Dry brine calculator: how much salt per kg of meat
Weigh the meat, pick a salt percentage, get the grams. 1% salt by weight is the starting point: 10 g per kilo, or 15 g for a 1.5 kg chicken.
%
Salt to weigh out15 g
Fine table salt, roughly2½ tsp
Weigh it. Teaspoon figures are for fine table salt only (about 6 g a level teaspoon). Flaky and coarse salts weigh much less per spoonful, so a spoon measure of those under-salts.
Choosing the percentage
| Salt | Use it for |
|---|---|
| 1% | The default for unseasoned chicken, pork and beef. The figure used in the issue on dry brining a chicken. |
| 0.75% | Lighter seasoning, or when the dish gets a salty sauce, gravy or glaze later. |
| 1.25% | For a firmer seasoning on a thick joint. Taste the result and go back down if it reads salty. |
| 0% | Anything sold already salted, brined, cured or "basted". Check the label first. |
How long
For a whole chicken or bone-in pieces, overnight is the target. Four hours still helps if you're cooking today, and 6 to 24 hours is a sensible planning range. Keep raw meat covered on the bottom shelf of a fridge at 0–5 °C, away from ready-to-eat food. Don't rinse it afterwards: pat it dry just before it goes in the oven.
CHEF NOTEThe weight you salt is the weight on the scale, bone and all. I don't adjust for bone on a whole bird: 1% of the whole weight seasons the meat properly. The full method is in How to dry brine a chicken before roasting, and the three salts I keep on the section are in Salt like a line cook.
Sources
- Salt ratio, timing and storage: The Pass, How to dry brine a chicken before roasting (20 September 2026).
- Teaspoon weight of table salt (about 6 g per level teaspoon): USDA FoodData Central, Salt, table portion data, accessed 9 October 2026.
- Fridge temperature (5 °C or below): Food Standards Agency, How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely, accessed 9 October 2026.