Calculate exact salt and sugar amounts for wet, dry, and equilibrium brines by weight. Adjusts for salt type density and gives timing for any cut.
Salt is a percentage of the water. Meat weight is optional (for reference). Typical 5-6%.
Estimates only. Ingredient densities, yields and cooking times vary with the product, the equipment and the conditions, and nothing here is dietary or medical advice.
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Brining transforms dry, bland meat into juicy, flavorful perfection. Our calculator handles wet, dry, and equilibrium brines and adjusts salt volume for the salt brand you actually use.
Brining seasons and moistens meat with salt. In a wet brine the salt is a percentage of the water; in a dry brine it is a percentage of the meat rubbed directly on it; in an equilibrium brine it is a percentage of the combined water and food weight so it can never over-salt. Through osmosis salt penetrates the food, retaining moisture during cooking.
Brine Salt Formula
A cook mixes the right ratio of salt and water to wet-brine a turkey before roasting for juicy, seasoned meat.
A cook finds the salt to rub on a chicken or pork cut (about 1% of its weight) to dry-brine it uncovered overnight.
A home fermenter sets a 2-3% salt brine on the combined water and vegetable weight to ferment pickles that never over-salt.
A maker determines brine strength and salt volume for curing cheese or preserving olives.
Brined meat retains up to 15% more moisture during cooking.
Salt penetrates deep into the meat, seasoning throughout.
Brined meat is less likely to dry out if slightly overcooked.
Wet brine soaks food in salted water (salt is a percentage of the water, typically 5-6%). Dry brine rubs salt directly on the meat (about 0.75-1% of the meat weight, no water). Equilibrium brine sets salt as a percentage of the combined water and food weight (typically 2-3%) so it cannot over-salt no matter how long it sits.
A good dry brine is about 0.75-1% of the meat weight - roughly half a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound. For a 5 lb (2268 g) bird at 1%, that is about 23 g of salt. Apply it, leave uncovered in the fridge overnight, and do not rinse.
Different salts have very different densities, so the same weight is a different volume. This calculator converts salt weight to volume using published densities: table and fine sea salt about 6.0 g per teaspoon, Morton kosher about 4.8 g, and Diamond Crystal kosher about 2.8 g. That is why 120 g of salt is 20 tsp of table salt but nearly 43 tsp of Diamond Crystal.
For wet brines, rinse and pat dry before cooking. Dry brines and equilibrium brines do not need rinsing - just pat dry for better browning.