Turkey Brine Calculator

About this calculator

Brining — soaking meat in a salt-water solution before cooking — works through osmosis and diffusion: the salt water is drawn into the muscle fibers, seasoning the meat throughout and helping it retain more moisture during roasting, which is especially valuable for lean, easily-overcooked turkey breast. A standard wet brine ratio is roughly 1 cup of salt per gallon of water (about 1 lb per 4 gallons in bulk terms), with the turkey needing enough brine to be fully submerged.

Recommended brining time scales with the bird’s size, typically figured at around 1 hour per pound up to a maximum of about 24 hours, since over-brining eventually makes the meat unpleasantly salty and spongy. Home cooks and chefs use this math every Thanksgiving and holiday season to scale a brine recipe to whatever size turkey they’re cooking. This calculator takes your turkey’s weight and returns the brine water and salt quantities you need, plus a recommended soak time.