Hello all. We raise and butcher our own pasture hogs from farrow to finish for our own use. I have wanted to cure and smoke our meat for a long time. I attempted to dry rub some hams and bacon a decade ago but over did the salting of the bacon and didn't try again until this month. I got a New Braunfels smoker to use until I can finish my permanent smokehouse which is being made of stone. I used purchased cures for this round and used the brine method. The bacon was a big hit. The hams were good as far as smoke taste but weren't salty at all. The kids liked it, but I like a bit of salt taste so I'm looking for home made cures that will give a good salt balance. The hams were 26 1/4 lbs and 27 lbs. I want to use my honey in the recipe, as I keep bees as well. I am cutting up hog #2 and have 3 more to do in the next couple weeks. I am feeding a large family and want to put variety together so it's not just chops, roasts and seasoned sausage all the time. I did my first stuffed sausages this time too. The seasoned Italian link is good, but the Polish I smoked, and 3 hrs was too much. We hunt and I made some venison sausage, seasoned with ring bologna seasoning in the red deer head 12" casings, smoked with applewood for 4 1/2 hours and it was good smoke-wise, but light on seasoning flavor. So that's what has brought me here. I look forward to getting proficient at this and being able to make a ham that will be better than any I've had yet. Jim