Smoke Cure Calculator

Calculate cure time, brine volume, and salt amounts for smoking and curing meat.

Inputs

Meat Weight

lbs

Cut Type

Smoking Temperature

°F

Tab to move between fields

Results

Cure Time

168 hours

Brine Needed

1 gallons

≈ 11 soda cans

Cure Time7 days

Salt Needed0.7 lbs

Curing Salt (#1)1 tsp

Estimated Smoke Time6 hours

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the meat weight and select the cut type (bacon, ham, fish, poultry, etc.).
Set your target smoking temperature.
The calculator shows wet cure time in hours and days, brine volume, salt and curing salt amounts, and estimated smoking time.
Cure the meat for the full displayed time before smoking to ensure food safety and flavor development.

How the result changes with Meat Weight

Meat Weight	Cure Time	Brine Needed
11	238 hours	2.2 gallons
36	238 hours	7.2 gallons
65	238 hours	13 gallons
90	238 hours	18 gallons

What each input means

Meat Weight: Weight of the meat to cure and smoke in pounds.
Cut Type: 1 = Bacon (7-day cure), 2 = Ham (14-day cure), 3 = Jerky (24-hour cure), 4 = Sausage (12-hour cure).
Smoking Temperature: Target smoking temperature. Cold smoke: 100-120°F, warm smoke: 150-180°F, hot smoke: 225-275°F.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
Meat Weight = 5, Cut Type = 1, Smoking Temperature = 225 = 3 input(s) provided
Calculate Cure Time
Cure Time
168 = 168
Calculate Brine Needed
Brine Needed
1 = 1
Calculate Cure Time
Cure Time
7 = 7
Calculate Salt Needed
Salt Needed
0.7 = 0.7

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