How to Make Brine: Salt-to-Water Ratio and Steps
Published
A brine is salt dissolved in water, and its strength is the weight of the salt as a percentage of the weight of the water. At 5.71%, the strength the calculator uses for boneless chicken breast, one quart of water (946 g) takes 54 g of salt. At 3.8% it takes 36 g, and at 7.61% it takes 72 g.
The method is the same for every food: weigh the water, weigh the salt, stir until dissolved, chill, submerge the food in the refrigerator and discard the brine afterward. The strength and time come from the guide for the food, or from the calculator.
Quick answer
For chicken breast, use a 5.71% brine: 54 g (1.9 oz) of salt per quart of water. Brine 2 lb (0.91 kg) for 30 min to 1 hr.
- Diamond Crystal kosher, per quart of water
- 3/8 cup
- Morton kosher, per quart of water
- 1/4 cup
- Table salt, per quart of water
- 3 Tbsp
- For 2 lb (0.91 kg)
- 54 g (1.9 oz) of salt in 1 quart (0.95 L) of water
- Time window
- 30 min to 1 hr
Warnings
Do not brine meat that is labeled basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher (Morton Salt, It's Time To Brine). Destination BBQ (Brining math explained) says enhanced, self-basting and kosher meat has already been salt-treated and is essentially pre-brined, and that you might dry-brine it very lightly or not brine it at all.
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page (https://www.thekitchn.com/5-smart-tips-for-better-brined-meat-223759) says that for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts, the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here.
Notes
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
The salt-to-water math
Salt in grams is the percentage divided by 100, times the weight of the water in grams. The calculator takes one quart of water as 946.35 g, which is an approximation because water density changes slightly with temperature and with dissolved salt. For 1 quart at 5.71%, the salt is 0.0571 x 946.35, or 54 g.
Brine strength is a percentage of the water, not of the food. The calculator's dry brines work the other way, as a percentage of the food's weight, so a dry brine percentage cannot be used to make a wet brine. A water amount is a container-size choice, and the salt follows the water. If you use more or less water than the default, the salt amount changes with it, and the percentage stays the same. The brine percentages explained guide goes further into what the numbers mean.
Salt for one quart of water at each strength
The table lists every brine strength the calculator uses, including the ones for vegetable ferments, with the salt for one quart of water in grams and in volume for each salt type. The last column says which kinds of food use each strength.
| Salt percentage | Grams per liter | Grams per quart | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9% | 18.9 g | 18 g (0.63 oz) | 2 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | Seafood |
| 2.85% | 28.4 g | 27 g (0.95 oz) | 3 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | Seafood |
| 3% | 29.9 g | 28.4 g (1 oz) | 3 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | Vegetables |
| 3.5% | 34.8 g | 33.1 g (1.2 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | Vegetables |
| 3.8% | 37.9 g | 36 g (1.3 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | Poultry, Pork |
| 4.65% | 46.3 g | 44 g (1.6 oz) | 3/8 cup | 3 Tbsp | 2 1/2 Tbsp | Seafood |
| 4.75% | 47.4 g | 45 g (1.6 oz) | 3/8 cup | 3 Tbsp | 2 1/2 Tbsp | Seafood |
| 5% | 49.8 g | 47.3 g (1.7 oz) | 3/8 cup | 3 1/2 Tbsp | 2 1/2 Tbsp | Vegetables |
| 5.71% | 56.8 g | 54 g (1.9 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | Poultry, Pork |
| 6% | 59.8 g | 56.8 g (2 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | Poultry |
| 6.09% | 60.6 g | 57.6 g (2 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | Poultry |
| 7.6% | 75.7 g | 71.9 g (2.5 oz) | 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | Seafood, Vegetables |
| 7.61% | 75.8 g | 72 g (2.5 oz) | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | Poultry, Pork |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
The volume columns differ because the salts differ. A teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, Morton kosher salt and fine table salt weigh 2.8 g, 4.8 g and 6 g by the manufacturers' labels, figures that America's Test Kitchen's salt taste test also reports, so the same brine takes more spoonfuls of the lighter salt. Kosher salt versus table salt explains the difference and the sources that disagree on it. The salt-per-gallon amounts are in the salt per gallon brine chart.
Steps
- Choose the food and strength. Find the food in the calculator or its guide. For boneless chicken breast, the lighter strength is 3.8% and the standard strength is 5.71%. The brine ratio chart lists the strengths for every food.
