It went as such:
1. Rinse and pat dry pork belly
2. Mix equal parts coarse kosher salt, dark brown sugar and maple syrup (in this case I had 8.3 pounds of pork belly so I used 1/2 cup of each ingredient)
3. Rub mix all over pork belly
4. Place into gallon Ziploc bags
5. Store in fridge for 7 days
6. Flip bags every other day to distribute cure
While I hate the idea of using plastic bags, I hate trichinosis even more. So, in spite of my apprehension, given the amount of belly I had to work with, I used 3 one-gallon bags. After the cure is complete, I'll be smoking the bacon. More posts to come to finish the job...
In the meantime, here are some pictures of the process to whet your appetite:
The Pork Belly:
The Cure:
The Meat Side:
The Skin Side:
The Finished "Product" - three gallon Ziploc bags of curing belly:
Have you ever made your own bacon from pork belly?