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Brining salt calculator

A brine is described by the salt as a percentage of the water. Five to six percent is the usual range for a short wet brine.

%
% of meat weight
%
Salt for the wet brine
220g
= Exact Brine strength
Salt for a dry brine
62.5
Sugar, if using
55
Wet-brine salt in cups of table salt
0.753
Or in cups of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1.549
Share of full saturation
20.8 %
Show the working
  1. Water = 4
  2. Brine strength = 5.5
  3. Weight of meat = 5
  4. Dry brine rate = 1.25
  5. Sugar as a share of the salt = 25
  6. water_g = 4 * 1000 = 4000
  7. Salt for the wet brine = 4000 * 5.5 / 100 = 220
  8. Sugar, if using = 220 * 25 / 100 = 55
  9. Salt for a dry brine = 5 * 1000 * 1.25 / 100 = 62.5
  10. Wet-brine salt in cups of table salt = 220 / 292 = 0.753 425
  11. Or in cups of Diamond Crystal kosher salt = 220 / 142 = 1.5493
  12. Share of full saturation = 5.5 / 26.4 * 100 = 20.8333

Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.

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    The formula

    • wet brine salt = water weight x strength
    • dry brine salt = meat weight x rate
    • saturated brine at room temperature is about 26.4% salt by weight

    Measure brining salt by weight. A cup of table salt weighs twice what a cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt does, and that error will ruin a bird.

    A dry brine at 1 to 1.5% of the meat weight seasons throughout without adding water.

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