Dry & Wet Brine Calculator
Salt by percentage for either kind of brine — where a 5% dry brine and a 5% wet brine are different amounts, and the gap is your bucket rather than the recipe.
Salts differ enormously by volume — a tablespoon of fine table salt weighs roughly twice a tablespoon of flaky salt — so weigh it rather than measuring by spoon. And a wet brine's percentage says what is in the liquid, not what ends up in the meat, which depends on time and thickness. Nothing is uploaded.
"A 5% brine" means two different amounts of salt
A dry brine is a percentage of the meat. A wet brine is almost always a percentage of the water. So on two kilos of meat in four litres of water, five per cent means 100 g of salt one way and 200 g the other — and the difference is exactly the ratio of the two references, water over meat. The percentage cancels out entirely.
| Strength | Dry, on 2 kg meat | Wet, in 4 L water | Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 10 g | 20 g | 2.00× |
| 1% | 20 g | 40 g | 2.00× |
| 2% | 40 g | 80 g | 2.00× |
| 3% | 60 g | 120 g | 2.00× |
| 5% | 100 g | 200 g | 2.00× |
| 6% | 120 g | 240 g | 2.00× |
Look down the right-hand column: the factor is the same at every strength. Whatever brine you asked for has nothing to do with how far apart the two conventions land.
The gap is your bucket, not your recipe
Because the percentage cancels, what is left is water over meat — a property of the setup. Equal weights make the two conventions agree exactly. A roomier bucket widens the gap, and a smaller cut in the same bucket widens it further, up to 4× for a kilo of meat in four litres. Use a stronger brine and nothing about that changes.
| Meat | Water | The two conventions differ by |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 g | 2000 g | 1.00× |
| 2000 g | 3000 g | 1.50× |
| 2000 g | 4000 g | 2.00× |
| 2000 g | 6000 g | 3.00× |
| 1000 g | 4000 g | 4.00× |
Which is why the dry figure is the one that transfers between recipes: it is anchored to the thing you are seasoning. A 1% dry brine is 20 g on two kilos and lands at 0.990% of the seasoned meat — near enough the same number, because the salt barely moves the total.
| Dry brine | Salt on 2 kg | Share of the seasoned meat |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 10 g | 0.498% |
| 1% | 20 g | 0.990% |
| 1.5% | 30 g | 1.478% |
| 2% | 40 g | 1.961% |
How to use
- Enter the weight of the meat.
- Enter the water for a wet brine, if you are using one.
- Enter the strength you want as a percentage.
- Read the salt for both conventions, and how far apart they are.
Frequently asked questions
Is a brine percentage of the meat or of the water?
Both conventions are in use, which is the whole problem. A dry brine is a percentage of the MEAT. A wet brine is almost always a percentage of the WATER, and the same number then means a different weight of salt.
How different?
Exactly the ratio of the two references. Two kilos of meat in four litres of water gives a factor of two, so 5% means 100 g of salt one way and 200 g the other.
Does a stronger brine widen the gap?
Not at all — the percentage cancels out entirely. The factor is 2.0 at 3%, at 5% and at 6% alike. What changes it is the amount of water, so the gap is a property of your bucket rather than of the brine.
When do the two conventions agree?
When the meat and the water weigh the same. A roomier bucket widens the gap, and a smaller cut in the same bucket widens it further — a kilo of meat in four litres is a factor of four.
Which figure should I follow?
The dry one, if a recipe gives you a choice. It is anchored to the thing you are seasoning, so it transfers between recipes. A wet brine percentage describes the liquid and says nothing about how much salt ends up in the meat.
How strong should a dry brine be?
Around 1% of the meat weight for most things, which is 20 g on two kilos and lands at almost exactly 1% of the seasoned meat. The salt is too small a fraction to move the total much.
Can I measure salt by spoon?
Not reliably. A tablespoon of fine table salt weighs roughly twice a tablespoon of flaky salt, so the same spoon can double or halve your seasoning. Weigh it — that is what makes a percentage meaningful.
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every figure is computed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.