TIME TO THROW DOWN ANOTHER GREAT RECIPE WITH OUR FRIENDS AT THE FIREFIGHTER THROWDOWN. THIS WEEK'S RECIPE COMES FROM MIKE JUDGE OF THE SANTA FE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT. WHILE MOST PEOPLE HEAD STRAIGHT TO THE BACON AISLE, MIKE IS FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE HIS OWN! AND WITH SO MANY COMPETITORS FOR THE THROWDOWN COMING FROM CANADA, IT WAS ONLY FITTING TO FEATURE MIKE'S CANADIAN BACON RECIPE.....
"I love bacon, but the goal here was cut the fat, boost the flavor, make a bunch and it is ready to go. Whole pork loin ($16), trimmed to leave just the necessary fat, cured, then applewood smoked. 84 thick cut servings. Currently vacuum sealed and in the freezer. These can be defrosted quickly for a good firehouse breakfast option!" ~ Mike Judge
We covered brining in a previous post here
For the brine:
2 quarts of water
6 tablespoons Morton’s kosher salt
1 tablespoons sodium nitrite (I use DQ Cure #1)
1/2 cup of sugar
5 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife
2 bay leaves
1 large bunch of sage (optional)
7 or 8 thyme sprigs (optional)
1 lemon halved (optional)
Combine the brine ingredients in a pot and bring it to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove it from the heat, allow it to cool, then chill it in the refrigerator.
Submerge the pork loin in the brine (or put it all in a large zip top bag) and refrigerate for 72 hours (give or take a few hours depending on your schedule).
Remove the loin from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate it uncovered for 4 hours or up to a day.
Smoke procedure:
Get your smoker steady between 225-250. Smoke the loin until their is an internal temperature of 140*, approximately 2 hours.
The brine recipe comes from here on www. Ruhlman.com