I like them both, really. I guess I mostly brine when I am using fresh herbs, dry cure when I am using dry. Either way works, and I have brined with dry and dry-cured with fresh successfully too.

As for the variations, cure amounts usually vary (it seems) because the authors (it seems) don't understand cure ratios.

Okay... Cure ratios in a brine. A subject that I'm sure has been covered along the way... Your thoughts as they apply to a wet/brine?

I'm afraid I can't really synopsize. It depends on the meat in question, its thickness and structure, whether it will be strictly an immersion cure or if injection will be employed.

I guess my real question comes to the statement that "cure amounts usually vary (it seems) because the authors (it seems) don't understand cure ratios." Apparently, either do I when it applies to a brine. Help.

It really depend on what you are converting (from dry to wet), the meat type and thickness, and whether you will inject. My point above is that I have seen numerous dry cure recipes that are essential brine recipes without the water (and thus contain way too much cure), and brine recipes that are dry ones plus water (and thus contain too little).

Kevin,

When you did the brine with dry herbs, how much herb did you put in?

What is the best way to extract all the flavor with the dry herbs, a 5 min simmer when disolving the salt or just let it sit over time in the brine or will the flavor extract out right away?

How much water do you plan on using?

Yes, you'll want to simmer.

I will be using 1 gallon

Dave

Try:

4 Tbls granulated onion

2 Tbls granulated garlic

2 Tbls dried thyme

2 Tbls rubbed sage

1.5 Tbls cracked white pepper

Kevin, Josh et al,
This weekend I did two pork butts of buckboard bacon (using dry cure from high mountains) and an 11 pound canadian bacon from loin brined with a combination of Josh's and Kevin's recipes and all of it came out AWESOME. Thanks for all the information in this forum.

The only downside to my new hobby is that I have smoked so much different meat (thanks guys) this Summer that I often find myself on "Smoker Restriction". Any suggestions on how to keep this from happening?