Made this recently and was impressed with the great flavor. I was surprised with Juniper Berries and Rosemary in the cure, but incredibly pleased with the results. I also will note that it is not as salty as commercial ham, which for me let it taste of ham and not just smoky salt. Being ever the lazy cook, I’ve now created myself a simple spreadsheet to calculate the ingredient weights. Thanks for sharing a great recipe/technique.
Amazing! Yeah, those ingredients all add just a little character to the ham. I'm super happy that you are enjoying it. 😁 I completely agree with your comments on the differences between this and your typical store bought deli ham. Also, I love the spreadsheet move! I actually started one earlier this year, myself. There is a little work up front each time you make a different recipe, but makes repeating it SO much easier anytime you make it again. Great call! 👌 Thanks so much for the kind words.
Glad I saw this one before I made the sous vide version. I will go with this one. It makes sense that this would be more moist than the sous vide. Any meat will lose some liquid in the sous vide. This method seals in that moisture with a nice pellicle "crust" Thank you again. Good as always.
Hey, that's great! Yeah, I believe I like this version a bit better. The sous vide one is good, but I like the exterior of this more. It's also surprisingly moist, like you note. Let me know how it goes! 😁
Your result here looks better than any deli ham I've purchased. I've been smoking pork loin for sandwiches for years. Curing first will be a good way to change it up. Thanks for all of the great information.
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Is there a difference between this and back bacon ..are steps exactly same? I also watched your back bacon (also hot smoked) video, seems identical?
Nice presentation...really simple method with outstanding results...I cured for 4 weeks and then used my MasterBuilt Electric smoker...it did take close to 9 hours to reach the target temperature but I decided to go for broke and used 2 Costco pork loins cut in half so the smoker had a pretty good load...at any rate the results were excellent...keep up good work...
😋 Planning to start one later this week! One question though; after the smoke, when you rest in the refrigerator overnight, do you wrap, vac, or just leave it open to air?
Nice! When I let it rest to offgas, I just loosely tent with plastic wrap. I usually do that in the meat tub, as I have a garage fridge that it can fit in nicely. Hope that helps! Good luck with the ham. Let me know how it goes! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11Perfect, that's my same setup! I was also wondering if you knew how much spices should I add to make it spicy? Was thinking red pepper flakes and ground cayenne or chipotle peppers, just not sure how much. Never too hot in my mind, but others may want to share 😂 Really, what would be the typical range, if there is such a thing. I'm so excited for this, I'll absolutely report back! Thanks again
Ah, making it spicy...there is the question! Getting heat in the meat is always a bit of a task. I've had good success with two pieces of spicy, dry-aged charcuterie. My favorite was my spicy chipotle loin (th-cam.com/video/SjfjgOymb7I/w-d-xo.html). Since you mentioned both chipotle and cayenne, that might be a perfect idea! In that one, I had 2.5% chipotle powder (could also grind up dried chipotle peppers or something) and .3% cayenne powder. Now, the flavors are maybe a bit more concentrated in a dry-aged piece of meat, where we're losing 35-40% of the water content, so you might want to take those percentages a bit higher. I also just make a 'honey hot' ham (video to come in the near future!), which came out with a heat more in the mild-medium range. I did that by adding a bunch of sriracha sauce to the cure, but I would for sure add something hotter next time, if I'm trying to make something with some real heat to it. Thanks for the question! Let me know how your meat project goes! 👌
Hi, new sub here !! Would you say in theory that this recipe and back bacon recipe is the same and yield the same results ? Difference would be the thickness of the slice ?
Hey, there! So, you're pretty close. The salinity is just a little higher in the deli ham, and the seasonings are different (sugar and pepper in the bacon; juniper, rosemary, and pepper in the ham). Other than than, the curing and smoking processes are basically the same. 😁 Thanks for the question and for coming along for the ride!
