Homemade Peameal Bacon and Back Bacon - they're both are ubiquitous in Canada, but hard to come by elsewhere. Luckily, they're easy to make!
Originally published November 6, 2014, Updated on 10/29/20
As I've mentioned before, one of the annoying things about living away from my homeland is the lack of availability of many of the grocery basics, treats, and general comfort foods of home.
For the most part, they're easy enough to make, once I put my mind to developing a recipe (Tiger Tail Ice Cream, or Honey Garlic Cooking Sauce, for instance!)
Recently, I was disappointed with a purchase of "Canadian bacon" (we don't call it that - it's back bacon!). I lamented the lack of availability of not only GOOD back bacon, but also peameal bacon.
My husband had never even heard of peameal, and had only ever had "Canadian Bacon" as they sell it here in the USA... anemic, flavourless, very blah ham product. This was a situation that needed to be rectified!
So, I did some research on recipes and techniques, and created a recipe of my own, using the flavours I wanted.
I ordered a few necessary items - including Prague Powder, which I'd never even heard of before that point - and then called my husband to let him know that I was taking up a new hobby - curing meat.
You know you've married well when such a declaration isn't met with some variation of "WTF? Because we don't have enough hobbies?", but with "Awesome! I've been meaning to take up smoking meats! We can do both!"!
While back bacon requires smoking - usually requiring special equipment / technique - pea meal bacon is ridiculously easy to make, and requires no special skill or equipment. I was really kicking myself for not having done it sooner!
Peameal Bacon vs Back Bacon
Anyway, both bacons start out the same - soaking in a flavourful brine for a few days - and then veer off in different directions from there:
What is Peameal Bacon?
After soaking in the brine for a few days, the pork loin is then rolled in cornmeal (Back in the day it was crushed up dried peas), wrapped, and chilled.
It's then cut into thick slices and fried up as needed, usually served in sandwiches. So far as I can tell, these sandwiches are mostly a Toronto thing... I have no idea why. They're fantastic!
What is Back Bacon?
Back bacon skips the cornmeal, and gets smoked until fully cooked.
You can serve it as-is, though it's usually reheated in some form: fried as part of breakfast or in a sandwich, or thinly sliced and used to make pizza.
Says Porter: "It has a better texture than the stuff I've had - firm but not stringy or chewy. Much better flavor, more character. I definitely see a big difference, and I'm not going back".
Peameal Bacon
This style of bacon has been around since the 1800s, though it’s changed a bit in concept since its inception.
Originally, it was originally rolled in ground up dried peas - hence the name. That changed after the first world war, when people started rolling it in cornmeal instead.
How to Make Peameal Bacon
The whole recipe follows, but as a general overview:
1 - Get a nice looking pork loin roast.
2 - Trim back the fat so there’s only a thin layer remaining on the roast.
3 - Prepare the brine, bringing it to a boil and allowing it to cool.
4 - Put the brine and pork loin into a plastic bag, stick it in your fridge, and wait 5 days.
5 - Discard the brine, rinse the pork loin, and pat dry with a paper towel.
6 - Roll cured pork loin in yellow cornmeal.
7. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for a bit before slicing it up.
How to Serve Peameal Bacon
This bacon is very easy to cook and serve: Just slice it up and fry it! Cook it like you would any other bacon (I like to use a little oil, as it’s low in fat itself... unlike regular bacon).
I generally cook it in a nonstick pan, but you can cook it on a griddle or outdoor grill also.
From there, it’s usually served in at least somewhat of a breakfasty setting - alongside eggs and toast, maybe with some canned beans.
That is, it’s usually served as a breakfast when it’s not being ascended to its true calling:
Peameal Bacon Sandwiches
Pea meal sandwiches are GLORIOUS, full stop.
While I’d had peameal back home in Winnipeg, I had not ever had it in a sandwich until I moved to the Toronto area as an adult.
Early on, I happened across the St Lawrence Market (Which is my absolute favourite market I’ve EVER been in, anywhere!). Not only is the St Lawrence Market where I first discovered Kozlik’s Mustard (The one true mustard, IMHO, I’m completely in love with the stuff)... it’s where I had my first peameal sandwich.
So. Good.
In its purest form, this sandwich really only needs a good bun, piled high with fried peameal slices... maybe a bit of mustard. (Especially Kozliks, obviously!)
