My first crack at back bacon.
First brined a whole pork loin from Costco, half in a sage and thyme brine and half in a maple brine.
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Then dried it in in the fridge over night. The sage brined for 72 hours the maple for 5 days
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The sage I smoked with hickory smoke until 145F and the maple was smoked with maple smoke until 140F. Both were let cool and then wrapped in butcher paper. The sage rested in the fridge for 3 days and the maple for 1 1/2 days.
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I sliced it on the slicer and tossed it in a pan just to get it hot. The rest I froze in freezer paper.
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I like the maple more, it's not really sweet but it has a hint of maple, but not much. Both were really moist, next time I'll leave a bit more fat on it just to make a little more grease in the pan.
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