It has rind but i might skin it off . I did some 10 yrs ago and was too salty ,I can not remember how long it was in salt I think 8 hrs .I will freeze it so not trying to preserve it . How long would you leave in the dry mix ?

If i do the dry rubs method with curing salt and brown sugar I leave in the fridge around 11 days turning every couple days.before smoking it rinse all the salt mixture off.if it's a wet brine usually 4 days.

houndone is yours skinned ?

Yes i prefer the wet brine method over dry but there both good.

Rinse it take a slice and fry it if it’s to salty soak it in water for 2 hours and test again.

I also do the 11 day dry rub, and it is critical to wash the salt off before smoking.
Last one's I did I soaked them in 70 degree water for about a half hour, helped out alot.

If you want it to be shelf stable for several months dont soak the salt out till your ready to cook it

An old farmer I knew used salt he bought at the feed mill and brown sugar or sometimes molasses as a dry rub. He'd rinse it then rub black pepper on it. He'd smoke it then left it in the smoker with just some heat for awhile. They did look dried up a little but he said between drying it out with the heat and the black pepper it would keep the bugs off of them. Then he would just hang them in his garage till he wanted some. It was a little bit salty and somewhat tough. I did scrape the pepper off before frying it. One of my regrets is that we lost all those people who knew how to get by with next to nothing..

I use a dry rub . Cure time is 10 days+. I cure needs to reach to the center of the slabs. We rinse the salt off just before cooking.

1/4 C Kosher Salt
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Black Pepper (I like to add more)
1/2 Tsp Prague Powder

Put in plastic bag and soak for 7 days. Flip daily. Put on the smoker for 2-3 hours. 150 degree internal temp.

This is my favorite video on such things.

https://youtu.be/UawRK6nxFhY?si=gcRSd8RrHWcTdUdB

When I was a kid my dad did lots of hams and bacon. He used Morton sugar cure. He would rub it on one side then the next day he would turn in over and rub it in the other side. I can't remember how many days he did it. Before he smoked it he wiped it all off with a wet towel. It was really good but I guess that's all we knew.

In the book Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing it says not to go over 13 days. If you put meat in a zip lock with a dry rub it will be a wet soak in 24 hours. The only way you can have dry rub is with a salt box that drains and adding/changing out the rub.

The best/most accurate way is to weigh your meat, and then weigh out your salt, pink salt, and sugar by percentage. No chance of it getting too salty that way. I let it go a week and flip every day, but really you could go as long as you want since it won't get too salty. Make sure you use an accurate scale. You can add black pepper, maple, whatever to taste, the important part as far as weight is the salt and pink salt.

this is the recipe i use and its never to salty.takes a week.you dont need the sodium erythorbate

https://youtu.be/7KaqWcP6Vec?si=B2n3_TCibWU0wAmb

Current bacon I'm working on now was according to this method......sorta......no sugar and.I smoked it different. Left to brine for 10 days.......a bit too salty, but otherwise very good flavor. Smoked it about 8 hours until internal temp to 130*F. Heavy smoke.



Nest effort will be according to this plan........note a day or two to dry out before COLD smoking (less than 90*F) for 36 yo 48 hours. Thin blue smoke like from an amazin tube or snake smoker using pellets. NOT hot smoked to 150*F.........basically treating a bacon as if it were a sausage.

https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2528

Note.....they say sugar is needed to offset "harshness" of the salt.........ok......but also is what causes the browning. Too much sugar and bacon will turn black in pan before it actually cooks. Burnt bacon and it's not even cooked yet.