There is a big difference between thick cut Canadian bacon that you make from scratch and anything that you can find in your local market. This is absolutely worth the effort.
Canadian bacon is made from a brine and smoked pork loin and is very lean, unlike tradition bacon which is made from pork belly. Homemade Canadian bacon is a huge step up from anything you can find in grocery store, The best part is that a 2 1/2 pound pork loin yields a LOT of Canadian bacon. Invite your friend over for breakfast.
Selecting a Pork Loin
This recipe calls for a 2 1/2 to 3 pound center cut pork loin. The smallest pork loin that I could find was more than 5 pounds. I cut it down the middle, used one half for Canadian bacon and the other half for a butterflied pork loin roast.
Brining the Pork Loin
Brining is an important step because it actually creates a finished product that that has more liquid than before it was brined. Take a look at my YouTube video on brined pork chops for more on that subject. In a large stockpot, toast the fennel seeds and black peppercorns for 2 minutes until aromatic, stirring constantly. Add the water, salt, sugar, curing salt, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
Once cool, add the brine and the pork loin to a dough tub with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for 4 days. Turn the pork loin over once each day.
Smoking the Pork Loin
After 4 days, remove the pork loin from the tub and discard the brine. Rinse the pork loin under cool running water and pat it dry. Let the pork loin rest and come up in temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, setup your smoker for indirect heat at 225F. Smoke the pork loin until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F, about 2.5 hours.
Remove the pork loin from the smoker and place it on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and allow it to cool to room temperature. Wrap the pork loin in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Slice the pork loin thin across the grain, preferably with a meat slicer. Pan fry until heated through and serve.
Some Other Great Dishes that Came Out of the Smoker
- St. Louis Spareribs
- Texas Hot Links
- Smoked Pork Loin
- Smoked Brisket & Burnt Ends
- Homemade Applewood Smoked Bacon
- Smoked Hot Wings
- Smoked Charro Beans
- Easy Pork Recipes
Watch How to Make Homemade Canadian Bacon on YouTube
Homemade Canadian Bacon From a Smoked Pork Loin
Equipment
- 1 Smoker
Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
- 1.5 tsp black peppercorns whole
- 3 quarts water
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp pink curing salt Prague powder or Insta Cure #1
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 each bay leaf
- 2.5 lbs center cut pork loin
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, toast the fennel seeds and black peppercorns for 2 minutes until aromatic, stirring constantly. Add the water, salt, sugar, curing salt, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Place the pork loin in a plastic dough tub with a tight fitting lid. Add the brine to the tub, cover with the lid and refrigerate for 4 days. Turn the pork loin over once each day.
- Remove the pork loin from the tub and discard the brine. Rinse the pork loin under cool running water and pat it dry. Let the pork loin rest and come up in temperature for 30 minutes. Setup your smoker for indirect heat at 225F. Smoke the pork loin until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F (about 2.5 hours).
- Place the smoked pork loin on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and allow it to cool to room temperature. Wrap the pork loin in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Slice the pork loin thin across the grain, preferably with a meat slicer. Pan fry until heated through and serve.
