How to Make Locally Sourced Homemade Bacon and Canadian Bacon

pork loin

🥗Healthier: turkey loin

💰Cheaper: pork shoulder

Turkey loin offers a leaner option, while pork shoulder is more economical.

black pepper

🥗Healthier: white pepper

💰Cheaper: ground black pepper

White pepper can provide a milder flavor.

cornmeal

🥗Healthier: oat flour

💰Cheaper: flour

Oat flour is a gluten-free alternative, while regular flour is often less expensive.

Cut pork belly in half to fit into 1-gallon containers.

Mix together 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of brown sugar, and 3 teaspoons of curing salt to create a brine solution.

Pour the brine mixture over the pork belly until fully submerged.

To keep the pork belly submerged, use a Ziploc bag with ice or flip the pork belly every other day.

Cut the pork tenderloin into thin chops for breakfast, thicker chops for dinner, and cube some for roasting.

Leave a pound and a half to 2 pounds of pork tenderloin whole for Canadian bacon.

Add Crown Royal apple and maple syrup to the brine for the Canadian bacon.

After 7 days of brining, rinse the pork to remove excess salt.

Dab the pork dry with paper towels.

Add a layer of coarse ground black pepper to the top of the pork.

Refrigerate the pork for 4 hours to allow the surface to become tacky.

Prepare a coal bed in the smoker, keeping it away from the meat.

Chop cherry wood into pieces that can fit into the smoker.

Light the smoker and maintain a temperature around 150°F for cold smoking.

Place the pork in the smoker and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 155°F, checking at 135°F after about 3 hours.

If the bacon is not smoky enough, cool it down and double smoke it if necessary.

Slice the finished bacon to check the inside.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: