Make one pound strips of bacon, 3” x 3” square, 12” long. Cure the fresh bacon as follows: dry with paper towel, rub curing salt, pepper, paprika, on the meat sides only. Rest overnight in fridge. Then coat all sides, skin included, with flaked salt, brown sugar and olive oil.

To hang strips of the bacon inside the smoke stack, tie end with butcher twine, hang from wooden skewer.

Lower bacon strip into smoke stack, hang in smoke stack in soaked Lapchong Souchong tea smoke, keep at 165 F degrees, keep fire going six to twelve hours. Soak tea in cold water, do not boil. You can also smoke the bacon, skin side down, on the grill in your barbecue with the top closed.

How to slice smoked bacon strips with the rind on: slice bacon under a sharp angle, from top to bottom, then along the rind. Slice off bacon pieces across the grain without the rind. When done, use whole rind to make the best bean soups ever.