Ok, to follow up on this, I finally thawed out my stash of rabbit belly flaps and made "bacon." I was intending to use BlueMoods' recipe, but couldn't find any saltpeter. While looking around for more advice on the internet, I found a recipe for hot-smoked bacon that used InstaCure #1, which I happen to have a lot of (available on internet or from your local Cabela's or other hunting store). So I went ahead and tried it on my bunny bits. Conclusion - delicious!! I wasn't quite sure how long to smoke it, since I had a bunch of little pieces instead of a whole pork belly, and ended up going for about 1.5 hours at 210-225. The pieces seemed done, perhaps a little closer to jerky than bacon. I then either heated in a frying pan or the microwave before eating.
Here's the recipe, copied from the website
http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/pork ... ratch.html. I really like the Amazing Ribs folks, they've taught me everything I know about using my fancy new smoker. So far, every recipe has been wonderful.
Maple Bacon with pink salt
Time. 2 hours prep, seven days of curing, 2 hours of smoking.
Makes. About 25 thick slices
Ingredients
1 pound of pork belly
1 1/2 teaspoons Morton's kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Prague powder #1 (pink curing salt #1 or InstaCure #1)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1) Pour everything except the meat into a zipper bag large enough to hold the belly (quart held 1.5 pounds for me). Zip the bag and squish everything around until well mixed. Now add the belly, squeeze out the air as much as possible and and squish some more, aggressively rubbing the cure into the belly aggressively coating all sides. Put the bag in a pan to catch leaks and place in the fridge at 34 to 38°F for at least 7 days (I did 3 days only). More time won't hurt it. The belly will release liquid so every day or two you want to gently massage the bag so the liquid and spices are well distributed, and flip the bag over.
2) Remove the belly from the bag, throw the liquid away, rinse them with cool water removing most of the cure from the surface or it will be too salty. Pat dry. Most recipes tell you to let the slab dry for 24 hours so the smoke will stick better, but, as the Amazingribs.com science advisor Dr. Greg Blonder has proven, smoke sticks better to wet surfaces, this extra step isn't necessary.
3) If you are using a grill, set up for 2-zone cooking. Smoke over indirect heat at 225°F until the internal temp is 150°F, about 1.5 to 2 hours. You can use any wood you like. Hickory is the tried and true. I'm partial to cherry and applewood. You should slice off the ends which may be very dark and more heavily seasoned, and taste them right away. The fat will be a bit stringy, but you'll love it all the same.
4) Now let it cool on a plate in the fridge. Cold bacon is easier to slice. Slice on a slicer if you have one, or use a long thin knife to slice it. Try some thin and some thick slices. You can also cut bacon in cubes to make lardons (see the sidebar, above), and use them like bacon bits in salads, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, baked beans, in sauces or to garnish chops, or roasts.
5) Wrap it tightly with several layers of plastic wrap, not foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Do not wrap in foil because it can react with the salt. When you are hungry, cook it just like you do storebought bacon.