Personally, I like to mix it up when making a peameal bacon sandwich. Sometimes I’ll fry and egg and eat it as a breakfast sandwich.
My favourite is basically doing a Canadian BLT. Sort of, anyway: Peameal slices, tomatoes, spinach instead of lettuce, and mayonnaise... but add in some red onion rings, a slice of sharp cheddar, and a bit of mustard.
Heaven!
Back Bacon
Canadian Bacon vs Back Bacon
On paper, the stuff that Americans refer to as “Canadian Bacon” is what we call “Back Bacon”.
In reality - as any Canadian living in the US will tell you - they’re not the same. This goes double for the “Canadian bacon” that ends up on pizza, in my experience.
What’s the difference? Well, it’s hard to say.
Generally, “Canadian bacon” is just... ham. I suppose technically back bacon is “just ham” as well, but it definitely has a different flavour and texture profile than what I would consider “just ham”.
Does American “Canadian bacon” just not flavour the brine? Is it just that the meat they start with isn’t as good? I don’t know.
What I CAN tell you is that if you’re living anywhere other than Canada and make my Back Bacon, it’ll likely ruin you for what you know as “Canadian bacon”!
How to Make Back Bacon
The whole recipe follows, but as a general overview:
1 - Get a nice looking pork loin roast.
2 - Trim back the fat so there’s only a thin layer remaining on the roast.
3 - Prepare the brine, bringing it to a boil and allowing it to cool.
4 - Put the brine and pork loin into a plastic bag, stick it in your fridge, and wait 5 days.
5 - Discard the brine, rinse the pork loin, and pat dry with a paper towel.
6 - Hot smoke it until it’s fully cooked.
How to Serve Back Bacon
SO, after all of my smack talk about American “Canadian bacon” on pizza... my favourite way to serve back bacon IS on pizza.
Sure, you can fry it up and serve it as a breakfast bacon - same as any other bacon - or in a sandwich (fried or not - it’s fully cooked, so you can serve it cold!)... but IMHO, pizza is where it really shines.
And yes, that includes on “Hawaiian” pizza... which is actually a Canadian invention!
I promise you, making a pizza with this will wreck you for all other “Canadian bacon” pizzas. I like to make a spicy Hawaiian- back bacon, pineapple, thinly sliced jalapenos, and a drizzle of Sriracha.. spectacular!
Sometimes I’ll use candied jalapenos... augh so good!
This recipe is one of many fantastic Canadian recipes in my cookbook, "More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from my Home and Native Land”.
"More than Poutine" is a Canadian cookbook like no other - written by a Canadian living away, it includes both traditional home cooking recipes, as well as accurate homemade versions of many of the snacks, sauces, convenience foods, and other food items that are hard to come by outside of Canada!
Order your copy here on this site, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!
More Canadian Comfort Food!
Whether you’re a Canadian in the US or not, we could all use some comfort food these days. Here are some Canadian Favourites!
Back Bacon / Canadian Bacon
Beep
Canadian Popcorn Seasoning Recipes
Clodhoppers
Confetti Bars
Dill Pickle Dip
French Canadian Pea Soup
Homemade Deep N Delicious Cake
Homemade Wunderbars
Maple Butter Tarts
Montreal Bagels
Persians Recipe
Poutine, My Way!
Puffed Wheat Squares
Replica Swiss Chalet Sauce
Tiger Tail Ice Cream
Looking for even more Canadian recipes? Check out our full Canadian Recipes list!
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Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Anyway, on to that Peameal Bacon Recipe... and the Back Bacon Recipe!
How to Make Peameal Bacon and Back Bacon
Equipment
- Smoker (For Back Bacon)
- Wood chips of choice (for Back Bacon)
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Loin About 4 lbs
- 12 Cups Cold Water Divided
- 1 Cup Maple Syrup
- ½ Cup Pickling Salt
- 2 teaspoon Prague #1 Cure
- 2 tablespoon Mustard Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 4 Garlic cloves Pressed
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Lemon Sliced Into Wedges
Instructions
- Cut pork loin into 2 approximately equal sized chunks (crosswise, NOT lengthwise!). Trim most of the visible fat, if you’d like. Some people don’t both, I don’t like the extra fat on mine. Set aside (in fridge).
- Measure 4 cups of of water into a large pot, add remaining ingredients (aside from rest of water!). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining water, stir to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Place one chunk of pork loin in each of 2 gallon sized freezer bags. I like to manually divide the lemon wedges and bay leaves equally between the two bags before pouring half of the brine into each bag. Push out most of the air, seal the bags, and put them in the fridge – I put both bags into a 9 x 12 cake pan, just in case of leakage, etc.