Just found your channel and I’m really impressed with how easy you make these recipes seem. You use large cuts of meat in most of your videos (referring to the weight or size of the cut). I know you calculate the ratios of spices and cures based on the weight of the meat, but do the seasonings and cures still work out if I were to use a loin that’s only a pound or two? Or do the recipes just work better for larger amounts of meat? I’d really like to try this recipe, but my wife and I would never eat that much ham. Do the spices and cure work just as good if I scale them down for a one or two pound piece of loin? Or do they just do better when the meat is larger and there’s more seasoning and cure? Kinda like it being nearly impossible to make a single serving of lasagna… it just doesn’t turn out as good as a full pan of lasagna… is this smoked ham like that? Thanks!! Keep up the good work!
Hey, there! So, this recipe would easily scale for the smaller portion of meat that you mention. If anything, the spices might be a little more noticable, I suppose, as the surface area to meat ration might be a little different. At the same time, the spices in the cure aren't super intense, so I'd likely just scale this exactly and try it out. You would likely have a shorter smoking time, too, as it would probably cook a little quicker. Keep an eye on that, and it should work out great, though. That's why I list the recipes the way I do. Now, I want some lasagna...🤣 Thanks for the question and the kind words! 👍👍
This comment is in no way criticism, I just want your opinion. For starters this recipe looks 100 % a winner, I wonder what you think about equalizing before eating by vacuum this and let it in the fridge for 21 to 28 days and then start eating, do you think it is a worthwhile step? Cheers from OZ mate.
Hmm! You could, for sure. I wonder how that might impact the smoke...would it more fully penetrate the meat during that time? Or would it start to fade? I doubt it would hurt the meat in any way. This sounds like a cool experiment. If a guy was to make one batch, then age as you suggest, but then time out a second one that would be ready to eat (just like in the video) at the same time the first one has aged, it would be a cool side-by-side comparison. Perhaps this summer I'll find time to give it a whirl. If you try an aged version, let me know how it goes! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 I got this question from seeing a Russian making a ham with chunks of pork leg, cooking sousvide and then smoking it, he suggested equalizing for 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator after vacuuming in order to get the flavor through the whole piece. Cheers from OZ mate.
Hmm. Yeah, he must have done that because he cooked the meat via precision cooker, first. I find that smoke enters meat way easier when it's cold and uncooked. That's why, in my other deli ham video, I cold smoke, than cook via precision cooker. Perhaps he did things in that order to get the smokiness throughout the meat. 🍻
Hey, there! Nope, no phosphates; only the ingredients you saw me add. There are times - and it's mostly with these leaner cuts, I find - where I don't wind up with much moisture coming out of the meat. I would say it is mostly to do with the salinity in this equilibrium brine. I'm only going with 2.2% salt, and I think that then doesn't pull out as much liquid. When I make bacon, and it's 3% or higher (and fattier, if that's also a variable), I definitely have more liquid in the bag after curing. Not sure if that helps or not! Thanks for the questions. 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Hey man, i tried several recipes for this cut and so far i found that wet brining one had best results.. ill try this one too as im still in pursuit of a recipe that will satisfy my expectations for a smoked loin.
You could try, but it wouldn't be the same. The color would be different (more of that white color you get when you cook pork chops, rather than the expected pink throughout) and the texture would also be more like a roast pork. You would also have to cook it to a temperature that would be good for food safety. When you cure via the nitrite, you are sort of chemically cooking it, so it's safe to eat without cooking to the higher temp you would normally cook raw pork. The last consideration is that you would have to be more aware of the expiration date of the raw pork, which might limit how long you could let it sit there and absorb the flavor of the spices, etc. If you're trying to get the same type of product as I show here, you'd need to cure it. Hope that answers the question! Thanks. 😁
Truth! I forgot to mention that in the recipe/process in the video description (just updated it). I went with the slower acting #2, since I knew I was going to let this cure for so long. If I was going for just a couple of weeks, I'd have used #1). That day, I was also curing three other types of charcuterie planned for dry aging, so I just pulled out the one type of cure. 😁 Thanks for the question and reminding me to mention that in the recipe. Now, I want to make another round of bacon. 🍻
@@ThisDadGoesTo11- 10lbs pork belly -2% kosher salt -1% cane sugar -1 1\4 tbls crushed all spice -3/4 tbls cracked blk pepper -1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg -4 crushed bay leaves -10 sprigs fresh thyme -3 green onions -1/2 tblsp pepper flakes (optional/to taste) -.25% #1 cure -refrigerate 7 days -rinse, pat dry, refrigerate over night -hot smoke over apple wood @ 200 to an internal of 140-145 deg. -cool and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
Are you talking about the Canadian/back bacon? It is quite similar to ham, for sure. It's very different from side/streaky bacon, which has a much higher fat ratio. I like the back bacon for eggs Benedict, breakfast sandwiches, etc. It definitely doesn't work as a straight substitute for 'regular' bacon. Personally, side bacon is my favorite, but I do like the back bacon as an ingredient in certain dishes.
