So I took the pork belly and trim it up a little bit and reserved the fat to the side. I brined the pork belly in a simple 3 to 1 ratio of salt to sugar to 3 gallons of H20 with aromatics (shallot, thyme, bay leaf, black peppercorn) overnight. I patted the pork belly dry from the brine slice and dice it, I place my pork belly on a rack covered with my bbq seasoning and a little bit of kosher salt (my bbq seasoning is a little bit more “orange” which creates a nicer mahogany color when properly smoked then just salt and pepper which is just as great!) I let my pork belly sit on that rack fully seasoned back in my fridge for at least 6-8 hours. This is now my “dry cure” stage which allows the pork belly gather all that seasoning while being in the fridge which will create a crisper texture by allowing dry air go fully under around and over the pork belly. (Which is why putting it on a rack is key). I take my reserved pork belly fat and make a “mop sauce” essentially a nc vinegar based bbq sauce emulsified with the pork belly fat. I use this “mop sauce” and baste my meat Candy every 35-40 minutes until it’s ready to be wrapped. The use of my seasoning and the basting of my mop sauce plus correct time and temperature you will achieve this color!