Step 1

Prepare the cure. Combine all ingredients for the bacon cure in a bowl. It will be a paste-like consistency. This is exactly what you want.

Step 2

Cure the pork belly. Place your slab of pork belly in a large plastic bag (either a large vacuum seal bag or a gallon zip top bag works great for this). Using your hands, transfer some of the cure to the bag with the pork belly and spread it on all sides. Make sure to thoroughly coat all sides of the bacon and use all of the cure. Seal the bag tightly, removing as much air as possible. Place the sealed pork belly package in the refrigerator and cure for the next 7 days. Flip and massage the pork belly once per day.

Step 3

Develop a pellicle. After the 7th day in the cure, remove the bacon from the bag. Gently rinse the pork belly to remove any thick slimy build-up on the exterior of the pork. Place it on a wire rack above a baking sheet. Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. Season the top with the tablespoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Place the peppered bacon in the fridge (while still on the rack) and leave uncovered for at least 12 or up to 24 hours. This step helps develop a tacky coating called a pellicle on the exterior of the bacon.

Step 4

Smoke the bacon. Preheat your smoker to 160-170 degrees F using your favorite hardwood. Apple, maple, and hickory are all popular for smoked bacon. Place the pork belly directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and smoke for approximately 6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork belly reads 155 degrees F.

Step 5

Slice and cook. Let the bacon chill completely in the refrigerator before slicing. A cold slab of bacon is much easier to slice into even pieces. Slice your bacon as thick or as thin as you like (one beauty of making it from scratch) and fry up in a cast iron skillet. Enjoy!