Like the most ardent of do-it-yourselfers, I enjoy curing my own bacon. While I enjoy experimenting with flavors and combinations of sweeteners and spices, my favorite will always be maple sugar, fenugreek, and mustard seed—a mix with a sweetness and faint heat that pairs nicely with pork.
Fenugreek on its own tastes faintly of maple, so it complements and enhances the maple sugar.
I avoid the use of saltpeter and other curing salts traditionally used to keep cured meat pink and to stave off contamination by botulism. Straight salt works just fine for small-batch home curing provided you will
consume the meat within a few weeks or freeze it to use within a few months. If you wish to preserve the meat longer, the use of pink curing salt (not to be confused with Himalayan pink salt, an unrefined sea salt) can ensure that you keep botulism away. Although there are concerns that pink curing salt, which typically contains a combination of sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite and table salt, might contribute to cancer, this remains a subject of debate.

MAKES ABOUT 2 POUNDS

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tablespoons coarse unrefined sea salt
• ¼ cup maple sugar
• 3 tablespoons mustard seed
• 3 tablespoons fenugreek
• 1 slab pork belly (about 2 pounds)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, sugar, and spices.
2. Rub the mixture onto the pork belly, ensuring that both sides are completely covered.
3. Tightly wrap the seasoned pork belly in 100 percent cotton cheesecloth and place it in a resealable plastic bag on a plate in your refrigerator. Allow the bacon to cure for 5 days, flipping the bag twice each day.
4. After 5 days, unwrap the bacon and brush off any excess salt mixture.
5. Smoke the bacon at 200°F for 2 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F. Alternatively, bake it for 2 hours in an oven preheated to 200°F, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
6. Allow the bacon to cool completely, then slice it about ⅛ inch thick.
7. Fry the slices in a cast-iron skillet until crisp, turning once.
8. Serve and enjoy!