Bacon Flavored Ham aka Smoked Pork Loin

If you're into grilling and smoking meats, here's something I do all the time that was a big hit with the family.

Many years ago I had gotten a vertical smoker and had been smoking briskets and small turkeys.



Last year I decided to try smoking a pork loin, but one that had be "cured" in curing salts and see how it would turn out:



My favorite place to get pork loins is Sam's Club. They sell very long and large pork loins for pretty cheap prices:



Once I get one of these, I cut it up into 3rds. For smoking one of them, I slice it lengthwise down the middle.

Now in order to "cure" it, you'll need some curing salts. I use Morten's Tender Quick for this. You can find it in stores or order it online:



Put 1/2 cup of the curing salts in warm water, and whisk it:



Take your meat and place it in a container and pour your salt brine into it. There needs to be enough to cover the meat (pictured is an example of when I was curing homemade bacon):



Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 days. Each day check on the meat and rotate it in the brine.

After the 2nd day, you're ready to smoke it! Get your smoker lit off and when the coals are ready, you need to add something to it: Green Hickory sticks.



Now I'm fortunate in that the land I live on here in the South has tons of Hickory trees on it. If you do not have that, you can buy Hickory Chips for grilling at many stores. The trick with using the store bought chips is to soak them in water for 20 minutes or so before putting them in with the hot coals in your smoker.

Get the meat out of the brine and rinse it off with cold water. Pat it dry with a towel, the carry it out to your smoker:



Keep enough coals going so that you can cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours maintaining the temperature gauge at 200 to 300 F (95 to 150 C ). When I have to add coals, I tend to add more Hickory:



Try not to lift the lid too often as this allows the heat that is helping smoke the meat out.

At about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, check your meat with a meat thermometer. The meat needs to have an internal temp of about 160 F (70 C ) for Pork.



Once it's internal temp is there, remove from the smoker, put it on a platter and cover with tinfoil for 30 minutes.

Then cut off a slice and enjoy the mouth watering flavor! It will taste like Ham....but with a bacon flavor (thanks to the Hickory).

You can try variations on this of course, by adding things to your brine mix, like brown sugar, etc.

looks tasty as hell nice thread i like it

a reply to: eriktheawful

god damn that looks banging sir

i would smash that whole thing right now.

the munchies are ramping up and i have a lb of antipasto salad i was looking forward to demolishing but now i dont want it. i want that smoked ham.


i did not do this myself but i love snacks like this and you sir are professional

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: TinySickTears

A few months ago, I got a hardwood smoked half ham and put it on my Webber grill.

I used indirect heating with a drip pan below it, and slow cooked it, but I kept going out and based it with mustard BBQ sauce.

One of the best darn hams I've ever had. Keep meaning to do it again.

a reply to: eriktheawful

ooohhhhh yeeeeeaaaaah

that's what I'm talking about oooweeee

a reply to: eriktheawful

It's like ESP. My hubby just brought one home last night. I think it's twelve ft long lo!. It's just the two of us so I'm cutting it into quarters. One is definitely going in my smoker. We have an electric one. I get hickory chips at Ace Hardware. They have cherry, mesquite, pecan. You obviously don't mind putting in the time to get the desired results. If you like pastrami here's a link to a killer recipe that rivals any New York Jewish deli.

amazingribs.com...

I've made this about five times already. OMG...
It takes a week all told. Less time if you start with a ready cured corner beef. I start there and it cuts off two days. I only soak the best for a while. The one time I followed their instructions for desalinating the meat left me with bland beef. Oh I was pissed. So I only soak it for about an hour or so.

I'm going to brine some of the pork loin tonight. I pack it with course ground pepper, brown sugar, sea salt and cracked coriander seeds when I smoke it and I leave a bowl of water in the smoker to keep the air and the meat moist.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Hot pastrami sandwiches.......


Ooooohhhhh yeaaaaaah!

a reply to: eriktheawful


No it goes like this..

Mmmmm oh....mmmmmm yes, oh uh mmmmmm. Yes.... oh oh my.....mmmmmmm
Oh yes! Oh god! YES! YES ! YES! .


I'll have what she's having...

LOL

So I forgot Christmas when I put the roast in the brine and it's been three days instead of two. I had hickory and maple chips. I used a combination.
Just putting it in the smoker now. Well hubby is. Cuz baby it's cold outside....

Hope it's ok. How long ?? It's only about a pound maybe two.

a reply to: eriktheawful

I just noticed it's Smithfield.. They are a neighboring city to me. Just across the James River bridge.

a reply to: Sillyolme

It'll just be more salty. Should still be fine. Just make sure to rinse it off before smoking it.

I like to cook. Im a charcuterier by trade right now in my cooking career. Most book on charcuterie are crap. But there are a handful of great ones. With a smoker you can make capacolla, tasso, smoked hot dogs, lots of smoked sausage, smoked hams (using different cuts) bacon, pastrami, smoked bologna, smoked mortadella and basically whatever the hell you want. Quick cure is fine........ but you need pink curing salt. That’s what’s best. Look at

Great sausage recipes and meat curing - Rytek Kutas

The art of making fermented sausages- Marianski brothers

Meathead: The science of great barbecue and grilling - M. Goldwyn

The biggest proplem with most books on smoking and curing meats is that the math on the pink salts and brines are just plain wrong. They have bum recipes.

Smoking and curing is one of the most satisfying thing I do. Sausages break but my hams are always perfect. My favorite ham is probably shoulder ham which what is also used to make Tasso. It’s smaller but right now I love these guys. I cure Tasso for three weeks before I smoke but these little hams (which are popular in germany) I brine for a week then smoke at 190 for 16 hrs with hickory and apple.

The smoker I use is a 25 grand beast but the one you have is just as capable as mine. Find some good online smoking forms and go rock it out!

a reply to: Sillyolme

Hey Silly! I finally got the pastrami done. Took me a bit longer than I had planned (dealing with a tooth abscess, so it ended up marinating with the rub for 4 days instead of 2).





Holy crap was this GOOD! A bit on the spicy side for me, but still tasted so good I didn't care about that!

It's given me some ideas for some variations on the rub. Thanks for posting about this, it was quite a treat for New Years Eve!

a reply to: TheAlleghenyGentleman

I've made homemade breakfast sausage (pork and sage) before, and have made homemade deer meat sausage (also a breakfast patties, maple flavored) that come out really good every time.

I've tried making homemade hard salami (BIG salami fan, hehehe) about 4 years ago, but each time it came out more like a summer sausage instead:

a reply to: [post=23001708]eriktheawful

No BS, buy the two books I suggested (the meathead one is fun but for curing, I would start with the other two). They are a great resource. Once you have those you will be on the right track. Im not trying to be a jerk but there are so many variables when curing meat. It is similar to baking that you need a consistent recipe for a consistent product.