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Dizzy Pig Cow Lick Canadian Bacon Recipe

By Q'Fan (Mike Kerslake)

Featuring the Formula for Success Curing Method

There is nothing like the taste of homemade bacon. Follow the Canadian Bacon recipe for the Dizzy Pig Spin and then sit back, eat and enjoy!

Ingredients

Print Recipe

Center cut boneless pork loin, cut into three or four 8-10” pieces if whole (the whole boneless loin roast generally runs 7-8 lbs average and is close to 3 feet in length. Available at Costco, Sam’s etc)

Curing Brine (measurements depend on project weight)^***

Water to cover pieces of loin completely and snuggly in a non-reactive brining vessel (such as food grade pail or small cooler)
Salt or Morton’s Tender Quick at 3% of project weight
Sugar (light or dark brown recommended) at 2% of project weight
.05 oz ‘pink salt’ per pound of project weight (use only in conjunction with straight salt. Omit if using Tender Quick!)
2 Tbsp Dizzy Pig Cow Lick seasoning per 10 lb of project weight
1 Tbsp crushed juniper berries per 10 lb of project weight
1 small onion quartered, per 10 lb of project weight
2 bay leaves per 10 lb of project weight
3 cloves of garlic per 10 lb of project weight

^*** Project weight is total of trimmed meat weight in pounds, plus amount of water necessary to cover, calculated at 8.3 lb/gallon.

For example, 7.7 lbs of meat plus 1 gallon of water to cover at 8.3 lb/gal would create a total project weight of 16 lbs. Salt and sugar levels can now be easily calculated.

If still unsure of how to calculate salt/sugar/cure amounts for your particular project, read the intro to the Formula for Success and follow the in-depth instructions there.

Directions

Cut and trim pork loin roast, removing silverskin and excess fat. Weigh total amount of meat.
Cover meat completely with water in curing vessel. Remove and reserve meat and measure the water necessary to cover.
Pour necessary water into stock pot on stovetop, add salt (or TenderQuick), sugar, cure (if using), rub, juniper berries, onion, garlic and bay leaves.
Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes or until curing brine is infused with flavors from all ingredients.
Remove from stove. Cool and then refrigerate until temperature of brine is in 36-38°F range. Inclusions can be strained out if so desired.
Add pork loin pieces, ensuring they are covered completely by brine. If necessary add non-reactive weights to keep submerged (small dinner plates work well here).
Allow to cure 5-7 days, turning pieces once to ensure full contact with brine.
Remove, Pat dry and remove any clinging whole berries etc
Prepare smoker for indirect cooking at approximately 275°F
Sprinkle surface of roasts with Dizzy Pig Cow Lick seasoning
Smoke roasts using cherry, hickory, apple or pecan wood to desired finished temp.
140-145°F internal will render a product that can be pan fried to order as breakfast bacon
155-160°F internal finish will produce meat that can be served as-is for deli meat, pizza topping, etc.