Wet brine or dry brine?

Dry brine (just salt, no water) is easier, takes less fridge space, keeps skin crispier, and produces the same juicy result as a wet brine. It's what Serious Eats, Cook's Illustrated, and most pro kitchens now recommend for turkey and chicken. Wet brine still wins for lean cuts like pork chops where you want extra moisture insurance.

How long should I brine?

Wet brine: 1 hour per pound up to 12 hours for small birds; 12-24 hours for a whole turkey. Dry brine: overnight minimum, ideally 24-72 hours for a whole bird (longer = better skin). Don't exceed 3 days for dry brine or you risk cured/hammy texture.

What kind of salt should I use?

Kosher salt is standard because its flakes dissolve evenly and are easy to measure visually. Note that Diamond Crystal kosher is roughly half the weight per volume as Morton — the calculator uses grams, so it's brand-neutral. Table salt works but measure by weight, not volume (its fine crystals pack tighter).

Brine Calculator (Turkey, Chicken, Pork)

Cooking & Kitchen· 10 tools

Free brine calculator for Thanksgiving turkey, Sunday chicken, pork chops, and roasts. Pick wet brine (salt + water, standard 6% by weight) or dry brine (salt rubbed directly on surface, 0.75% of meat weight), enter the meat weight, and get exact salt + water amounts. Includes time guidance by protein and thickness — undersalting wastes effort, over-brining turns meat mushy.

Protein

Method

Meat weight

Unit

Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

48 g

≈ 3.5 tbsp / 10.6 tsp

Recommended brine time

24-72 hours (ideally 48)

Dry brine uses 0.75% salt by meat weight. Wet brine uses a 6% salt-to-water solution; sugar is optional (3%, half the salt). Water volume scales with meat — calculator assumes the meat is fully submerged. Using Morton kosher or table salt? Use weight (grams) and ignore the cup conversions, which are for Diamond Crystal.

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