. 1 curing salt -
4. Prepare the Brine
Day 1
The day of the event, place the following brine ingredients into a large Stockpot:
• 2 gallons water
• 4 tbsp. fennel seed
• 4 tbsp. black peppercorns
• 8 star anise
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 heads garlic, halved
• 2 cups Kosher Salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 lemons, halved
• 3 tbsp. Instacure No. 1 curing salt
Turn to high heat and bring to a boil. Bringing 2 gallons of water to a boil will take a fair bit of time, maybe 45 minutes.
Once the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer the water for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. -
5. Brine it Up
Day 1
Rinse off the pork loins. Trim any silver skin off the outside of the loins. Cut the loins into pieces roughly 4 inches in length.
Check the temperature of the brine. Once it is at room temperature, we’re ready to go. Add ice cubes to bring the temperature down as needed.
If your Stockpot will not fit in the refrigerator, find a suitable container and ladle the brine into that container.
Submerse the loins in the brine. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. -
6. Remove from Brine
Day 2
Pour the brine and ingredients into a strainer. Remove the loins and rinse off any brine ingredients that are stuck to the loins.
Place the loins on a cooling rack over a baking sheet, in order to catch the drippings.
Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator, and let sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours in order to dry. -
7. Smokin' Loins
Day 3
Smoke the pork loins at 180F until they reach an internal temperature of 145F.
The preferred smoking woods for this style of Bacon include wood from fruit trees (apple, cherry, pear, etc.) for a lighter, fruitier smokiness.
When ready, remove from the Smoker and place on cooling racks.
