Canadian Bacon Question - Curing

Teefus

I've done a couple experiments with Canadian Bacon. The first was with Pork Tenderloin. Not Canadian Bacon per se, but it turned out well. The second experiment used a 1 1/2# section of center cut Pork Loin. I cured in a concentrated brine (Morton's Tender Quick per their instructions plus added Brown Sugar) in a storage bag for about 36 hours, turning often. The Morton instructions suggested 24 hours. All that said, I don't think it cured all the way. It wasn't uniformly pink all the way through, especially under the side with the layer of fat. After the cure it spent several hours in my cold smoker on Alder and Apple. Note that it is still in the "raw" stage as the internal temperature only got to about 80*F. I was planning on taking it to 150* today while I was cooking other stuff on the egg. I slice some up and cooked it for breakfast this morning and while it tasted great it didn't have the texture I expected.

I guess what I'm wondering is if I should have let it cure longer? If so, Is it possible to overcure? Comments and suggestions are welcome as I try to get this dialed in.

Botch

I've made Canadian bacon a couple times, using the Charcuterie recipe, and it stayed in the brine for 48 hours; tasted like the real thing to me.  I wouldn't think an extra half-day would make that kind of difference, but maybe it does...

Teefus

Thanks for the input. Next try I’ll shoot for 48 minimum.