Larding my Cuboards

Although they don't look like much know, inside these zip-lock bag cocoons are three beautiful Berkshire pork bellies beginning their magical metamorphosis into bacon. My freezer is down to just a few knobby pieces of my maple cured bacon, so I put in a new order to D'artagnan for a belly.

Last time I made three types of bacon: plain, maple-cured, and garlic with bay. I really enjoyed having two "savory" bacons and one sweet variety, so I decided to repeat that formula again. This time my sweet bacon is going to be cured with molasses and a small amount of allspice and coffee. Then I've got a spicy Cajun spice-rubbed belly and an aromatic herbs de Provence belly, using some dried herbs my mother brought back from the French Alps last summer.

For now, my beauties will rest in the fridge, awakening only once a day to be flipped and the brine sloshed around. Seven days of curing, then it's off to the smoker!