Dry Salting Bacon and Sides

Ingredients

• 1 bushel fine salt
• 2 pounds brown sugar
• 1 pound saltpeter (optional)

Directions

1. For hogs weighing up to 130 lbs, use the above ingredients for every 800 lbs of pork.

2. If the meat is large (150-200 lbs), increase salt by 1 gallon to 1 peck and adjust sugar and saltpeter accordingly.

3. Apply about 1 teaspoon of pulverized saltpeter on the flesh side of hams and shoulders.

4. Lightly apply about 1 tablespoon of sugar to the flesh surface of each piece.

5. If the meat is moist, no need to rub the skin side; if rigid, rub to make it yielding.