I've had that happen too. Belly was fine, smoked up well and tasted great. I do tend to use Ziploc bags for ease of access. If you used the right amount of cure and a decent salt/sugar ratio, not much to worry about.
Note: FatWoody has it on the head. I changed to PP#1 and my own salt/sugar. TQ is fine except the sodium nitrate worried me and it cost too much to ship over the Pacific Ocean.
I do a soak and occasionally but not always cook a test sliver before smoking. Soak is 1 or 2 hours, change the water once then test. Sometimes I'm lazy since I'm getting a feel for how salty I expect it to be. I soak more if I have to leave in the cure longer for some reason.
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Back in the USA after a decade abroad - smoking on Big Chief electric & Weber Q200 (P)
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