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Pork Loin> I was trying to make bacon out of the loin. This one was Teriyaki HAM YUM > Its ok i like ham too 🤣🤣 Been making backboard bacon from the butt should Its Excellent 👌👌
I found the bacon grease on it while hot smoking low and slow helped it stay nice and moist. If you're heating it up a second time, later on, you for sure need to take care that it doesn't dry out.
Made this recently and was impressed with the great flavor. I was surprised with Juniper Berries and Rosemary in the cure, but incredibly pleased with the results. I also will note that it is not as salty as commercial ham, which for me let it taste of ham and not just smoky salt. Being ever the lazy cook, I’ve now created myself a simple spreadsheet to calculate the ingredient weights. Thanks for sharing a great recipe/technique.
Amazing! Yeah, those ingredients all add just a little character to the ham. I'm super happy that you are enjoying it. 😁 I completely agree with your comments on the differences between this and your typical store bought deli ham.
Also, I love the spreadsheet move! I actually started one earlier this year, myself. There is a little work up front each time you make a different recipe, but makes repeating it SO much easier anytime you make it again. Great call! 👌 Thanks so much for the kind words.
Glad I saw this one before I made the sous vide version. I will go with this one. It makes sense that this would be more moist than the sous vide. Any meat will lose some liquid in the sous vide. This method seals in that moisture with a nice pellicle "crust"
Thank you again. Good as always.
Hey, that's great! Yeah, I believe I like this version a bit better. The sous vide one is good, but I like the exterior of this more. It's also surprisingly moist, like you note. Let me know how it goes! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 It is in the fridge as of today.
Your result here looks better than any deli ham I've purchased. I've been smoking pork loin for sandwiches for years. Curing first will be a good way to change it up. Thanks for all of the great information.
Hey, that's awesome! Thanks so much. Yeah, the curing does change it considerably. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Is there a difference between this and back bacon ..are steps exactly same? I also watched your back bacon (also hot smoked) video, seems identical?
Nice presentation...really simple method with outstanding results...I cured for 4 weeks and then used my MasterBuilt Electric smoker...it did take close to 9 hours to reach the target temperature but I decided to go for broke and used 2 Costco pork loins cut in half so the smoker had a pretty good load...at any rate the results were excellent...keep up good work...
Awesome! Glad to hear it turned out great...and that you went all-in to make a good amount at the same time. 😁 Thanks for the kind words!
😋 Planning to start one later this week! One question though; after the smoke, when you rest in the refrigerator overnight, do you wrap, vac, or just leave it open to air?
Nice! When I let it rest to offgas, I just loosely tent with plastic wrap. I usually do that in the meat tub, as I have a garage fridge that it can fit in nicely. Hope that helps! Good luck with the ham. Let me know how it goes! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11Perfect, that's my same setup! I was also wondering if you knew how much spices should I add to make it spicy? Was thinking red pepper flakes and ground cayenne or chipotle peppers, just not sure how much. Never too hot in my mind, but others may want to share 😂 Really, what would be the typical range, if there is such a thing. I'm so excited for this, I'll absolutely report back! Thanks again
Ah, making it spicy...there is the question! Getting heat in the meat is always a bit of a task. I've had good success with two pieces of spicy, dry-aged charcuterie. My favorite was my spicy chipotle loin (th-cam.com/video/SjfjgOymb7I/w-d-xo.html). Since you mentioned both chipotle and cayenne, that might be a perfect idea! In that one, I had 2.5% chipotle powder (could also grind up dried chipotle peppers or something) and .3% cayenne powder. Now, the flavors are maybe a bit more concentrated in a dry-aged piece of meat, where we're losing 35-40% of the water content, so you might want to take those percentages a bit higher.
