Smoked Foods

[BriTer]

Morton Tender Quick recipe can be found on a bag of....Morton's Tender Quick! :)
I think.
If not, it can be found on their Tender Quick site.
A lot of people do their own thing and add considerably more than as per directions. This is not a safe thing to do. If someone tells you "I bin doin' it like dis for 128 years and haven't kilt no one yet"...let that act as a warning.
1 tbsp of TQ and 1 tbsp of sugar per pound of meat. Cure 7 days per inch of thickness.
Those are the basics. You can also add herbs and spices to the mix but I left mine as is. More sugar would be okay but the more sugar you add, the more chance of it burning during a hot smoke, or even frying. Yes, hot or cold smoke is an option.
I used what is basically a Tupperware container and flipped the meat once a day for the whole brine period for the cure to penetrate evenly , also recommended . You can also do it in freezer bags which may or may not leak, or in sealer bags (Food Saver) which is probably the most practical method. Once a day flip the bag over and gently massage the cure into the meat. The cure is done in a cold environment, like in the fridge. Cure meat at a temperature between 36 degrees and 40 degrees F. Colder temperatures will prevent you from curing properly and warmer temps will encourage spoilage growth.
At the end of the brine time set the meat in a container of water completely covering the meat, for at least one hour and change the water at least twice. This removes the excess salt and curing agent. When you think it's ready, cut off a thin slice and fry it. Too salty? Soak and rinse some more.
There's bacon, and there's bacon, and there's bacon! And different cuts will taste different. Belly bacon which has more fat will taste like bacon :) Buckboard bacon, cut from the shoulder has less fat and will taste less like bacon and bacon made from the loin will taste the least like bacon and is what is used for making back or 'Canadian' bacon. Had I used hickory for smoke it would have had more of a 'hammy' flavor.
What else....what else... Ah! Canadian or back bacon in Canada is typically bought brined, not smoked and is then fried.
Maple.... check this out: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showt ... =red+maple
Meat prices...I bought the loin I used at Wal Mart and it was $1.77 a pound. I won't pay much more than that. Stupor Store price matches if you have the Wal Mart flyer with you.

[BriTer]

whoops, costco does show up!!

The flyer link you gave me looks like Ontario only. That where you are?? It's okay, just wondering :)
Castanet also has flyer links but not everyone's. What isn't listed is No Frills, Buy Low ( I shop those in Oliver if the sale is good) and Independent Grocers. Last year Buy Low had fresh pork belly for under $3 a lb. Prince's in Oroville had it for $5 US a lb :/

[squash junky]

whoops, costco does show up!!

The flyer link you gave me looks like Ontario only. That where you are?? It's okay, just wondering :)
Castanet also has flyer links but not everyone's. What isn't listed is No Frills, Buy Low ( I shop those in Oliver if the sale is good) and Independent Grocers. Last year Buy Low had fresh pork belly for under $3 a lb. Prince's in Oroville had it for $5 US a lb :/

Hi Briter: We are in Kelowna, well, normally anyway. on the top of that savewhale site you can put in yr postal code, very very handy. you can also put distance in there. whenever I need something I put it in there, like BOOST for my 92 yr old father. either 13,99 or 7,99 on sale!
beef, chicken, pork, etc I want it all
The walmart loin I find very, well, not too great as it is not a solid piece, but hey at 1,77 ;) beggars can't be choosers :)

Thank you for the brine explanation. I tried looking it up, but it returns the Mexican site, so I will have to wait to get home to see where to buy.
Now about that maple wood? Can I use the wood from the purple maple at home?
I am going to try this as soon as I walk in the door.......(ok, next day lol )

And I will have to figure out how to cold smoke with a weber mountain smoker

[BriTer]

The operating temp of any smoker you use will be determined a lot by the outside temperature. At 0 I was having trouble keeping it below 125 or so. Still not bad for a cold smoke, but not the best. There's a difference in texture of bacon that is cold smoked or hot smoked, the latter being a bit more chewy.
One way you can keep lower temps is to add a tray/bowl of ice to the smoker.
Did you check out the link to the WSM group I posted awhile back?? (Weber Smokey Mountain, your smoker)
Maple.... I've never used the red maple but from what I've read others have. Like some of the folk on that link I posted for you on maple *nudge nudge wink wink.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showt ... =red+maple
Be aware that the way I brined mine is just one way to do it. There are other cures out there like Prague Powder, #1 and #2 and are used differently. One thing that doesn't change....follow the directions.
Celery powder can also be used instead of the others and is high in nitrite. More of an 'organic' cure. Meats using that are usually labelled 'uncured' which is misleading.

