The Ten Commandments of Homemade Pork Bacon: 4. Cure the Pork Belly

Arrange the belly on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub the cure in on both sides as described in the recipe. Place the belly in a large, sturdy, resealable plastic bag in a foil pan or roasting pan on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. (The pan will catch any potential leaks.) Cure the bacon for 10 days, turning it over each day. This is very important. As the cure dehydrates the bacon, liquid will gather in the bag. It’s supposed to.

Remove the belly from the plastic bag inside a sink (there will be lots of liquid) and rinse well on both sides in a large colander with cold water. This removes excess salt. Next, blot the belly dry and place it, uncovered, on a wire rack set on a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Let dry for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight, turning once or twice. This helps form a pellicle—an exterior skin that feels papery and dry and just a touch tacky—for the smoke to adhere to. Without the pellicle, you won’t get the bronzed surface that makes bacon look as good as it tastes.