Three ways to brine meat
Wet brining submerges the meat in salted water. The salt is a percentage of the water weight: 2 L of water at 5.7% needs 114 g of salt. Sugar is optional and works the same way.
Equilibrium brining weighs the meat and the water together and salts the total. Given enough time, everything evens out at that percentage, so the meat can't become saltier than you chose — no matter how long it sits.
Dry brining rubs salt straight onto the meat, which draws out moisture, dissolves the salt and reabsorbs it. The salt is a percentage of the meat weight.
USDA's guidance, converted to weight
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service gives brining amounts by volume. Converted with the salt makers' own label weights:
- Wet brine: ¾ cup of table salt per gallon of water (or 3 tablespoons per quart) is about 216 g of salt in 3.79 L of water — about 5.7%.
- Dry brine: 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per 5 pounds of poultry is 8.4 g with Diamond Crystal but 14.4 g with Morton — 0.37% or 0.63%, a 1.7× difference from the same instruction.
That spread is exactly why this calculator works by weight.
Brine strength at a glance
Conversions only — 5.7% is USDA's poultry brine converted to weight.
| Salt, % of water | Salt per litre |
|---|---|
| 3% | 30 g |
| 5% | 50 g |
| 5.7% | 57 g |
| 8% | 80 g |
Food safety
USDA advises brining in a covered food-grade plastic, stainless steel or glass container in the refrigerator — which should be at 40 °F (4 °C) or below — for up to 2 days, discarding the brine afterwards, brining before stuffing, and cooking poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C). This guidance is written for poultry; the same salt math applies to pork and other meat.
Sources: USDA FSIS, “Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating” and “Refrigeration & Food Safety”. Salt weights from Morton and Diamond Crystal nutrition labels. Informational only — not professional advice.