[BriTer]

The problem I had maintaining a lower temp was because I used too many briquettes. About 6 instead of three or so like I did for my cheese, butter etc. You can also use a soldering iron and wood chunks alone, in a coffee can or what have you inside the smoker. That would help.

[generalposter]

Hey BriTer, thanks for posting all the details of your bacon project and I'm glad it turned out well. Where are you buying the Morton's Tender Quick?

[squash junky]

Hey BriTer, thanks for posting all the details of your bacon project and I'm glad it turned out well. Where are you buying the Morton's Tender Quick?

yes
and:
Now about that maple wood? Can I use the wood from the purple maple at home?

[BriTer]

Now about that maple wood? Can I use the wood from the purple maple at home?

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showt ... =red+maple

[Queen K]

Bri-Ter, Does Silver Maple wood give you good chips to smoke foods with? I have a whole tree you can have, it's coming down soon.

[BriTer]

Tender Quick:
Safeway in town USED to sell it but no longer. maybe one of their other locations. From what I've read it is sold by Windsor so, any market that sells Windsor salt should be able to give you that info or might order it for you.
It can probably be had at Stuffers Supply, but that's way the heck out in Langley. I don't know of a closer to Kelowna location of TQ.
I bought mine at Beyer's Market in Tonasket, Washington.
If anyone else checking out this thread knows of a place close to or in Kelowna, please let us know.

[BriTer]

Bri-Ter, Does Silver Maple wood give you good chips to smoke foods with? I have a whole tree you can have, it's coming down soon.

Thanks for the offer but I've got all the maple I need. I've read that silver and red maples are good for smoking.
I bought the last 2 ten pound boxes that Rona on Springfield had a couple years back and a neighbor gave me a few nice cuts from a tree they took down.

[Queen K]

Well if someone needs Silver Maple, they can PM me and find out how to get it.

[generalposter]

Tender Quick:
Safeway in town USED to sell it but no longer. maybe one of their other locations. From what I've read it is sold by Windsor so, any market that sells Windsor salt should be able to give you that info or might order it for you.
It can probably be had at Stuffers Supply, but that's way the heck out in Langley. I don't know of a closer to Kelowna location of TQ.
I bought mine at Beyer's Market in Tonasket, Washington.
If anyone else checking out this thread knows of a place close to or in Kelowna, please let us know.

Thanks man. I figured it is hard to find here in BC. I'll source it out and let you know.

I'm looking forward to replicating your project although I will use some maple syrup and black pepper to take it up a notch. For cold smoke I'll use the lil Chief whereas my hot smoke is done in the Bradley.

[BriTer]

Can the Big Chief be regulated to burn low? The temps we have now might be ideal for it.
If worse comes to worse I can bring some Tender Quick up from Wash. but lots of crazy stuff going on with Canadian money there, like banks that are no longer accepting it, so markets may follow suit.

Thanks man. I figured it is hard to find here in BC. I'll source it out and let you know.

I'm looking forward to replicating your project although I will use some maple syrup and black pepper to take it up a notch. For cold smoke I'll use the lil Chief whereas my hot smoke is done in the Bradley.

[generalposter]

In these temperatures you would have to work hard to get a Little or Big Chief above 100 degrees, especially if it's in the open air getting a breeze. The element simply won't provide enough heat. I use my Little for cheese, trout and salmon exclusively. I cut a 3" hole out of the top and screwed the lid of large tin can on to it which I open and close to regulate the temp... just like the Bradley. I almost prefer the old Chiefs due to their simplicity.