Canadian Bacon from Red Wattle Loin

Heard about Red Wattle meat and its wonderful marbling? Here is a loin I'm going to make some Canadian style Bacon from. This loin weighed in at about 15 pounds. If you can't make out the ruler it measures about 27 inches.

This will be my first attempt at making Canadian Bacon. I looked for recipes online and there was no shortage. Some used a brine cure, others used a dry cure. Add spices or flavor just about any way you want. After the curing dry the meat by smoking it or in an oven to about 150 F internal temperature. Just partially cooked so it can be sliced and cooked in the skillet latter or take the internal temperature up to 180 F and it can be sliced and eaten like cold cuts. The curing and drying draws out moisture and concentrates the flavor. If your not in a big hurry let it age for a while to let the meat break down and develop more flavor. Some styles of bacon like this are aged up to two years.

All of the recipes said curing salt should be used. It contains sodium nitrate which does a few things. It helps kill the nasty microbes that would spoil your meat and make you sick. It also helps enhance the flavor and preserve the color. I bought a hickory flavored kit to make jerky with and am using it for the cure and spices.

Here is the end result after curing for three weeks and then smoking for about 2 1/2 hrs. to an internal temperature of 165 F. WOW is it good.

We would like to hear about your experiences with curing meat. Please share your recipes if you like,

Milk Letdown - Oedema

If your sow or gilt is not making enough milk it could that there is excess fluid in the udder tissue. This condition of excess fluid is called oedema. The animal usually has a normal appetite and does not have a fever. The udder gland will feel firm or tight. The pressure of the excess fluid cuts down or off the flow of milk. This can then cause the piglet to get less colostrum and an immune deficiency. Eventually the piglet would waste away.

Signs of udder oedema would be firmness of the udders detected by palpation. Also, 5 –7 days after farrowing you may notice some of the piglet physical condition declining.

If left untreated oedema can lead to mastitis.

Talk to your vet. Typical treatment would be ½ -1 ml oxytocin every 4-6 hours for 4 times. Also, give an injection of a long lasting antibiotic to combat any mastitis that might be developing.

Some pre-farrow preventative steps would be to make sure the sow gets plenty of water, cut back on the high energy/protein feed and add more fiber. Check for constipation and add more fiber. Use a good gestation diet.