• 1. Rinse pork belly and pat it dry. Place in glass dish.
• 2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until they are uniformly combined. Scoop out with a measuring cup enough of the dry mixture to thoroughly coat the pork belly reserve remaining salt mix to use in the next couple of days.
• 3. Rub the sugar and salt mixture into the flesh some more. Did I mention you need to rub that ‘ol pork belly down with the sugar and salt? Rub, rub, rub. The sides too. Make sure to get any pockets or under bits of fat – anywhere where water could accumulate. All of it, man
  
• 4. Stack the pork belly slab into the large glass baking dish. Stick it in the refrigerator and forget about it until the next day uncovered.
• 5. Next day dump the accumulated liquid out of the dish and rerub the flesh with the sugar and salt, and place it back in the refrigerator.
• 6. The next day, dump out any accumulated liquid and rub the sugar and salt mixture on any part of the pork belly where the salt and sugar has been completely dissolved. A thin layer will do. Repeat this process every day until liquid stops accumulating in the bin. Ours takes about 8-10 days.
  
• 7. Rinse the pork belly under water, using your fingertips to scrub off any remaining sugar and salt. Pat dry. Voila! Cured bacon

Smoking Cured Bacon

• Only smoking will give the pork belly that smokey flavor most are used to. We have tried the bacon both ways smoked and “green” and as much as I love all things grilled and smoked we actually prefer the “green” bacon. So just know that if you don’t have a smoker this bacon is still and absolute winner!
• If smoking, smoke over hickory or apple-wood at 175-200 degrees until meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, or about 3 hours. 
• The meat should be cooked a bit on the outside, but not all the way through.

  Let the bacon cool to room temperature on a wire rack over a baking sheet, tightly wrap in parchment paper, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (This sets the flavor and texture.) 
• With a long, very sharp knife, slice it thin or thick, as desired. Use hard-to-slice pieces in pots of beans or soup.

Homemade bacon will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer.