Homemade Sausage Making

Finally my first smoked meat. I put a 5 lb pork loin into Rhulman`s Canadian Bacon brine for 72 hours. My first mistake was when I added 2 qts of water to the brine to cover the loin I boosted the cure (4 oz per gallon) but not the salt. I also pumped some brine into the loin. After the brine, rinsed and let sit in the fridge overnight. On smoke day I rubbed the loin with oil and rolled it in crushed pepper corns. Let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Amazing how the mind stops working as we get older and after all that exercise too. We test fried a couple of pieces to see if it was too salty and it wasn`t. Should have asked ourselves if it was salty enough. One dimensional thinking is frustrating. Next time I won`t toss the brine till satisfied with the taste test.

My new smoker is the 2-door Masterbuilt gas smoker. It was -6C (21F) outside but not windy. Couldn`t keep the propane lit. Disconnected the gas and plugged in a hot plate. Raised the water bath and put the cherry chip filled pan onto the hot plate - Yes Smoke!

Hung the loin in netting and smoked for 3 hours. Gave up on temperature control because I wasn`t getting any readings, even though I had installed new batteries.

Pre heated the oven to 325 - second mistake. When it went in the oven the IT was 93 degrees. Cooked it until IT was 160. Let it rest and tasted a piece - yup its somewhat dry and not salty. It is edible though and will be top drawer next time. Lessons learned.

If it's any consolation, it sure looks nice!... I know. Not the same as eating nice. Sorry you ran into one stumbling block after another. Thanks for sharing.

We really learned a lesson about using the oven to get to the desired IT. I was amazed at how much fat and gelatine we wasted by cooking at too high a temp. Saved it for gravy. What is it we don't understand about low and slow.

At those temperatures you fixed roast pork loin.

ssorllih wrote:At those temperatures you fixed roast pork loin.

Ross, please explain
Thanks
Phil

At 325° you aren't slow smoking anything, you are roasting it. Everything about meat smoking is a exercise in patience, from the minute you begin brining until the day after it comes out of the smoker to rest overnight. Hang in there, slow and steady wins the race. RAY

sawhorseray wrote:At 325° you aren't slow smoking anything, you are roasting it. Everything about meat smoking is a exercise in patience, from the minute you begin brining until the day after it comes out of the smoker to rest overnight. Hang in there, slow and steady wins the race. RAY

Well, roasted pork for breakfast it will have to be. If that doesn't re-enforce low and slow nothing will, eh.

This was roasted at 300°F for 5 hours to an IT of 160°F.

Gee whiz Ross, that looks delicious! For dinner with a baked yam and green beans, breakfast with eggs sunny-side up, taters with onions and peppers, maybe a couple of slices of buttered toast with strawberry jam! I can hardly wait to go to bed so I can wake up and start thinking about a brekky like that. Oooo, applesauce too! RAY