• One week before you want to smoke the bacon grab the pork belly and and cut it in half. Our butcher sells both with skin or without skin, so if it comes with skin, you need to use a sharp knife to get the skin off.
• With cure and seasonings of choice, mix them up according to your package instructions. We use LEM products which called for 1 oz seasoning per pound and 1/4 tsp of cure per lb. Mix it all up and rub down both sides of the pork belly portions.
• Then we place it in the large Zip-lock bags and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning/cure mixture until its divided equally and covered completely. Then place in the refrigerator for 7 days (flipping the meat every 24 hours).
• The next step after the curing process is to bring it in, rinse off all of the seasonings by letting the pork belly soak in a large tub (we love our Drip-Ez tub). I let it soak for at least for an hour changing the water as necessary.

  Then let the pork belly sit out on some racks until its dry.

How to Smoke your own bacon on the Traeger

• Once the meat has dried place it directly on your smoker grates and begin the smoking process. Use your favorite meat thermometer or the probes that comes with your smoker. We like to roll at 180 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.
• Then pull it off, let cool, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day.

How to slice your own bacon at home

• We use a meat slicer to make it easier. But you can also use your favorite sharp knife. You can make it thinner or if you like thick cut bacon go for it. Make sure you are slicing across the grain. You probably will have to cut the pork belly into sections before slicing (if using a slicer).