In a 3 – 4 quart non-reactive saucepan add 2 quarts of water. Add all ingredients except the cure. Bring to a boil and simmer; stirring constantly until all the salt and sugar is dissolved.

Add 2 quarts of ice water and allow to cool down. You can cool the brine faster by adding 2 pounds of ice instead of the ice water. After the mixture has cooled, add the pink salt, and stir until it is fully dissolved. Before using the pickle, it has to be between 38 (3.3C) degrees F – 40 (4.4 C) degrees F.

Prior to smoking, slice a small piece and fry it. If it is too salty, soak it on cold water for an hour, changing the water once during that time.

Depending on the size of the container, and making sure you do not pack the meat in, this will cure up to 16 lbs of meat or bacon. It doesn’t matter if you are curing 5 lbs or 1 6lbs. With this amount of brine; you will get the same results, though it will be a waste of supplies if you use this amount for a small piece of meat.

The general rule is that you need at least 50% weight in brine equal to the green weight of the meat/fat. For example, if you want to cure 8 lbs of bacon or other meat, you will need at least 4 lbs of brine prior to adding the other ingredients.

Four pounds of water (and/or other liquids) equals 2 quarts. If you reduce the liquid in the recipe, you also must reduce all the other ingredients proportionately – that includes the cure.