- Weigh the water. The calculator's default is 0.5 quart of water per pound of food, and the guide for each food shows the water for each weight. Use enough water to cover the food completely.
- Weigh the salt. Use the grams shown for your food weight. If you must measure by volume, use the column for your salt type and check the type on the package.
- Dissolve and chill. Stir until the salt is dissolved. If you heat any of the water to help the salt dissolve, the brine has to cool before the food goes in. The University of Wisconsin Extension says to cool a heated brine to room temperature before adding a turkey, and the calculator keeps the brine at 40°F (4°C) or below once the food is in. USDA FSIS says the refrigerator should be at 40°F (4°C) or below. AmazingRibs.com's brine recipe says to keep the brine under 40°F (4°C), adding ice when needed, and that visible unmelted ice means the brine is probably below that.
- Submerge and cover. Put the food in a food-grade container or a brining bag that fits in the refrigerator, cover it fully with brine and seal or cover the container. The USDA says to totally submerge poultry and store it covered in the refrigerator.
- Time it. Use the time window for your food and weight, and never go past the maximum. For chicken breast it is 30 min to 1 hr.
- Remove, dry and cook. Take the food out of the brine and dry it thoroughly with paper towels, since the same AmazingRibs.com recipe says the surface might steam and not brown properly if the meat is not patted dry.
- Discard the brine. Do not keep it for another batch.
The calculator gives amounts for salt and water only. Sugar, herbs and spices are optional extras that some recipes add. The University of Illinois Extension turkey brine includes sugar, for example. The calculator has no amounts for them and does not count them in the percentage.
Chicken breast example
Here is the salt for a 2 lb chicken breast batch at the standard strength, with the other weights the calculator lists.
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 27 g (0.95 oz) | 3 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 54 g (1.9 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 3 lb (1.36 kg) | 81.1 g (2.9 oz) | 5/8 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 108 g (3.8 oz) | 3/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
Warning
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Warning
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Warning
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page says that for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts, the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here.
Warning
Do not brine meat that is labeled basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher. Morton Salt advises against it. Destination BBQ says enhanced, self-basting and kosher meat has already been salt-treated and is essentially pre-brined, and that you might dry-brine it very lightly or not brine it at all. America's Test Kitchen's roasted brined turkey recipe says not to brine a kosher or self-basting turkey because it already contains a good amount of sodium. America's Test Kitchen's 30-Minute Brine page says not to brine enhanced chops injected with a salt solution.
Note
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
Note
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
Common problems
The brine does not cover the food. Use more water and enter the new amount in the calculator so the salt follows it. The percentage, not the volume of brine, is what matters.
The brine is warm. Do not add food to it. Cool it first, then keep it cold, because the calculator allows brining only at 40°F (4°C) or below.
Salt is left at the bottom. Keep stirring until no grains remain. If you warm part of the water to dissolve the salt, cool the whole brine before using it.
The food is labeled enhanced or kosher. Do not brine it, as in the warning above.
What this guide does not cover
Brines for curing with nitrite or curing salt, canning and vinegar pickling are different processes with their own amounts, and this calculator does not cover them. Brines for fermenting vegetables are covered separately in how to ferment vegetables, with a salt range of their own. For a first brine, how to brine meat walks through the whole process.
Frequently asked questions
How much salt do I need per quart of water for a brine?
It depends on the strength. The calculator's poultry and pork brines run from 3.8% to 7.61% salt by weight of the water, which is 36 g to 72 g per quart, and shrimp brines are lower. The ratio table on this page lists each strength with amounts for three salt types.
Do I measure the salt by weight or by volume?
Weigh it when you can. The same spoonful of Diamond Crystal, Morton kosher and table salt weighs 2.8 g, 4.8 g and 6 g per teaspoon, so volume is only an approximation.
Should the brine be hot or cold?
The food goes into a cold brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. If you use warm water to dissolve the salt, the University of Wisconsin Extension says to cool a heated brine to room temperature before adding the turkey, and the calculator keeps the brine in the refrigerator.
How much water do I need?
The calculator defaults to 0.5 quart of water per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely, and if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
Can I reuse brine?
No. Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Sources
- Brining Tips (University of Wisconsin Extension, Dunn County)
- Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating (USDA FSIS)
- Brine Method (University of Illinois Extension)
- Kosher Salt (America's Test Kitchen taste test)
- Keep Food Safe! Food Safety Basics (USDA FSIS)
- The Simple Blonder Brine 6.4 Recipe (AmazingRibs.com)