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–+ servings
slices of raw peameal bacon on a cutting board

HOMEMADE PEAMEAL BACON RECIPE

Peameal Bacon is a Canadian treasure that is delicious, lean and IMHO, should be tried by all! It's the perfect breakfast food, goes great with eggs or in a sandwich and the best part is that it's pretty dang easy to make yourself at home!
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Curing Time 5 days
Total Time 5 days 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 20 Slices

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Pork Loin (~4 Pounds) excess fat trimmed
  • 12 cups Cold Water
  • 1 cup Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar
  • ½ cup Pickling Salt
  • 4 Cloves Garlic smashed
  • 3 Whole Cloves
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Star Anise
  • 2 tbsp Mustard Seed
  • 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 2 tsp Prague Powder #1 Cure
  • 1 Lemon sliced into wedges
  • 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal

Instructions

  • Pour half the water into a pot and then add all of the remaining ingredients (except the other half of the water). Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, pour in the remaining water, and stir thoroughly to blend. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature.
    liquid in a pot with lemon wedges, peppercorns, bay leaves and star anise
  • Place the pork loin into an extra large ziploc bag and then pour in the cooled brine. Seal the bag (be sure to push out any air), put it in a large dish (in case of any potential leaks) and then into the fridge. Make sure the pork loin is fully submerged in the brine at all times. Brine it there for 5 days, going in each day to turn the bag to ensure even distribution of the brine.
    raw whole pork loin in brine in a ziploc bag
  • After 5 days, discard the brine. Rinse the pork loin with cold water to ensure there are no remaining seeds or peppercorns stuck to it. Then, use clean paper towel to it pat dry and remove any excess moisture.
    hand with a paper towel patting a pork loin down
  • Pour half the cornmeal onto a baking sheet or a dish big enough to fit the pork loin. Roll it in the cornmeal, using your hands to press it down and evenly coat it on all sides.
    pork loin covered in yellow cornmeal on a baking sheet
  • Carefully wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up before slicing and cooking.
    pork loin wrapped in yellow cornmeal wrapped in siran wrap
  • Slice into desired thick slices.
    peameal bacon slices and whole loin on a cutting board
  • There are several delicious ways to cook peameal bacon. One of my favourites is simply searing it in a pan with some oil over medium heat until browned on both sides and cooked through.
    2 slices of peameal bacon cooking in a cast iron skillet

Notes

You can freeze peameal bacon slices for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 2852mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
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