So I have another local butcher shop pork belly. Looking for a good recipie for some  thanksgiving morning bacon. I prefer dry curing.

Yah Kona, I think that will be part of my program.

Next batch, Bourbon and cherry juice . 

Edge- Glad you could still salvage some good meals from your effort.. I know the issue of "too salty" has come up on this forum (and others I follow).. One of the things I did was to soak the belly's in cold water for 10-15 minutes after I rinsed them.. I have only  smoked belly's three times but none of mine were salty after I followed this process 

Well, I tried a package lastnight. It was pretty good. Instead of vacuum packing I decided to put some apple juice in and freeze. I think that made a world of difference, atleast it cut the salty taste.

Yah it was pretty disappointing. 10 days to find out you have sub par bacon.

Learned a lesson though!!

Wish I lived that close to Maplewood. Then again maybe not, I would be there always. As it is, I still get the about (4) times a year.

Bugle- Can I ask what Maplewood charges for their pork belly's?? Have a buddy who lives 10-15 minutes away from them and may give them a try down the road..

"I know it must have been frustrating to go thru all the work and then end up with a bad bacon."

Amen to that. After getting poor results two times in a row, I went to the local butcher shop (Maplewoods in GB). Their bellies are always high quality and they skin them for you too.

Not bashing Costco. I like 99% of what I buy there but their bellies leave much to be desired.

Edge-  I assume you ended up with a pork belly that had just too much fat.. I have picked up belly's on 3 occasions from Costco and always sorted thru them to find "meatier" ones. Also used the tip from ZEP about holding them in the middle.. A good/meaty one should have limited bend on the edges..Stopped at Costco 2-3 weeks ago and looked at the belly's (and briskets) and thought the belly's all had too much fat and I did not buy any.. Assume you may get more consistent quailty from a local butcher but I know they tend to run more $.. I know it must have been frustrating to go thru all the work and then end up with a bad bacon  

So I did some bacon awhile back from a hog I had butchered and it turned out great. My wife bought a pork belly from Costco a week ago. Same exact recipie and it's a salty mess. What the heck? Doesnt even look the same!!