HOMEMADE CANADIAN BACON
Updated: May 29
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This Homemade Canadian Bacon Recipe is a great way to utilize pork loins from a hog that you harvested yourself or picked up from your local market.
If you decide to make this delicious smoked pork treat, you can go ahead and forget about what you know about store-bought Canadian bacon. This stuff is lightyears ahead in every way possible.
Like most Canadian bacon recipes, this one gets the majority of the flavor through a wet brine, which I think is better than a dry brine. The store-bought version as many of us are familiar with, is usually under-seasoned with any sort of herbal aromatics, over-salted and lacks real smoke flavor. I truly believe that if you make this, you'll be a fan of making your own homemade Canadian bacon for life.
What Cut of Meat Is Canadian Bacon From?
Canadian bacon is made from the loin (backstrap) of a domestic pig or wild boar. It is normally left whole when smoking after the silver skin has been removed.
Canadian Bacon vs Bacon:
Bacon is made from the belly of a pig and is normally dry cured before being smoked. Bacon can also get a lot of its tasty flavor from sodium nitrite being present in most commercially made bacon cures. Canadian bacon is mostly wet-brined and although it can contain sodium nitrite, the flavors in my opinion aren't as pronounced.
Canadian Bacon vs Ham:
Canadian bacon and traditional hams do have a few similarities. They are both wet brined and then smoked afterwards. But the length of time the meat soaks in the brine and the quantity of the brine ingredients vary greatly, due to the sizer difference in the cuts of meat.
Cooking Methods:
While cooking the meat in a smoker is the preferred method by many, you can also cook it on your grill and in the oven. I like to use a digital electric smoker in order to have precise control of the cooking temperature. If you opt not to use a smoker, just remember that you'll be missing the smokey flavor unless you add a little liquid smoke to your brine.
Serving Suggestions
Canadian bacon is great thinly sliced on sandwiches, breakfast casseroles, egg omelets, pizza with pineapple, eggs Benedict and hot "ham" and cheese sandwiches.
Looking for other hog recipes? These are a few of my favorites:
Lastly, if you make this easy Homemade Canadian Bacon Recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you've made.
Special Equipment and Ingredients:
Pink Curing Salt No.1 (Mortons Tender Quick, Instacure # 1, Pink Salt # 1)
Butchers Twine (for Tying Cheese Cloth)
HOMEMADE CANADIAN BACON RECIPE
Ingredients
1 wild boar loin (or domestic)
2 quarts of water
6 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon pink curing salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
4 garlic cloves (smashed)
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of sage
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 of a lemon
Directions
Make the cure. Combine all of the ingredients except the pork loin in a pot and bring to a simmer. Stir and make sure that the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the stove and allow to come to room temperature. Place the brine in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.
Brine the meat. Place the pork loin into the brine, weighing it down with a small plate if needed to keep the meat from floating. Place in the refrigerator for 48-72 hours.
Remove the pork loin from the brine and rinse it with cold water. Completely dry the meat off and refrigerate uncovered for 8-24 hours. Placing the meat on a wire rack inserted on a sheet pan will help with air flow in order to thoroughly dry the meat.
Smoke. Hot smoke the pork loin at a temperature between 200 and 210 degrees F. to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. Allow the meat to completely cool before covering and storing. This will keep in your refrigerator for up to 10 days if stored properly.
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