Dry Brine Pork Shoulder: Salt Amount and Time

A dry brine for pork shoulder is salt applied to the meat with no water. The calculator's default is 0.44% of the shoulder's weight, which is 14 g (0.49 oz) of salt for a 7 lb (3.18 kg) shoulder. That is about 1 1/2 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal, salted for 12 hours to 1 day in the refrigerator.

Read the amounts for what they are. Every published shoulder amount the calculator uses is salt mixed with sugar or a paste. The published amounts span a wide range, from 0.44 to 1.98 percent of the weight. For other pork cuts, the dry brine pork chops guide and the dry brine pork ribs guide cover their own sources, and wet versus dry brine compares salting with soaking.

Salt amount

Weigh the bone-in shoulder or butt before salting. The times apply to a bone-in pork shoulder, butt or picnic, of 6 to 9 pounds. The calculator accepts 5 lb (2.27 kg) to 9 lb (4.08 kg).

• Light, 0.44%, 12 to 24 hours: from America's Test Kitchen's (ATK) pernil, a Puerto Rican slow-roasted picnic shoulder. It puts 1 tablespoon of table salt into a garlic paste for a 9 pound bone-in picnic shoulder, then sprinkles another 1/2 teaspoon on the skin later. The percentage counts the 1 tablespoon only, which is 18 g on 9 lb (4082 g). ATK refrigerates the pernil uncovered for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours. This is the default because it is the lowest amount.
• Standard, 0.85%, 12 to 24 hours: from ATK's honey-glazed pork shoulder. It rubs 3 tablespoons of kosher salt mixed with 3 tablespoons of packed light brown sugar over a 6 to 7 pound bone-in pork butt. The roast is wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for 12 to 24 hours, and the page says it must be seasoned at least 12 hours before cooking.

The two amounts differ by almost a factor of two, and the published range is wider than the two options. ATK's pernil is about 0.44 percent, its honey-glazed shoulder about 0.85 percent, its peach sauce shoulder about 1.41 percent and The Kitchn's about 1.98 percent. All four mix the salt with sugar or a paste. Because the percentages count the salt only, the saltiness of the finished roast also depends on what else is in the rub.

Which salt the amounts assume

The light amount is table salt, and the calculator takes 1 tablespoon of table salt as 18 g (6 g per teaspoon, from the label in ATK's kosher salt taste test). The 0.44 percent depends on that weight. ATK's Ask Paul page gives 23 g per tablespoon of table salt, which would make the same tablespoon about 0.56 percent of a 9 pound shoulder. The standard amount is kosher salt, read as Diamond Crystal at 2.8 g per teaspoon, the lightest of the three common salts, because the ATK page does not name a brand.

Salt and time by weight

Amounts are by weight first, then by volume for each salt type. A teaspoon of Diamond Crystal weighs 2.8 g, Morton kosher 4.8 g and table salt 6 g. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts, and weighing is the reliable way to measure. The kosher versus table salt guide explains the crystal differences.

Light, 0.44%, 12 to 24 hours (default)

Standard, 0.85%, 12 to 24 hours

Choosing between the two

The light amount is the lowest published and the standard amount is the next lowest. If the rub you plan to use already contains salt, such as a seasoning blend, count it before adding the dry brine. The sources do not say which amount gives a better result, and the calculator does not rank them.

Both amounts use the same 12 hour to 1 day window. The 12 hour minimum comes from ATK, and the honey-glazed page says the butt must be seasoned at least 12 hours before cooking. The over-brining guide explains why meat has a maximum brine time.

Two general roast amounts not offered

AmazingRibs's dry brining article does not name pork shoulder. For roasts in general it gives about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound, which is about 0.31 percent, wrapped, for 12 to 48 hours. ATK's roast chart gives beef, lamb and pork roasts 1 teaspoon per pound, about 0.62 percent, for 6 to 24 hours. Neither page is about shoulder, so the calculator does not offer them as strengths. The dry brine prime rib guide lists the roast amounts from the same sources for beef.

How to dry brine a pork shoulder

1. Weigh the shoulder and find the row for your weight, salt type and amount.
2. Measure the salt, preferably on a scale, and mix it with the rest of your rub or paste if the recipe uses one. For the standard amount, ATK scores a crosshatch in the fat cap, then rubs the salt and sugar over the whole roast and into the slits.
3. For the standard amount, wrap the roast tightly in plastic wrap, as ATK's honey-glazed recipe does. ATK's pernil, the source of the light amount, leaves the shoulder uncovered. The sources differ on covering, and they do not say whether covering changes the result.
4. Refrigerate the shoulder at 40°F (4°C) or below for 12 hours to 1 day.
5. Cook the shoulder. FoodSafety.gov lists 145°F (63°C) with a 3 minute rest as the safe minimum internal temperature for fresh pork steaks, chops and roasts. Follow the doneness temperature in the recipe you use.

Practical problems

• The shoulder is too salty: Check the salt type first. The same volume of Morton kosher gives about 1.7 times as much salt by weight as Diamond Crystal, and table salt gives more than twice. Count the salt in any rub, sauce or glaze.
• A larger or smaller shoulder: The times apply to 6 to 9 pounds. The calculator accepts 5 lb (2.27 kg) to 9 lb (4.08 kg), so enter your weight in the calculator.
• The rub contains sugar: The percentages count the salt only and do not count the sugar.
• Comparing with other pork cuts: The pork brine time chart lists wet brine times for pork cuts, and the dry brine time chart lists every dry brine food.

Safety and sodium

Keep the shoulder at 40°F (4°C) or below the whole time. The brining food safety guide covers refrigerator handling.