Hello all. I am going to try to make some bacon at home for the first time. I have two bellies ready to go and the Excalibur Bacon Cure. Looking for some tips so I don’t have an end product that is too salty. I had a friend follow a recipe for bacon and said it was so salty that it was not edible. In our house we actually prefer the “lower sodium” bacon that you buy at the store.

One belly is 4 lbs 4.5 oz and the other is 4 lbs 7.8 oz.
Can anyone give me a rough idea based on experience how long a belly this size should sit in the Excalibur Bacon Cure before rinsing and smoking? I don’t really want to just take a guess on something like this. I believe the longer you soak it and more you rinse it the less salty it will be from what I have read. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I need to make sure I am available to smoke them on whatever the target date is for brine time before I put them in. I think I will do one regular and then one with black pepper to try out. Thanks all!