Brine Calculator
Work out the salt for a wet or dry brine by weight, in grams and in cups of the specific salt sitting in your cupboard.
Your details
Salt as a percentage of the water's weight
Details
This calculator runs entirely on your device. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored, or sold. How this works
Wet brine
189 g of salt
5.0% brine in 3.79 L of water
Includes your inputs, the full breakdown, and every row of the table.
Salt
189 g
1⅜ cups
Sugar
76 g
⅜ cup
Water
3.79 L
4.00 quarts
Brine for
12 to 24 hrs
| Salt | g per cup | Volume needed |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Crystal kosher | 135 | 1⅜ cups |
| Morton kosher | 230 | ⅞ cup |
| Table salt | 273 | ⅔ cup |
What this means
- Salt is measured by weight here and then converted using 135 g per cup for diamond crystal kosher. Different salts are wildly different by volume — a cup of table salt weighs twice a cup of Diamond Crystal — so a recipe that says "a cup of kosher salt" without naming the brand is close to meaningless.
- Strength is expressed as a percentage of the water's weight. A 5 to 6% brine is the usual range for poultry and pork; below about 3% there is little effect, and above 8% the surface can turn unpleasantly salty before the interior seasons.
- Dissolve the salt fully and chill the brine before the meat goes in. Meat must stay below 40°F the whole time, so brining belongs in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice, never on the counter.
- A 14 lb piece wants roughly 12 to 24 hrs in this brine. Longer is not better — past the point where the salt has equilibrated, texture starts to suffer.
How the brine calculation works
Brining seasons meat all the way through and gives it a buffer against overcooking. Salt dissolves some of the muscle proteins, which lets the meat hold onto more of its own moisture as it cooks, so a brined bird that runs five degrees past its target is far more forgiving than one that was not.
There are two ways to do it. A wet brine submerges the meat in salt water, which is effective and fast but adds water to the meat, diluting flavour and making crisp skin harder. A dry brine salts the surface and lets the meat's own moisture do the work — the salt pulls liquid out, dissolves in it, and the concentrated solution is drawn back in. Dry brining seasons just as thoroughly, needs no bucket or fridge space, and leaves the surface dry enough to brown properly, which is why it has largely displaced wet brining for roast poultry.
Both are specified as a percentage by weight, because that is the only way the numbers transfer between recipes. Volume measurements of salt are unreliable to the point of being dangerous to a dish: crystal size varies so much between brands that a cup of one weighs twice a cup of another.
Frequently asked questions
How much salt per gallon of water for a brine?
A gallon of water weighs about 3,785 g, so a 5% brine needs roughly 190 g of salt. In volume that is about 1.4 cups of Diamond Crystal kosher, 0.8 cups of Morton kosher, or 0.7 cups of table salt — the same weight, wildly different volumes, which is exactly why weighing is worth it.
Is dry brining better than wet brining?
For anything you want crisp skin on, yes. A wet brine adds water to the surface and the meat, which works against browning and dilutes flavour slightly. Dry brining seasons just as deeply, concentrates rather than dilutes, takes no fridge space, and leaves the skin dry. Wet brining still has a place for very lean cuts where the extra water is genuinely useful.
Can I brine for too long?
Yes. Once salt has equilibrated through the meat, extra time only degrades texture — proteins keep breaking down and the surface turns spongy or ham-like. A whole turkey is fine at 12 to 24 hours; chicken pieces need only a few. Kosher and pre-brined supermarket birds should not be brined again at all.
Do I rinse after brining?
After a wet brine, pat dry thoroughly and leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours if you can. After a dry brine, do not rinse — the dry, seasoned surface is the whole point and washing it off undoes the benefit for the skin.
Related calculators
Meat Cooking Time Calculator
Estimate roasting time by weight, and see the temperature to pull at so carryover lands the meat exactly where you want it.
CookingCups to Grams Converter
Convert cups, spoons, and millilitres to grams for a specific ingredient — because a cup of flour and a cup of honey are nothing alike.
CookingOven Temperature Converter
Convert between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and gas mark, and adjust for a fan oven that runs hotter than the dial says.
CookingSlow Cooker Time Converter
Convert a recipe between the oven, a slow cooker on low or high, and a pressure cooker without guessing.
CookingSpotted a problem, or want this calculator to do more?Corrections are fixed first, and the most-requested features get built next.Tell us →
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide and the assumptions described above. Confirm any figure with a qualified professional before acting on it.