- Allow the pork to brine for 5 whole days, turning once daily to ensure the pork loins are completely submerged.
- After 5 days, discard brine, and rinse pork loins with cold water. Use paper towels to pat dry.
For Peameal Bacon:
- Pour a generous amount of yellow cornmeal onto a plate large enough to accommodate the chunk of pork loin. Roll loin in the cornmeal, pressing to form a uniform crust.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, chill for at least an hour before slicing and frying/grilling… if you can handle the wait! (I was unable to!)
For Back Bacon:
- Hot smoke it with your choice of wood chips until it reaches an internal temperature of 145-150 F. I left this completely up to Porter, here’s what he has to say about how he did it. (This was the very first thing he’s ever smoked!):“First I put it in the propane grill at about 225°F for one hour. Then I transferred it over to the charcoal grill for about 2 ½ hours. The charcoal grill was about 250°F (that wasn’t intentional, was trying for 225°F). While on the charcoal grill I put on soaked applewood chips about every twenty minutes or so, just a small amount each time. I put the wet chips directly on the coals.”
Gen
Thanks for posting your recipe, I am in exactly the same situation as you re: comfort foods of home. Still wondering why the States haven't caught on to the sweet loveliness of the caramilk bar.
MaryJo
I won't do any stars because I haven't made this, but the recipes for both kinds of bacon look great. We don't have a smoker, so I'm eager to try the peameal bacon. A number of years ago, I was at a combined potluck of The Saint Paul Bread Club and Slow Food Minnesota that was held at (now closed) St Ages Bakery in St Paul. Klecko made pizza dough, as I recall, and SPBC members rolled it out, then SFM folks provided the toppings. One of the SFM couples brought homemade bacon and I was fascinated because I had never imagined a home cook could make bacon.
Your recipes sound so easy, I added the Prague salt to my Amazon order.
Thanks for sharing!
Gail
I have missed peameal bacon as well. I was raised in Hamilton Ont. Also when I first moved to the states I saw Canadian bacon and wondered what it was as I had never heard of it in Canada. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try it.
Jamie
About to take it out of the brine and roll it. I am excited to try this thanks for posting it
Todd
Yes I was raised in Hamilton also but now in Cooperstown. I miss real peameal back bacon. I have to try this recipe as I brag this is not Canadian back bacon they try to pass off, wait until you try the real thing I tell them. Now I can make it and have them try it
Colleen
I have never had peameal bacon, but I'm a west coaster maybe that's why. I would never think to make my own back bacon, but you make it look easy! Thanks for this informative post.
NANCY
i never had peameal bacon either. I never thought to make my own. thanks for sharing this!
Kasia
Thanks for explaing the difference between the two bacons. I've always wondered. It sounds like a long process to make it but I bet it's totally worth it.
Marie Porter
It does take a little bit of time, but honestly not much work at all.
The Peameal takes *maybe* 15 minutes of active time, the back bacon sightly more.
It's mostly just a bunch of waiting!
Britt K
Okay, I'm going to have to share this with my husband! While we are still in Canada, and therefore peameal bacon is readily available, he LOVES cooking and making things himself. He doesn't spoil himself by purchasing it too much right now (I don't eat meat, so he'd be buying it just for himself) but I think making it would give him a good excuse to dig in and enjoy lol
Sean
I've always wanted to try making peameal bacon! You've made it so clear here (and the tasty tasty photos don't hurt either). Great stuff, and thanks for sharing!
Ed
Marie, you've done a wonderful job of explaining the difference between Peameal bacon (Canada) and Canadian bacon (USA). I do a hybrid version because I live in Southern Ontario (Peameal bacon is readily available) and I'm lazy, I just buy a Peameal bacon slab/roast, cut it lengthwise and smoke it with the cornmeal still on.
(This way I don't have to do the brining.) Then I slice it up for breakfast or sandwiches.
ashok
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
David Presland
The American Version of Canadian bacon is not made from the more expensive cut of a pork loin, it is basically Oscar Meyer processed sandwich ham cut into a circle from what I can see.
Bill
Quick question. The ingredients list calls for 2 “Tsp” Prague #1 Cure. I’m confused by the capital T. Is that teaspoon or tablespoon? Thanks.
