In my bacon recipe post I mentioned using a pork loin instead of a belly and sort of left it at that so I’m revisiting the topic.  I really enjoy smoked pork loin which also goes by the name back bacon or Canadian bacon: it’s a cured and smoked pork loin.  It’s solid, slightly dry and tastes like the meaty part of traditional bacon.  After traditional pork belly smoked bacon it was the next recipe I tried in Charcuterie.  The recipe called for a spiced brine and then smoke with …

Successfully came through my Thanksgiving dinner. The last few years I’ve been winging it with my stuffing and the results have been mixed to put it kindly. This year I turned to a great basic stuffing recipe from Saveur that was full of fresh herbs, celery, onions, dried bread cubes, stock and eggs. I added mushrooms and homemade sausage and baked for fourty five minutes: the end product was excellent. I also made Parker House rolls from a Cooks Illustrated recipe but let the buns do their final rise in …

I’ve made panchetta a few times, most recently late spring.  It’s a savoury dry rub on pork belly that’s cured for a week, rolled and hung for several weeks: I follow the Charcuterie recipe.  Pancetta is an Italian bacon that has a nice savoury flavour.

A key part of the process is the air drying or curing.  It reduces the liquid and concentrates the flavours; with smoked products the low heat does the same thing.  My issue is finding the right spot to air dry: it’s recommended to air dry in a 60% humidity …