Brining

What salt is doing

Salt does two things to muscle. It dissolves some of the structural proteins, which loosens the tight bundles of muscle fibre so they contract less violently under heat and squeeze out less liquid. And it changes how the remaining proteins hold water, so more of it stays in place.

The result is meat that loses noticeably less moisture during cooking and is seasoned all the way through rather than only on the surface. It also widens the margin for error, which for chicken breast and pork loin is the real prize — a brined breast overcooked by a couple of minutes is still acceptable, where an unbrined one is not.

Wet and dry

Wet brine

The food sits in a salt solution. Adds water as well as retaining it, so the meat is heavier and juicier — and slightly diluted in flavour, with a wetter surface that browns less well.

Dry brine

Salt rubbed onto the surface, then left uncovered in the fridge. The salt draws moisture out, dissolves in it, and is reabsorbed. Same moisture benefit, more concentrated flavour, and a dry surface that browns beautifully.

Which to use

Dry brine for anything you want crisp skin or a good crust on — roast chicken, pork, steak. Wet brine for very lean things where extra water genuinely helps, or where you want to add flavour through the liquid.

Rough wet ratio

Around 5 to 6% salt by weight of water — roughly 50 to 60g per litre — is a common starting point. Sugar is optional and helps browning.

Rough dry ratio

Around 1% of the food's weight in salt, so roughly 10g per kilogram, applied evenly.

Times

Long enough to work, short enough not to cure. Over-brined meat tastes salty and has a slightly ham-like texture.

• Chicken breasts, pork chops, thin cuts — 30 minutes to 2 hours wet, or a few hours dry.
• A whole chicken — 4 to 12 hours wet, or 12 to 24 hours dry, uncovered.
• A turkey — up to 24 hours wet, or 1 to 3 days dry.
• Pork shoulder or a large joint — 12 to 24 hours.
• Fish — 10 to 20 minutes only. Fish takes up salt very fast, and a brief brine noticeably firms it and reduces the white albumin on salmon.
• Prawns — 15 to 30 minutes, which makes them noticeably plumper and snappier.

What not to brine, and other cautions

• Anything already brined, which includes most supermarket turkeys, some chickens and much bacon and gammon. Read the label; double-brining is inedibly salty.
• Kosher or halal meat, which has already been salted.
• Fatty, well-marbled cuts. They have their own insurance and gain little.
• Rinse and dry after a wet brine, thoroughly, or nothing will brown.
• Reduce or remove salt elsewhere in the recipe. Brined meat is already seasoned.
• Keep it cold. Brining is done in the fridge, and a large brine bucket needs somewhere genuinely cold — the Food Standards Agency publishes the relevant storage guidance.

Common questions