As for aging gracefully, I found that the Smithfield Cure didn't really work for me, plus I smelled like Hickory Smoke for weeks and dogs followed me around wherever Iwent. Hanging upside down in a shed for weeks never appealed to me, but it worked well with my uncle's tobacco. I guess some cures are best left to the dead, who don't know better or even profit by them .....(Sigh!)