# Back Bacon (w/Pics)



## Shawn White (Aug 20, 2005)

Pics Here, click the 2005-08-20 Back Bacon link.

I made some back bacon (Canadian Bacon) and it turned out really well. After looking at a few recipes I decided to use the Mortons Back Bacon Recipe which is a dry cure, then smoke the back bacon.

The pork loin pieces were cured for four days, then cooked for seven hours on the WSM to an internal temp of 150ºF. For the first four hours I ran the WSM at around 160ºF then the remainder of the cook in the 180ºF  - 200ºF zone.

To run the WSM at this temperature I started with an empty ring, 20 lit Kingsford briquettes and one gallon of water with three trays of ice cubes in the Brinkmann pan. About every hour thereafter I added another 10 - 15 lit briquettes.

I used one half handful each of maple and hickory chips in both the first and second hours, then applied no more smoke wood for the rest of the cook.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2005)

Damn, that looks good!   Let's eat!!! =P~


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## Griff (Aug 20, 2005)

Shawn

Your Canuk bacon looks great.

Did you use Tender Quick or the Sugar Cure mentioned in the recipe ?

I've made back bacon (I probably incorrectly called it buckboard bacon) of pork loins. I used the Tender Quick recipe with molassas, maple syrup, cider, and lots of black pepper. I cured it in the refer for 2 weeks and then spent 24 hours soaking it out. It's my wife's favorite bacon. She prefers it to buckboard made with a butt. I'm not sure. The extra fat in the butt bacon is nice. I like to cube the back bacon and brown crispy it up for spaghetti carbonara.


Griff


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## Pigs On The Wing BBQ (Aug 20, 2005)

WOW Great stuff! Going to have to try that.  =D>


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## Bruce B (Aug 20, 2005)

For some reason Shawn when I click on your link for photos there is no Back Bacon link dated 2005-08-20. :dunno:


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2005)

It's there for me at the top.  Try this link...

http://www.members.shaw.ca/MyBBQPics/im ... BackBacon/

The background is different but it should get you there.....


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## Shawn White (Aug 21, 2005)

Griff said:
			
		

> Shawn
> 
> Your Canuk bacon looks great.
> 
> ...


 I used Tender Quick not Sugar Cure and added turbinado sugar. Adding the maple syrup and stuff sounds great ... I'll have to try that.

Is there any benefit to curing a piece of loin for 2 weeks instead of 3 - 5 days per recipe Griff?


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## Bruce B (Aug 21, 2005)

Looks good Shawn, so how was it? Did you enjoy it, anything you wouuld do differently, how would you describe the taste: bacony or pork choppy???


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## Griff (Aug 21, 2005)

Shawn, I don't know how to answer your question. I've never done less than a two week cure.

Griff


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## Captain Morgan (Aug 21, 2005)

Shawn, have you ever done buckboard bacon?  If so, how does it compare to that delicious looking stuff you just posted?


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## Greg Rempe (Aug 21, 2005)

That looks really good Shawn...I could make my own McMuffins with that stuff!!


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## Shawn White (Aug 21, 2005)

Bruce B said:
			
		

> Looks good Shawn, so how was it? Did you enjoy it, anything you wouuld do differently, how would you describe the taste: bacony or pork choppy???


We just had some store bought back bacon last week and this is a bit different. I'd say more firm like a quite dense ham though not tough, less water in the meat, more flavour. Hard to tell the diff sometimes between fried store bought ham and fried store bought back bacon. We really liked the smoke flavor. When pan frying, moisture/fat comes out and glistens on the surface.

I saw a wet brine recipe and an inject with brine recipe and it would be interesting to try those to compare. I mentioned the meat was dense and firm, perhaps dry vs. wet cure is the difference or it might also be related to finish temp. Other recipes said to remove at 142F if pan frying or 155F - 160F for fully cooked. Store bought says it's fully cooked and I planned on portioning and freezing to thaw at a later date and I wasn't comfortable with the idea of doing this after it only reached 142F so I went to 150F. If someone can tell me 140F is fine since the meat was cured then I would only cook it 140F.

Hey it's my first time, I'm no expert but the family and I thought it was great.



			
				Captain Morgan said:
			
		

> Shawn, have you ever done buckboard bacon? If so, how does it compare to that delicious looking stuff you just posted?


No I haven't Cappy. To be honest, it makes me think of fried butt steak which I found tough, fatty and gristly but I should try making it with say a 3lb butt roast before I knock it.



			
				Greg Rempe said:
			
		

> ...I could make my own McMuffins with that stuff!!


could you ever! better and cheaper ... I picked up these loins at around $4 /lb but bulk store bought back bacon is at least 3X that much and the little pre-sliced packages are outrageous $ per pound


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## Captain Morgan (Aug 21, 2005)

Got a slicer?


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## Shawn White (Aug 21, 2005)

Nope, no slicer yet. Just the bread knife a la Larry.


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## Griff (Aug 21, 2005)

Shawn

I read these posts right before going to the grocery store. We do our weeks shopping on Sunday morning when there's not too many others there. Anyway they had pork loins on sale so I picked one up. Also, picked up a boned butt. I am going to start the cure today and turn them both into bacon. Before putting the loin into the cure I'm going to wack off a couple of slices to pound thin for some schnitzle for tonight's dinner. It's in the low 50s and raining here, so I'll cook inside tonight.

BTW I've done bacon 7 or 8 times and have always pulled it from the smoker at 140*. I slice and foodsaver it but I always cook (I really mean fry) it before use. 

Griff


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## ScottyDaQ (Aug 22, 2005)

Mmmmm!!!!  I see some chicken cordon blue in your future!


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## Captain Morgan (Aug 22, 2005)

I need some schnitzel.....you just don't get much of that here in SC.


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## Woodman1 (Aug 28, 2005)

Forget the bacon, how did those habanero chipotles work for you?


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## Shawn White (Aug 28, 2005)

Bryan, looking forward to it ...

I still got a few smoked habs Woodman .... I use them for salsa, chipotle mayo ... lotsa heat ... maybe the habs are a little thin in the flesh for this but if smoke n heat is what your looking for I think they work well


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## Shawn White (Aug 30, 2005)

thanks for the info Bryan ... when I do it again I'll just go to 142F


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