From 1971 - 1977 I lived in Southern Ontario. One of my favorite local foods was peameal bacon. For those who haven't tried it, "Canadian Bacon" is an American cured & smoked ham, not the same as peameal back bacon. Things may be very different than they were 40 years ago, but I don't think I ever saw American Canadian Bacon in the grocery when I lived there.
For 40 years I have tried unsuccessfully to find it here. One might think that with all the Canadian retirees that winter on the Gulf Coast of Florida, someone would carry this fabulous Canadian meat. But no. No one here has ever heard of it, and they will actually insist that a small round ham is Canadian.
So.............I found Michael Ruhlman's recipe for curing peameal bacon, and decided to try it.
http://ruhlman.com/2011/02/canadian-bacon-brining-basics/ I bought a very small (1 1/2 pounds) piece of loin (just in case it didn't work). My 40 year old memory tells me that it didn't have all the herbal notes from the sage, bay leaf, & thyme. I also don't recall a strong garlic flavor. So I chickened out and
cut way back on the herbs. I skipped the lemon. I smashed one clove of garlic into the brine, left it in a while, then removed it. My smell memory just didn't think they belonged.
This morning, we had Eggs Benedict with farm fresh eggs and my new peameal bacon. We both really liked it, but now I have to ask a question of our Canadian friends. It's been so long................I need you all to refresh or correct my perception. Do you pick up the flavors of bay, sage, thyme, garlic & lemon in peameal bacon? Help! SHould I trust Rulhman? Or my memory?