Enter your cut's weight to see how much water and salt to use and how long to brine it.
A basic wet brine works by osmosis: salt dissolved in water is drawn into the meat along with extra moisture, seasoning it throughout and helping it stay juicier during cooking. The standard ratio is about 1 cup of kosher salt per gallon of water (roughly a 5–6% brine by weight), and brining time scales with the meat's weight — commonly estimated at about 1 hour per pound, capped at 24 hours so the texture doesn't turn spongy or overly salty.
Source: Brine ratio and timing follow Butterball's standard basic turkey brine guidance (about 1 cup kosher salt per gallon of water, brining roughly 1 hour per pound up to a 24-hour maximum).
A common basic brine ratio is about 1 cup of kosher salt per gallon of water, roughly a 5–6% brine by weight, per Butterball's standard turkey brining guidance.
About 14 hours using the roughly 1-hour-per-pound rule, though many cooks cap brining at 24 hours maximum regardless of weight to avoid an overly salty or spongy texture.
Yes — over-brining draws in too much salt and can make the texture mushy. Most guidance caps wet brining at 24 hours even for very large cuts like a whole turkey.
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