While making today's lunch, I was rubbing a slab of ribs with spice and thought it doesn't look that much different from a belly, excluding the bones of course.
I was thinking that after curing and smoking, the rib slab would keep for a pretty long time. When used they could be cut between the bones and the boney bacon tossed in the bean pot, or who knows, maybe boney bacon would fry up just fine on low heat.
Also they cost 1/2 the price of belly, and I don't need to buy a 50 pound box as a minimum, for my first bacon attempt.
My local pig-killer only sells bellies in 50 pound boxes @ $2.69 lb.
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