Rex - you do SO much bacon! Awesome! Got any tips for us - or recipes?
Nothing special. Just a normal pink salt (Cure #1), salt and brown sugar. Cure it for 7 days in individual zip loc bags, turn every other day, then soak in cold water for 45 mins or so, and smoke for just about 8 hours. When I'm applying cure I trim the bellies to fit a one gallon ziplock, saving the trimmings for salt pork that I also smoke, but don't rinse or soak it. The Cure #1 is figured at the normal 6.25%, salt is figured at 2%, and brown sugar at 1%. The bacon is never too salty with a 45 min soak in cool water, I haven't fried any test meat in several months, it's always just right. I tried a brine once and didn't like it so I've been doing dry cure for almost 10 years now.
