>> e.g. (I may be out of my depth here) but isn't there one method of
>> 'curing' pork/ham
>> which is simply injecting the animal with saline solution?

Injection speeds the curing process. When I corn beef, I inject as well as
soak the meat in the brine. Some cheap hams are injected to the point that
they are called a "ham and water added product". Event he best hams will
retain some water.

Curing can be done with just a salt or a salt/sugar/spice blend and it can
be done with or without smoke. Or it can be smoked and not salted. There
are many combinations and methods going back centuries.