Brine Calculator — Salt Concentration for Wet & Dry Brining
The right salt-to-water ratio and brine time for juicy meat.
Sets the dry-brine salt and the brine time.
- Salt≈ 0.89 cups Diamond Crystal kosher
- 120 g
- Water
- 2 L
- Salt concentration
- 6%
- Brine time~1 hour per pound
- 4 hr 25 min
- A 5–8% salt brine is the usual range; 6% is a reliable all-rounder for poultry and pork.
- Salt brands differ a lot by volume — the cup amount shown matches the salt type you picked, but weighing in grams is most accurate.
- Food safety: always brine in the refrigerator (below 4 °C / 40 °F), never reuse brine, and rinse and pat dry before cooking.
Saved setups
Save your settings to reuse them later. They’re stored only on this device — nothing is uploaded.
What is the Brine Calculator — Salt Concentration?
Brining is the easiest way to guarantee juicy, well-seasoned poultry and pork, and this calculator gets the ratio right for both methods. For a wet brine, enter your water volume and target salt concentration to get the exact weight of salt (and optional sugar); for a dry brine, it salts by a percentage of the meat’s weight. Because salt brands differ wildly by volume, you pick your salt type — Diamond Crystal, Morton, table or sea — and the cup/teaspoon amount adjusts to match, though weighing in grams is always most accurate.
How to use the Brine Calculator — Salt Concentration
- 1 Choose a wet or dry brine.
- 2 For wet, set water and salt %; for dry, set salt as a % of the meat weight.
- 3 Pick your salt type so the cup amount matches.
- 4 Brine in the refrigerator for the time shown.
Frequently asked questions
How much salt do I need for a brine? +
For a wet brine, a 5–8% salt-to-water ratio works well; 6% is a dependable all-rounder (about 120 g of salt per 2 litres of water). For a dry brine, use about 1% of the meat’s weight. The calculator gives the exact grams plus the matching cup/teaspoon amount for your salt brand.
Wet brine or dry brine — which is better? +
Dry brining (salting ahead, no water) seasons deeply and dries the surface for crispier skin, and it’s less messy. Wet brining adds the most moisture and is great for lean birds. This tool does both — switch with the brine-type toggle.
How long should I brine meat? +
Wet brine about one hour per pound, up to a day for large cuts. Dry brine for at least an hour per pound, but 12–24 hours uncovered in the fridge gives the best results. Always brine refrigerated.
Is this calculator free, and does it send my data anywhere? +
Yes — it’s completely free and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server; the maths happens on your device, even offline once the page has loaded.