Making Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 pound pork belly
• 3 cups hickory chips, soaked in water

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk the honey and salt together. Place the pork belly on a piece of plastic wrap. Pour the cure over the pork and wrap the pork belly tightly in the plastic wrap. Place the pork in a plastic zip-lock bag and seal the bag tightly. Cure the meat for 36 hours under refrigeration. Remove the bag from the refrigerator. Unwrap the pork and rinse off the cure. Pat the pork dry. Mound 2 1/2 pounds of charcoal briquettes in the center of the grill and light them. Let burn for 40 minutes. Add the chips and allow them to smoke for about 10 minutes. The interior temperature of the grill should be 300 degrees F. Place the pork near the outermost part of the grill rack. This is to avoid direct heat. You want the bacon to absorb the maximum amount of smoke flavor before it is fully cooked. Smoke the bacon for 30 minutes. Spray the coals as often as necessary, but remember smoke escapes each time the grill is uncovered