I didn't read every post in the thread but I got the main point. There are so many options but Absinthe is the best I've found. The best way to do it is in 5.1.1 backup your iPhone to iCloud or your computer. Then either head to
iClarified - Apple News and Tutorials and Tutorials, iPhone, Basic and go to the firmware download section.
You can either download the 206 version of 5.1.1 and Absinthe 2.0.1 put your device into DFU mode open iTunes. When it says it detected a device in restore mode hold Option/Shift key and click Restore then point to your 206 version of 5.1.1 Apple is still signing it because it is still 5.1.1 so after the restore close iTunes and continue through the phone to restore from your iCloud backup or do it in iTunes if you backed up manually. Then after the restore is complete run Absinthe and bam you're all set to go.
Alternatively if your phone is on 5.1.1 it is most likely on the 208 version so download the new Absinthe 2.0.2 and bam there you go. If you're already on some tethered JB and you've messed with a couple things then I'd backup and download the 208 version of 5.1.1 from iclarified and do a DFU restore(mentioned above). This will wipe the phone clean and then you can proceed with the rest of the process similar to above only using Absinthe 2.0.2.
Sorry if there was something I missed in the posts I didn't read.