House Cured Maple Espresso Bacon

Ingredients

• 5-6 pound skinless pork belly (make sure the pork belly is trimmed to an even thickness and doesn’t taper at the ends… I have done this with skin on and off and such a better flavor if you trim off the skin)
• 3 tablespoons Lane’s BBQ Ancho Espresso Rub
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Prague Powder #1 or Curing Salt #1
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 – ¼ cup water
• Handful of apple or cherry wood chips (soak in coffee)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, Ancho Espresso Rub, curing salt, pepper, and gradually add water until the mixture is paste-like.
2. Rub the mixture all over the pork belly.
3. Put the belly into a large resealable plastic bag and seal it or wrap in plastic wrap depending on size.
4. Fit the belly, in its bag, into a pan, and then place the fridge.
5. Refrigerate for 7-10 days, making sure to flip the pork belly once a day.
6. After the curing period remove from pan and run under cold water to rinse off the mixture.  
7. Preheat Ceramic to 225 smoke the bacon to around 150 degrees. Once cool, slice thick, throw it in a skillet & enjoy