Quick question for seasoned growers: Would a silica gel packet (like you find in a purse or in beef jerky) in the Tupperware during the curing process help speed things up a bit, or do I really have to wait three weeks for my harvest to be smokable?
Yes, technically a silica packet should speed up the process. The whole point of silica is to absorb excess moisture. Do I think you will notcie the difference though, no. I do not. If you are in a hurry to smoke it, you could try taking a small portion of it and speed drying in the microwave, or oven, or a food dehydrator, or with a hair dryer. There are tons of ways to quick dry bud. Just remeber, you are going to negatively effect your potency by doing any of them (at least those that involve heat. If you can, be patient and let them dry naturaly. If you can't wait, try a speed drying method.
I always thought those methods looked questionable, I would be scared of over-drying and possibley ruining my crop. I say if you've already waited months for this thing to grow, what's a couple more weeks gonna hurt?
You are confusing drying and curing. They are not the same, and you need to do both. Silica gel will not help with curing. As for drying, yes it will help to dry your bud if you have it sealed off, but you shouldn't have it sealed off. You are better to dry by having the buds loosely arranged with gentle ventilation. Hanging them using plain string and clothespins works very well, or you could put them very loosely in a brown paper grocery bag. If you bag them to dry, what will help better than silica gel is uncooked rice -- get one of those boil-in-bags and put it in there. After the bud is dry, then you put it in jars to cure. Let it breathe for 15 minutes 1-2 times per day. Throughout both the drying and curing processes you can pinch to smoke, no worries, it just might taste harsh but will put a smile on your face.