My aunt Sony in Alaska called me today and asked me about my dating life.  My response, “I’m smoking BACON today!”  She gave me her usual threat of, “Honey you better hurry before you have to settle for a short fat bauldie.”  I find it ironic that she’s been the one to hound me the most about being single when she was the one who always preached about waiting as long as you can to settle down to have kids.  It made me chuckle.

I don’t get why women in their 30’s are hysterical about being single.  I mean I get the whole eggs expiring thing and everyone and their mother around you getting married and having kids but what’s the rush?  Technology has made it that I can cryovac some eggs, have some woman in India pop it out anytime I want and get miles by charging it all to my mastercard.  Yay!  =)  That means I can eat, travel and do whatever I want (when work allows me to) without having to deal with some idiot I can barely stand in hopes that he will ask me to marry him to have a big wedding so that he and the ungrateful kids can suck me dry for the rest of my life.  Some of my girlfriends are crazy to actually scheme to be with men they barely tolerate just to wear a white dress.  Ugh.  Maybe I’m the delusional one to think it’s okay to take one’s time and embrace being single.  Who knows… =)

Maple Cured Smoked Bacon – Michael Ruhlman

50 grams Kosher Salt

12 grams Pink Salt

50n grams Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

4-5 pound Pork Belly

1. Weigh and combine everything in a mixing bowl.
2. Rub cure all over belly.  Give it some deep loving.
3. Place into a plastic bag and zeal.  Date it and flip the bag every other day for 1 week.  The meat should be a little bit firmer.
4. Remove from bag and rinse.  Pat dry and place on rack to return to refrigerator to dry for 24 hours.
5. Heat smoker between 180-200 degrees.  Smoke with applewood till internal temperature read 150F (approximately 1 1/2 hours.)