I also just make a 'honey hot' ham (video to come in the near future!), which came out with a heat more in the mild-medium range. I did that by adding a bunch of sriracha sauce to the cure, but I would for sure add something hotter next time, if I'm trying to make something with some real heat to it.
Thanks for the question! Let me know how your meat project goes! 👌
Hi, new sub here !! Would you say in theory that this recipe and back bacon recipe is the same and yield the same results ? Difference would be the thickness of the slice ?
Hey, there! So, you're pretty close. The salinity is just a little higher in the deli ham, and the seasonings are different (sugar and pepper in the bacon; juniper, rosemary, and pepper in the ham). Other than than, the curing and smoking processes are basically the same. 😁 Thanks for the question and for coming along for the ride!
Just found your channel and I’m really impressed with how easy you make these recipes seem. You use large cuts of meat in most of your videos (referring to the weight or size of the cut). I know you calculate the ratios of spices and cures based on the weight of the meat, but do the seasonings and cures still work out if I were to use a loin that’s only a pound or two? Or do the recipes just work better for larger amounts of meat? I’d really like to try this recipe, but my wife and I would never eat that much ham. Do the spices and cure work just as good if I scale them down for a one or two pound piece of loin? Or do they just do better when the meat is larger and there’s more seasoning and cure? Kinda like it being nearly impossible to make a single serving of lasagna… it just doesn’t turn out as good as a full pan of lasagna… is this smoked ham like that? Thanks!! Keep up the good work!
Hey, there! So, this recipe would easily scale for the smaller portion of meat that you mention. If anything, the spices might be a little more noticable, I suppose, as the surface area to meat ration might be a little different. At the same time, the spices in the cure aren't super intense, so I'd likely just scale this exactly and try it out. You would likely have a shorter smoking time, too, as it would probably cook a little quicker. Keep an eye on that, and it should work out great, though. That's why I list the recipes the way I do.
Now, I want some lasagna...🤣 Thanks for the question and the kind words! 👍👍
This comment is in no way criticism, I just want your opinion. For starters this recipe looks 100 % a winner, I wonder what you think about equalizing before eating by vacuum this and let it in the fridge for 21 to 28 days and then start eating, do you think it is a worthwhile step? Cheers from OZ mate.
Hmm! You could, for sure. I wonder how that might impact the smoke...would it more fully penetrate the meat during that time? Or would it start to fade? I doubt it would hurt the meat in any way. This sounds like a cool experiment. If a guy was to make one batch, then age as you suggest, but then time out a second one that would be ready to eat (just like in the video) at the same time the first one has aged, it would be a cool side-by-side comparison. Perhaps this summer I'll find time to give it a whirl. If you try an aged version, let me know how it goes! 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 I got this question from seeing a Russian making a ham with chunks of pork leg, cooking sousvide and then smoking it, he suggested equalizing for 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator after vacuuming in order to get the flavor through the whole piece. Cheers from OZ mate.
Hmm. Yeah, he must have done that because he cooked the meat via precision cooker, first. I find that smoke enters meat way easier when it's cold and uncooked. That's why, in my other deli ham video, I cold smoke, than cook via precision cooker. Perhaps he did things in that order to get the smokiness throughout the meat. 🍻
How come there was no brine in the bag after curing? Did you put phosphate?
Hey, there! Nope, no phosphates; only the ingredients you saw me add. There are times - and it's mostly with these leaner cuts, I find - where I don't wind up with much moisture coming out of the meat. I would say it is mostly to do with the salinity in this equilibrium brine. I'm only going with 2.2% salt, and I think that then doesn't pull out as much liquid. When I make bacon, and it's 3% or higher (and fattier, if that's also a variable), I definitely have more liquid in the bag after curing.
