Leslie Bartosh, CEC, AAC, FMP

  Ahh.   Canadian Bacon!   When it comes to eating high off the hog, this is one of my favorites! What is not to like?   Lean pork loin cured and smoked.   Think about very lean, smoked ham!   This is a longish post.   But there is a lot of good information in it.   I urge you to take the time to read it through.   If you are only used to seeing Canadian Bacon in the meat section of your grocery store this is probably what you have seen.   This type of Canadian bacon is widely used in restaurants and hotels as a part of the classic dish Eggs Benedict.   It is made from chunks of pork loin that are packed into a synthetic casing (think red plastic), the cure is injected, and it is cooked.   It is typically perfectly round.   It may or may not be smoked.   I like the smokiness, so I smoke mine.   But “real” Canadian Bacon can be made from whole pork loin muscle that has been trimmed of all fat.   It is not perfectly round.  

Welcome to first post of my new blog.  I hope to keep this updated with information about the food I am preparing and eating. I hope you will join me on the diverse journey that is my diet.   So without further ado.......... I am a big fan of house made or home made food of all kinds.  Making cured and fermented foods is especially enjoyable for me.  The plate below is a prime example. Except for growing the vegetables and animals used in this meal, I made all of the items on the plate and in the meal.  When I control what goes into the food I consume, I feel better about it.   The Sauerkraut in this photo was raw before it was cooked for this meal.  It is made up of two ingredients:  Green cabbage and salt.  Sauerkraut is produced through lacto-fermetation.  The bacon was dry cured using the EQ curing process and cold smoked with apple wood pellets for 24 hours and then aged before it is was sliced. The "Ham" and Canadian bacon both used the same formula and cooking process.