Peameal (Canadian) Bacon is another thing I miss from home. Mom always served it for special occasion breakfast. You find it on Eggs Benedict or grilled and thrown on a sandwich. It’s a cured pork loin coated in ground yellow peas or cornmeal. I finally got brave enough to try making it, and it turned out amazing!
NOT Canadian Bacon
In the US, you can find “Canadian Bacon” at most major Grocery Stores or on McMuffins. If you live in the US, please know they are lying to you. This is NOT Canadian Bacon. This is round ham. Whoever decided to call this Canadian Bacon should be doused in Maple Syrup and left to the Canadian Geese.
Brine
You’ll need to cure the pork for four days in a salt brine. Ours consists of salt, pickling spice, Prague powder (pink salt), maple syrup, garlic, and water. I really like the Boise Salt Co pickling spice and Prague powder we picked up on Amazon. Read the notes section of the recipe for tips on how to quickly cool off the brine.
Pork Loin
We got a boneless pork loin that was about 5 lbs and cut it in half. The butcher did a great job of trimming it down so we didn’t have to spend any time taking off the excess fat or cleaning it up. Once we cut it in half, we injected the brine in a few spots. We put both pieces into the brine and weighed the meat down with cans to ensure they stayed submerged. We put our brine into a turkey-size oven bag. This allowed us to easily seal it and saved a lot on the mess! Then just let it sit for four days in the fridge.
After four days, you can pull the pork out of the brine, rinse it, and coat it in cornmeal. We pulled a small piece off the end and threw it in a frying pan to test it. If it had been too salty, we would have let it sit in cold water for a couple of hours and test it again. Once you coat it, let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours uncovered so the coating sets on the outside.
Peameal (Canadian) Bacon
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Pork Loin
- Cornmeal
Brine
- ⅔ cup Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbsp Prague Powder or pink salt
- 2 Tbsp Pickling Spice
- 1 cup Maple Syrup
- 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 3 Litres Water
Instructions
- Trim and clean the Pork Loin if necessary, removing any excess fat (leaving no more than 1/4 inch thick)
- Cut the pork loin into two equal pieces and set aside
Prepare the Brine
- In a pot bring 1 liter (4 cups) of water, salt, Prague powder, pickling spice, garlic and maple syrup to a low boil just until the salt dissolves
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (see tip in the notes section)
- Once the brine has cooled add 2 liters of water (8 cups) so your brine is a total of 3 litres and place in a large food safe container or food safe bag (see tip in the notes)
- Take some of the brine and using a meat injector, inject 1/4 cup of the brine in various places in each piece of pork
Cure the Pork Loin
- Place the pork loin into the brine and ensure it is submerged, use a plate or place cans on the bag to weigh down if needed
- Store the pork in the fridge for 4 days
- Remove the pork from the bag and rinse off any spice or salt, slice a small piece and fry it to ensure that it isn’t too salty (if it is too salty, soak the pork in fresh water for a couple of hours and try again)
Crust the Pork Loin
- Pour cornmeal onto a large plate and roll the pork loin in the cornmeal until well coated on all sides, pressing gently where needed (ensure the pork loin is still slightly damp)
- Store the crusted pork loin in the fridge for 24 hours to allow the cornmeal to set
Slice & Storing
- After 24 hours you can wrap the pork loin and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or seal and freeze it (you can slice it first if you prefer, see below)
- To slice, place in the freezer until firm (depending on the size approx 1 hr) and slice in ¼ inch thick slices
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