I'm curing two 5lb pork bellies tomorrow and one of them will be Chris's Maple but I'd like to do the other more savory like with pepper. Do I just do a basic cure and add pepper? Suggestions and amounts or other ingredients appreciated.
You can use the basic cure, but once the cure is measured out you may want to add a little more sugar. Maybe an additional teaspoon per pound. You don't have to stop with just black pepper, you can add additional herbs, and or other seasonings.
To give you an idea, here is a link to Michael Ruhlman's Savory Bacon (http://putneyfarm.com/tag/michael-ruhlman/)