Adding Extra Days to Canadian Bacon Cure Time

[DDave]

Wife picked up some pork loin sirloin roasts at Safeway tonight so I figure I'll make some more Canadian Bacon. I've got a bit of a timing issue though. They look to be about 1.5" to 2" thick so if I put them curring today, they would be ready to smoke next weekend. But apparently we (she ) has plans and I have been informed that next weekend may (will ) not work for us (me ).

So I'm shooting for the weekend after and the Sell By Date on the package is Wednesday.

So should I:

a) Leave them in the fridge, prep and put them in the cure on Wednesday and cure them for 10 days or

b) Freeze them now, take them out of the freezer on Thursday morning, prep and put them in the cure Friday evening and smoke the following weekend.

I guess we're only talking about 2 extra days curing. Would this make much difference in taste/texture??

Thanks for your help.

Dave

[Gunslinger]

I brine cured my last ones for 10 days and they were perfect. Rub cured a couple BBB's for 10 days too, and they turned out fine.

[Fishawn]

My last one ended up somewhere around 10-12 days also. I would get them in the brine, that way they will be ready sooner

[Kingudaroad]

Its always better to cure a fresher piece of meat. Curing is like a race between the cure and the spoilage. No sense giving the spoilage any head start.

I vote to cure for the extra 2 days.

[Gunslinger]

The longer they age in the brine, the more tender they are also. The last ones I did were almost melt in your mouth tender.

[Richtee]

2 extra days won't hurt a thing, Dave. And as you are up against the sell by date, I'd have to recommend to git-'em-done as well.

[erain]

sell by date is just that, i would get in the cure just in case the off chance... that you have an opportunity to smoke next weekend. and like the others said i dont believe either a few extra days in cure in the frige is gonna hurt you or be a negative in any way. good luck cant wait for the post

[SmokinLee]

Last year I cured a butt ham, after cureing I let it dry in the fridge for something like 80 hours before smoke. I'll have to look that post up again cuz the Easter bunny is on his way.

here it is if you wanna check it out.

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1690

[curious aardvark]

a) cure now and smoke whenever.

I've gone a week or two over finished time a couple of times - makes no real difference :-)

[DDave]

Brine, eh? Sounds interesting.

Okay, the TQ instructions say 1 cup of TQ per 4 cups of water. Do you then just fully submerge the meat in the container for the cure period? Do rotate the meat? Can you add spices to the brine like you would to a dry cure? If so, do you just use the amount per pound of meat ratios that you would use for a dry cure?

Thanks.

Dave

[Gunslinger]

Brine, eh? Sounds interesting.

Okay, the TQ instructions say 1 cup of TQ per 4 cups of water. Do you then just fully submerge the meat in the container for the cure period? Do rotate the meat? Can you add spices to the brine like you would to a dry cure? If so, do you just use the amount per pound of meat ratios that you would use for a dry cure?

Thanks.

Dave

Here's what I do Dave.

- 1 Gallon water
- 3 oz Prague Powder #1. Morton's TenderQuik can be substituted in amount of 1.25 cups, but omit the pickling salt.)
- 1 cup Pickling Salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1.25 cups brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries, slightly crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

Put all ingredients in kettle and bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes.
Cool to 34°
Completely submerge loin for 7 to 8 days.
Remove from brine
Soak in clean water for 1 hour, changing water in 1/2 hour.
Smoke to 155° in cherry. Yum.

[curious aardvark]

Here's what I do Dave.

- 1 Gallon water
- 3 oz Prague Powder #1. Morton's TenderQuik can be substituted in amount of 1.25 cups, but omit the pickling salt.)
- 1 cup Pickling Salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1.25 cups brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries, slightly crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

Put all ingredients in kettle and bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes.
Cool to 34°
Completely submerge loin for 7 to 8 days.
Remove from brine
Soak in clean water for 1 hour, changing water in 1/2 hour.
Smoke to 155° in cherry. Yum.

Hang on - if you put the cure in the brine BEFORE you boil - won't it be rendered useless by the boiling ?
I mean there's enough salt in there for it to never go off - but surely the cure isn't a factor once it's been heated that much, the nitrite has already converted itself to nitrous acid, which in turn has been broken down by the heat.
So wouldn't it make more sense to add the cure AFTER you've boiled and it's cooled down below 100.

[Gunslinger]

Hang on - if you put the cure in the brine BEFORE you boil - won't it be rendered useless by the boiling ?
I mean there's enough salt in there for it to never go off - but surely the cure isn't a factor once it's been heated that much, the nitrite has already converted itself to nitrous acid, which in turn has been broken down by the heat.
So wouldn't it make more sense to add the cure AFTER you've boiled and it's cooled down below 100.

I thought the same thing when I got this recipe, so I asked the owner of the processing facility that butchers our beef, and he told me that 212° and 10 minutes isn't hot enough or long enough to effect the cure. He also said it's actually a better way to cure because it frees up the nitrite, making osmosis more efficient.

[Richtee]

I thought the same thing when I got this recipe, so I asked the owner of the processing facility that butchers our beef, and he told me that 212° and 10 minutes isn't hot enough or long enough to effect the cure. He also said it's actually a better way to cure because it frees up the nitrite, making osmosis more efficient.

I would be leery of this... "frees up the nitrate" meaning he's using #2, and should really be using #1?

I would be in the camp of adding cure when solution temp is below 150°.

[Gunslinger]

I would be leery of this... "frees up the nitrate" meaning he's using #2, and should really be using #1?

I would be in the camp of adding cure when solution temp is below 150°.

Uh, I said nitrite.
I trust this guy knows what he's talking about. The facility has been in his family for 75 years and he actually has a masters degree in chemistry. Besides processing meat, he makes and sells cured products, jerky, sausages, beef, venison, pork, etc, etc. And has the distinction of being the only processing facility in Missouri that has never had a USDA or health code violation.
Not to mention the fact that I've used the method, and it works fine.
But hey, if it bothers you all, don't use it. I was just explaining the brine that I use. Maybe I should learn to keep my fingers still.