Marie Porter
Teaspoon. Just fixed that typo, thanks!
Rob Green
Been in USA 32 yrs now and there's plenty I miss. Tortière, peameal, original Shredded, Original smarties, coffee crisp, even spruce beer although some of those are gone, even in Canada... I've made peameal a few times but now, with some health reasons, I'll try it without nitrite cure. Keeping it fresh, frozen or smoked, instead. This recipe looks good.
Jeremy
I brine with raw uncooked loin and then after rinsing it I add the peameal with additional spices and smoke it that way. It is fantastic. Gets a nice flavorful bark on the outside that is very tasty.
Alex
From Toronto, been in states for 12 years and miss Peameal bacon as much as Timmies. Used to make BBQ peameal bacon sandwiches!! Loved it with a little burnt edge… The bomb!!!
Andree Tadros
Hi Marie, I was just wondering if pickling salt is the same as course kosher salt? I want to make the Peameal bacon as I haven’t had it since last in Bolton, Ontario at my sisters. Wanted to bring a suitcase full back to Florida but I didn’t have room…. LOL….. can wait to see if mine will turn out as good as your looks in the recipe. Thank you, Andree
Marie Porter
They're not the same thing, but you can use koosher salt in this recipe if you'd like - they'll work the same.
Andree
Good old taste of home. It was wonderful
Shelley-Ann Towner
Well, it's been brined and does NOT look nice and red like that. Really concerned.
Marie Porter
... what colour is it?
Ed
Did you use the curing salt (Prague Powder)? That keeps the meat pink.
Bobby Endicott
We make ours without any garlic and it tastes just like the Peameal from the Toronto Saint Lawrence Market. Amazing!!!
Ed
Any thoughts on how long this will keep in the fridge? I made both versions exactly as described. I'm figuring the smoked half should last at least a week; your thoughts?
Marie Porter
I usually call it at 5 days, but I'm pretty cautious with meats. They freeze well, though!
gail
Do you freeze as a chunk or slice and freeze? Thank you
Marie Porter
I prefer to freeze it in chunks, others may prefer slices.
I'll usually divide it into a chunks that will be used within a week or so, then slice after it thaws.
CHRISTINE S
I can't wait to try to prepare this for me and my husband. He lived in Toronto for nearly 20 years and had to move back to the States. The first time he took me up there I got a sandwich from Tim Horton's and it was awesome. Unfortunately we can't transport meat across the border so I am hoping this will be a nice close second!
Marie Porter
Oh, if you've only had it from Timmies, this will be WAY better!
RiChard
Excellent! I made one kind with each chunk. Threw a tablespoon of juniper berries in the brine cause I had them, otherwise by the book. I smoked the back bacon with some offcut bits of alder lumber that I'd been saving for just such a thing. Mm-mmm!
Shawn Scanlan
My sincere compliments and thanks for this recipe. It was fun to make and the results are spectacular! My freezer now features about 30 packages of deliciousness. The slicer and heat sealer got quite the workout 🙂
Sabrina Davis
I have been doing this recipe for over 5 years I'm from Alberta Canada my husband is from Ontario the rhing he missed most was peamlal here in Alberta we only do smoke back bacon I have been doing both ways brings my husband back home to Ontario thank you 😊 😀
taylor
I left Canada 30 years ago and truly miss my Pealmeal Bacon Sandwiches from St. Lawrence Market. If anyone wishes to visit my tropical island I ask for 5 pounds of Peameal but people seem to forget. I haven't made this yet due to unavailability of pork loin -- we get pork chops once or twice a month -- but a friend in US made your recipe and she loved it and has made it several times since.
Linda
I have made this twice now. The first time I made it, I followed recipe exactly and found that it had too much of a garlic taste but my hubby loved it. Second time (just cooked up some today) I left the garlic out and WE LOVED IT, tasted so close to the store bought kind but better LOL. We will be definitely making this all the time now instead of buying it from the store.
Question: What is the secret to getting the cornmeal to stick to the meat while cooking it, it always seems to come off in the fry pan?
Katy
This recipe looks very interesting and I would love to try it. I have 2 lb of pork tenderloin on hand right now. Is there any difference in the way of handling tenderloin for the recipe compared to loin? Thanks!
Marie Porter
I've never tried it with tenderloin. It will probably have a different texture after curing, might not slice up the same way. If you try it, let me know how it goes!