Post
by Chuckwagon » Fri Aug 23, 2013 00:35
Fred, ol' pard! Why not try my trailside favorite? You can turn a pork loin into a smoked delicacy fit for a king, with just a bit of time and salt. This stuff is dynamite right out of the oven sliced thinly, piled high as yer' Stetson, and served served hot with a little Redeye Gravy and a touch of horseradish sauce.
Chuckwagon`s Smoked Pork Loin (Canadian Bacon)
(5-Day, Brine Cured, Smoked, Pork Loin)
Many meat products are soaked in saltwater brine with added nitrite. Often, up to fifteen percent of the meat`s weight in brine, is injected throughout the product to ensure complete distribution. One of the most popular meat products cured in this manner is Canadian Bacon which is not bacon at all. Pork loins are trimmed of their silver skin and excess fat, and cured in a strong saltwater solution containing Prague Powder #1. Ten percent of each loin`s weight is calculated and that much brine is injected into each loin. Very small "shots" are injected equally into several places in each loin. To determine the correct amount of brining solution to inject, simply weigh the meat. Move the decimal point one place to the left to determine the weight of ten per cent solution. In other words, if the meat weighs 15 pounds, inject 1.5 pounds of brine into the loins. Next, the loins are placed into the leftover brine and refrigerated. Note that it is most important to keep the temperature as near 38°;F. (3°;C.) as possible. Temperatures much above that point may enable the meat to begin spoiling; below that point, the cure`s effectiveness may be compromised.
10 lbs. pork loins
3 tblspns. Cure #1
4 qts. icewater
3/4 cup powdered dextrose
2 tblspns. Mapleline (maple flavoring)
1 cup salt
Rinse the loins well following the fifth day brining, and pat them with a paper towel. I like to roll Smoked Pork Loin in plenty of freshly cracked black peppercorns before they go into the smoker. The meat is slowly smoke-roasted to an internal meat temperature of 150°F. (66°C.), making it one of the most delicious types of "ham" you might slide across your tongue! As a reference, ten pounds of loin requires about six or seven hours cooking in a 200°F. oven or smoker. Two hours actual smoking is plenty.
"On the trail" without refrigeration, a portable cooler containing cubed ice or snow may be used to cover and keep the water and the loins as close to 38° F. (3° C.) as possible while the meat cures. As the ice melts, the solution becomes weaker and diluted as water is poured off each day. Compensation for the loss of salt and cure must be made by adding a teaspoon of Cure # 1 and two tablespoons salt, once a day on each of the last three days of curing. Be sure to completely dissolve the cure into the water just before adding more ice to the cooler to compensate for that which has melted. (If you are using snow, be sure to pack it inside a large, plastic, zip-lock type bag.) At the end of the fifth day, soak the loins in cold, clean, water for an hour. Dry the loins completely before smoking them. Lots of folks roll Canadian Bacon in yellow cornmeal rather than black pepper. They call it "peameal bacon". Some misunderstood souls even omit the smoking.
Chuckwagon`s "Horseradicot Sauce"
Horseradish-Apricot Sauce For Pork
1 cup Apricot jam
1/4 cup (4 tblspns) tomato paste
1/4 cup (4 tblspns) lime juice
1/4 cup (4 tblspns) bourbon
5 Tblspns. cider vinegar
2-1/2 Tblspns. ketchup
2 Tblspns. minced green onion
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1-1/2 Tblespns prepared horseradish
1 Tblspn. soy sauce
1 Tblspn. brown sugar
1 Tblspn. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tblspn. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tspn. hot pepper flakes
Simmer all ingredients (except the horseradish) in a saucepan over medium-low heat for ten minutes, stirring often. When the sauce reduces to a thick liquid, allow it to cool. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water. When the sauce has returned to room temperature, stir in the horseradish until thoroughly blended.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
Last edited by
Chuckwagon on Fri Aug 23, 2013 01:09, edited 1 time in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! 