Not sure if that helps or not! Thanks for the questions. 😁
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Hey man, i tried several recipes for this cut and so far i found that wet brining one had best results.. ill try this one too as im still in pursuit of a recipe that will satisfy my expectations for a smoked loin.
@@hammertiming8423 Totally! I understand the quest for the food that scratches that itch. Let me know what you think of this one! 😁
Would this work without nitrite?
You could try, but it wouldn't be the same. The color would be different (more of that white color you get when you cook pork chops, rather than the expected pink throughout) and the texture would also be more like a roast pork. You would also have to cook it to a temperature that would be good for food safety. When you cure via the nitrite, you are sort of chemically cooking it, so it's safe to eat without cooking to the higher temp you would normally cook raw pork. The last consideration is that you would have to be more aware of the expiration date of the raw pork, which might limit how long you could let it sit there and absorb the flavor of the spices, etc. If you're trying to get the same type of product as I show here, you'd need to cure it.
Hope that answers the question! Thanks. 😁
Great Video... nothing more I can say. eccellente!!!!! Will be smoking my loin this weekend
@@MrKuuya1 Awesome! Let me know how it turns out! 😁🔥🔥 Thanks for the kind words.
Why did you use cure #2?
When making bacon you use #1 and the dry curing process is basically the same.
Truth! I forgot to mention that in the recipe/process in the video description (just updated it). I went with the slower acting #2, since I knew I was going to let this cure for so long. If I was going for just a couple of weeks, I'd have used #1). That day, I was also curing three other types of charcuterie planned for dry aging, so I just pulled out the one type of cure. 😁 Thanks for the question and reminding me to mention that in the recipe.
Now, I want to make another round of bacon. 🍻
I have a great recipe for jerked bacon, it's not hot.
Oooooh! That sounds delicious. Super cool flavors to get into bacon. Now you have me drooling, and I haven't even seen the recipe. 😂
@@ThisDadGoesTo11-
10lbs pork belly
-2% kosher salt
-1% cane sugar
-1 1\4 tbls crushed all spice
-3/4 tbls cracked blk pepper
-1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
-4 crushed bay leaves
-10 sprigs fresh thyme
-3 green onions
-1/2 tblsp pepper flakes (optional/to taste)
-.25% #1 cure
-refrigerate 7 days
-rinse, pat dry, refrigerate over night
-hot smoke over apple wood @ 200 to an internal of 140-145 deg.
-cool and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
@@briandaffern5108 share this jerked bacon recipe !!!!!!!
L👀KS LIKE MONEY 👍🏿
🤗 Thanks! I'm super happy with this version.
I gave it my best shot to make bacon out of it. but ITS A HAM ! AND THERE NOT WAY TO CHANGE IT!
Are you talking about the Canadian/back bacon? It is quite similar to ham, for sure. It's very different from side/streaky bacon, which has a much higher fat ratio. I like the back bacon for eggs Benedict, breakfast sandwiches, etc. It definitely doesn't work as a straight substitute for 'regular' bacon. Personally, side bacon is my favorite, but I do like the back bacon as an ingredient in certain dishes.
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Pork Loin> I was trying to make bacon out of the loin. This one was Teriyaki HAM YUM > Its ok i like ham too 🤣🤣 Been making backboard bacon from the butt should Its Excellent 👌👌
Amazing. Yeah, I'm waiting to find butt on sale, so I can play around with it. It's a nice fat to meat ratio. Dang, now I'm hungry! 🤣
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Good pork will make ya hungry
@@426superbee4 Facts. 😁
Its very bad about drying out. OIL OIL AND MORE OIL
I found the bacon grease on it while hot smoking low and slow helped it stay nice and moist. If you're heating it up a second time, later on, you for sure need to take care that it doesn't dry out.
@@ThisDadGoesTo11 Thanks for the tip