Canadian bacon question

BluesnBBQ

I smoked some pork loin to make Canadian bacon this weekend. I did about three pounds, and I have a lot left. I put some in the freezer tonight. How long does this usually stay good? Does the curing process make it last longer? It's only been a few days, so what I have is still good, but I'm wondering how long it should stay in the fridge.

TRex

BluesnBBQ,[p]Can you explain the process of how you made the Canadian bacon? Do you just cure the pork loin with some type of dry cure or marinade and then smoke it for a long time at low temp?[p]Thanks.[p]TRex

BluesnBBQ

TRex,[p]CR posted his method for making Canadian bacon a couple of weeks ago.[p]It's pork loin rubbed with a mixture of Morton's Tenderquick and brown sugar (1 tablespoon of TQ per pound of meat, and one teaspoon of brown sugar per pound). [p]Rub it well, and put it in a ziploc bag. Store in the fridge for 7-10 days, turning once every day.[p]Before smoking, rinse the loin well with cold water, and soak it in cold water for half an hour. Smoke at a low temp (I did mine at around 200-210) until it is 150 internal.[p]You can read more about it here:[p]http://www.biggreenegg.com/archives/2003/messages/69131.htm
[ul][li]Smoked Pork[/ul]

CR

BluesnBBQ, I put some in the freezer in vacuum sealed Food Saver bags. I would expect it to last quite a long time(1yr. maybe). Also had some that I kept in the refrigerator in a zip lock; sed it up over a couple of weeks and it remained very good to the end.[p]I would expect that the curing and smoking process will make it safe for a much longer that regular meats, but I am not an expert.[p]Also, if you liked the Canadian style Bacon, try the same recipe with a cheap Pork Butt cut into 1 pound pieces prior to curing. This came out very well for me; a little higher in fat content and more like a lean regular bacon. Much cheaper and also better that $3 per pound bacon.

BluesnBBQ

CR,[p]I'l probably try it with pork butt. One local grocery store sells precut butt steaks that might work well with curing and smoking. I wonder how it would affect boneless contry style ribs?[p]I made myself a fried egg and Canadian bacon sandwich (on an English muffin) for breakfast this morning. It was better than any Egg McMuffin I've ever had!

Unknown

CR,[p]A little clarification, if you please. In your March 19 post, you smoked the loin to 150* and then cut into one pound pieces. In your post of today, you used pork butt and cut into one pound pieces BEFORE curing.[p]Is there a reason for cutting one after and the other before?[p]Cornfused folks want to know.[p]Thanks,[p]Pete

CR

Sespe Pete, the main reason that I cut the Pork Butt into smaller pieces was because the Butt was large and would not fit into a zip lock bag for the curing period. Also the Butt I used was bone-in so since I was cutting-out the bone before curing anyway, I decided to cut into pieces the size that I was planning on freezing. [p]I was also thinking that the smaller pieces would smoke differently but I did not notice any noticible difference in the smoke flavor between a 3 pound loin smoked in 1 piece and these smaller pieces smoked individually. [p]The original recipe that I used for curing, found on the Ugly Brothers website, lists ingredients for 10 pounds of pork at a time. So, if you use large plastic bags with ties and have the room in your fridge, I assume that it can be done in much larger portions if you wish.[p] I am by no means an expert in this; still very early on the learning curve for me. The curing and smoking process is a lot of fun and I love the results. Hopefully I will gain some expertise as time goes by and be able to post some lessons learned for others.[p]CR[p][p]

Unknown

CR,[p]Thanks a million for the information. Something I just have to try... someday![p]Pete