Dry Brine Salt Quantity Calculator
A dry brine seasons meat by salting it directly and letting it rest, with no added water. The salt amount is set as a percentage of the meat weight, which makes it easy to scale from a single chicken breast to a whole turkey. This calculator takes your meat weight and target salt percentage and returns the exact salt to use, plus grams per pound and per kilogram so you can measure on any scale. Weigh the salt for repeatable seasoning. The percentage and resting time are recipe and food-safety choices; this tool does the math only.
Dry brine formula
salt (g) = meat (g) * (target % / 100)
salt per kg = target % * 10
salt per lb = salt per kg * 0.45359237
meat (lb) = meat (g) / 453.59237
One percent of meat weight equals 10 grams of salt per kilogram. Per-pound and per-kilogram figures use the exact pound-to-gram conversion.
Dry brine notes
- A common target is about 1 percent of meat weight (roughly 10 g/kg, 4.5 g/lb).
- Ranges of 0.75 to 1.5 percent are typical; adjust to taste.
- Weigh salt; volume varies widely with crystal size.
- Rest uncovered in the refrigerator; follow USDA safe handling.
- Resting time scales with cut thickness, from an hour to overnight.
Dry brine salt: frequently asked questions
What is a dry brine?
A dry brine, sometimes called pre-salting, is salt rubbed directly onto meat and left to rest, drawing out moisture that dissolves the salt and is then reabsorbed, seasoning throughout. Unlike a wet brine there is no added water. The salt amount is set as a percentage of the meat weight.
How much salt for a dry brine?
A common range is about 0.75 to 1.5 percent of the meat weight, with around 1 percent (roughly 10 grams per kilogram, or about 4.5 grams per pound) a frequent target. The exact level is a taste and recipe choice, so it is a user-editable input. Weigh the salt for consistency.
Does salt type change the amount by weight?
By weight, no: 10 grams of table salt and 10 grams of kosher salt season equally. By volume they differ a lot because of crystal size, which is why teaspoon measures are unreliable for salt. Weigh your salt on a scale and the brine strength is exact regardless of type.
How is the salt amount calculated?
Salt = meat weight times the target percent divided by 100. For a 2,000 gram chicken at 1 percent, that is 20 grams of salt. The calculator also shows grams per pound and grams per kilogram so you can measure however your scale reads.
How long should I dry brine?
Times vary by cut and thickness, from an hour for thin cuts to overnight or longer for a whole bird or large roast, uncovered in the refrigerator. Timing is a craft choice and a food-safety matter; follow USDA safe handling for refrigerated storage. This tool sizes the salt, not the schedule.
Official sources
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 17 June 2026. See our methodology.