Smoked Cured Pork Loin (Kasseler)

Trim the pork loin of excess fat if needed, leaving an even fat layer of 5 mm. Saw the bone straight if necessary. Note the exact meat weight for calculating the salt amount.

Bring 600 ml water briefly to a boil, stir in curing salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaves, allspice, juniper and garlic until dissolved. Cool the brine completely to below 4°C before adding the meat.

Submerge the meat completely in the chilled brine and weigh it down with a plate or weight. Cure at 4°C in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Turn daily. Optional: use a brine injector to inject brine into the thickest parts for more even curing.

Remove meat from brine, rinse under cold water and dry very thoroughly with paper towels. Place on a rack at 4°C in the refrigerator for 12 hours uncovered. The surface should be completely dry and slightly tacky (pellicle formation).

Preheat smoker to 75°C and add beechwood chips. Hot smoke the Kasseler for 60-90 minutes at 75°C. The goal is a light golden-brown smoke note, not an intensely smoked result. Core temperature will rise to approximately 55-60°C.

After smoking, poach the Kasseler in water at 75-78°C (do not boil!) until a core temperature of 72°C is reached. Approximately 45-50 minutes per kg. The water can be flavored with bay leaves and allspice.

Briefly shock the finished Kasseler in cold water to stop cooking and firm the surface. Then wrap in foil and rest in the refrigerator at 4°C for at least 8 hours. Vacuum-sealed, the Kasseler keeps for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.