Last updated: 2026-07-02

Dry Brine Salt

Dry brining is simply salting meat ahead of time and letting it rest. The salt first draws moisture to the surface, then that salty liquid is reabsorbed, seasoning the meat throughout and helping it hold on to moisture during cooking. The whole method rests on one number: how much salt to use. The reliable way to set that number is as a percentage of the meat's weight, not a fixed pinch or a spoon count.

Salt as a percentage of weight

Because a small steak and a large roast need salt in proportion to their mass, the amount is best expressed as a fraction of the meat weight:

$\text{salt} = \text{meat weight} \times \text{salt percentage}$

A ratio of about 1% is a widely used all-purpose figure. Lighter seasoning of 0.5-0.75% suits delicate cuts or dishes finished with a salty sauce, while 1.25-1.5% gives a firmer, more seasoned result on thick roasts. Working in percentages means the same rule scales from a single chop to a whole turkey without any guesswork.

Weigh the salt, don't scoop it

Salt is sold in very different crystal forms, and they do not fill a spoon the same way. Fine table salt is dense, so a level teaspoon holds about 6 grams. Kosher salt is flaky and packs loosely, so the same teaspoon holds only about 4.8 grams — and some brands are lighter still. That means a teaspoon of one salt can be a third saltier than a teaspoon of another.

The calculator reports grams first, because grams are unambiguous, and then converts to teaspoons and tablespoons for the salt type you pick. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh the salt and ignore the spoons entirely.

How long to rest

The salt amount and the resting time are separate choices. A common guide is roughly one hour of resting per 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) of thickness, with a sensible minimum of about 40 minutes. Thin cuts such as steaks and chops do well anywhere from 1 to 8 hours; whole poultry and large roasts benefit from 12 to 48 hours, left uncovered in the refrigerator so the surface dries and browns better. Keep the meat cold throughout — a dry brine seasons, it does not preserve.

Worked example

If you switch to kosher salt, the gram figure stays the same but the spoon count rises, because each spoon of kosher salt weighs less. This is exactly why weighing beats scooping.