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Prep & Cure

Salt, Time, and Nothing Else

Dry Brine

PTby Pitmaster Tripp

Salting meat ahead of time and letting it sit uncovered in the refrigerator, so the salt pulls moisture out, dissolves into it, and draws it back in. No bucket, no water, no dilution. A dry-brine seasons the meat all the way through, keeps it juicier on the fire, and dries the surface so the skin crisps and the bark sets. It is the single cheapest upgrade in barbecue.

None; refrigerator, uncovered, 34–40°FHeat
Whole chicken and turkey, pork shoulder and chops, brisket, thick steaksBest For
Kosher salt, a sheet pan and wire rack, refrigerator spaceGear
45 minutes minimum; overnight to 48 hours for big cutsCook
BeginnerSkill

When to use it

  • Any bird you want crisp skin on
  • Pork shoulder, brisket, and other big cuts going on a long smoke
  • Thick chops and steaks headed for high heat
  • Any time you can plan a day ahead

Not the move when

  • Thin cuts you are cooking within the hour; there is not enough time for the salt to move
  • Meat that has already been enhanced or injected with a salt solution (check the label)
  • Cured products like ham and bacon that are already salted through
  • When you want a wet brine's added flavors carried deep, like a spiced turkey brine

The Method

How It’s Done

  1. Pat the meat dry

    Take it out of the package and blot every surface with paper towels. Salt sticks to dry meat and slides off wet meat, and the drier you start, the drier the surface will be on cook day.

  2. Salt it by weight, not by eye

    Use kosher salt, about half a teaspoon per pound, a touch more for skin-on birds. That is roughly 1 teaspoon for a 2 lb chicken half and a generous tablespoon for a 6 lb shoulder. Sprinkle from a foot above so it lands evenly, and get every side, including under the skin of a bird where you can lift it. If your rub is already salt-forward, this is the moment to apply the rub instead; do not do both.

  3. Rack it uncovered in the fridge

    Set the meat on a wire rack over a sheet pan so air moves all the way around it, and leave it uncovered. The fridge is a very dry place; it will pull moisture off the skin and surface while the salt goes to work underneath. Give it space away from anything it could drip on.

  4. Give it time

    Forty-five minutes is the minimum for a chop or a thigh, and you will see the surface go from wet to tacky to dry as the salt dissolves and is drawn back in. Whole birds want 12 to 24 hours. Shoulder and brisket are happy at 24 to 48. Longer than that and the texture starts to go toward ham.

  5. Do not rinse, and do not re-salt

    On cook day the surface should look dry and slightly darker. Leave it. Rinsing undoes the drying you waited for. Add your rub now if you held it back, going light on any additional salt, and take the meat straight to the fire. It does not need to come to room temperature first.

From the pit

Pitmaster Tips

Avoid these

Common Mistakes

  • Salting a bird only on the outside of the skin
  • Covering the meat with plastic so the surface never dries
  • Using table salt at kosher quantities
  • Dry-brining meat that was already injected and ending up with ham
  • Rinsing on cook day and putting the moisture back
  • Re-salting with a salt-heavy rub on top of the brine

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