For the kind of bacon popular in the United States, use pork belly. If you wish to make British-style back bacon, use the same cut of meat that is used for ham, or use sirloin or loin. In all cases, however, the meat should not be more than about 2 inches (5 cm) thick. The width and length are not important, but the hunks or slabs of pork need to be small enough to fit in the curing containers and smoker. If the meat is more than about 2 inches (5 cm) thick, the curing time will be excessive

Blending and applying the curing blend:

Weigh the pork. If you are using more than one curing container, calculate separately the total weight of the meat you will place in each container. Refrigerate the meat while preparing the cure mix. (Any plastic food container with a tight-fitting lid — or a strong plastic bag — will work as a curing container.)

Prepare, calculate, and measure the required amount of curing mixture for each container. Mix this curing blend until it is uniform.

Place the meat in the curing container(s). Rub the cure mix on all surfaces evenly. Cover and refrigerate. Set the refrigerator temperature between 34°F and 40°F (2.2°C to 4.4°C).

Overhaul the pieces of meat after about 12 hours of curing. (Overhaul means to rub the surfaces of the meat to redistribute the cure.) Be sure to wet the meat with any liquid that may have accumulated in the bottom of the curing container.

Overhaul the meat about every other day, until the required curing time has elapsed. (Cure one week per inch: If the thickest piece is 1 inch, cure 1 week; if the thickest piece is two inches, cure the whole batch 2 weeks.)

When the curing is finished, rinse each piece of pork very well in lukewarm water. Drain in a colander, and blot with a paper towel.

Wrap each piece of pork in a paper towel, and then wrap again with newspaper. Refrigerate overnight.

Smoking the bacon:

The next morning, remove the paper and dry the surface of the meat in front of an electric fan, or inside of a smoker heated to about 140°F (60°C). If using a smoker, make sure that the damper is fully open. Do not use smoke. Drying the surface will require one or two hours.

When the surface is dry, cold-smoke the pork for 3 hours. If your smoke chamber temperature is higher than 85°F (about 30°C), the smoking time might have to shorten to prevent excessive drying.

Raise the smoke chamber temperature to about 150°F (65°C). Using maple wood, smoke for about 2 or 3 hours more until the surface of the bacon takes on an attractive reddish-brown colour. Remove the meat from the smoke chamber.

Let the meat cool at room temperature for about one hour. After cooling at room temperature, place the hunks of bacon in a container – uncovered – and chill overnight. You may slice the bacon the following morning. Freeze the bacon that will not be consumed within about a week.

Note: If the salt taste is too mild, the next time you make this product, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the ingredients list. If the salt taste is too strong, reduce the amount of Bradley Cure by about 1 teaspoon.