For many meat-curing projects, the calculator below is about equilibrium curing, either with a dry or wet cure. I developed it after dry salting meat, curing whole muscle for several decades.
I’ve also used it to work out lower-concentration wet salt curing/brining for hot-smoked wild turkey, smoked ham, or bacon.
Your meat weight and salt percentage are inputs; the quantity of sea salt and whether you use curing salt will be displayed. Due to meat size and container size variables, the percentage of water for wet salt-cure brining can also be adjusted.
If you are unfamiliar with curing salt, more information will be provided below.
| Meat Curing Calculator Tool | |
| Method |
Equilibrium Dry Curing
or Equilibrium Wet Brining |
| Meat Weight | lb kg g |
| Salt | % |
| Water % | % |
|
Calculations |
|
| Pink Curing Salt | 1.59 g or 0.056 oz (optional depending on preference or recipe) |
| Sea Salt | 15.88 g or 0.56 oz |
| Water | 0.181 litres or 0.048 gallons |
Calculator Notes
- Adjustable water for equilibrium brining (default at 40%, but if it isn’t enough to submerge your meat, You can increase to a percentage that does. I suggest dropping your meat in the container and testing the amount of water you need, then adjusting the percentage until it equals the amount you measured.
- If using curing salt, 99.75% regular salt and 0.25% curing salt for either curing salt #1 or #2 – this is the commonly accepted and regulated level.
- For simple dry-cured meat, 2.25% is a prevailing total salt level for whole muscle meat curing salt.
Tables of Equilibrium Curing
The calculator produces the same output as the tables. I’ve showcased this to visualize the calculations further.
From my experience, the range across home and commercial meat curers is often 2-3%.
2.25% is my preferred total salt – dry salt curing choice.
Metric – Total Salt Amount
| Total Weight (grams) | 2% Salt | 2.5% Salt | 3% Salt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 10 g | 12.5 g | 15 g |
| 1,000 g (1 kg) | 20 g | 25 g | 30 g |
| 1,500 g | 30 g | 37.5 g | 45 g |
| 2,000 g (2 kg) | 40 g | 50 g | 60 g |
| 2,500 g | 50 g | 62.5 g | 75 g |
| 3,000 g (3 kg) | 60 g | 75 g | 90 g |
| 4,000 g (4 kg) | 80 g | 100 g | 120 g |
| 5,000 g (5 kg) | 100 g | 125 g | 150 g |
Imperial
| Total Weight (pounds) | 2% Salt | 2.5% Salt | 3% Salt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (16 oz) | 0.32 oz | 0.4 oz | 0.48 oz |
| 2 lb | 0.64 oz | 0.8 oz | 0.96 oz |
| 3 lb | 0.96 oz | 1.2 oz | 1.44 oz |
| 4 lb | 1.28 oz | 1.6 oz | 1.92 oz |
| 5 lb | 1.6 oz | 2.0 oz | 2.4 oz |
| 6 lb | 1.92 oz | 2.4 oz | 2.88 oz |
| 7 lb | 2.24 oz | 2.8 oz | 3.36 oz |
| 8 lb | 2.56 oz | 3.2 oz | 3.84 oz |
| 10 lb | 3.2 oz | 4.0 oz | 4.8 oz |
Dry Salt Equilibrium Curing,
It’s the ratio (any ingredient) to the total weight of the meat. This percentage can also be applied to the other dried spices or ingredients added to the curing mixture.
Using the metric system simplifies all the calculations.
Curing Salt Per Pound or Kilogram of Meat
| Per Pound of Meat (453.6 grams) | Per Kilogram of Meat (1000 grams) | |
| Under 30 Dry Cure – Curing Salt No. 1 (0.25% of the Weight) | 1.134g / 0.04 oz (0.25%) | 2.5g (0.25%) |
| Over 30 Dry Cure – Curing Salt No. 2 (0.25% of the Weight) | 1.134g / 0.04 oz (0.25%) | 2.5g (0.25%) |
The biggest challenge for most people when they use this method is that digital or even analog scales do not have the accuracy or precision to work out the precise amount to two or one decimal place.
An example to illustrate:
5-pound slab of pork belly for bacon
1.134g per pound of meat
5 x 1.134 = 5.67 grams of pink curing salt for 5 pounds of pork belly
When you have an accuracy of 0.1 or 0.01 grams (check out the scales you need here), you can finally work out exactly the amount of saltiness you want in your cured meats. Whether it’s bacon or pastrami, this was a game-changer, so I decided to come up with this helpful calculator.
Wet Salt Brine Equilibrium Curing
A ratio of 0.25% pink curing salt to the total weight of the meat & the water (1 kilogram = 1 Liter, easier with the metric system to do this).
I am going to use the metric system since it’s easier:
1 gram (1,000gram=1kg) = 1 milliliter (1,000ml=1 Liter)
ie. 5 kilograms (5,000g) of pork belly for bacon in a wet brine
Pork Belly 5kg + Water 4L /4kg = 9kg or 9,000g
If I wanted to use a 2.5% total salt level for flavor (a bit salty for most people)
2.25% sea salt x 9,000 = 202.5g of salt for the brine
0.25% Pink Curing Salt No. 1 = 22.5 grams of pink curing salt
So for % of spices or sugar, you add this on top of the above
say plus 1% sugar, 0.01 x 9,000 = 90 gram of sugar
You would dissolve it all and have brine, which can be varied to ‘choose’ your level of saltiness or sweetness! in your bacon!
The other benefit is that it doesn’t matter if you leave the pork belly in for 1 week or 2. It won’t overdo the saltiness!
For those of you concerned about reaching the right salt and pink salt levels, you could use a technique called equilibrium brining, which I first read about in Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine. To do this, combine the weight of the meat and the weight of the water, then add 2% of that weight in salt, and 0.25% pink salt, in addition to aromatics. This can cure from seven days up to twenty-one days (and maybe longer). This way you will never have bacon that’s too salty
https://ruhlman.com/homemade-bacon/
Sea Salt and Curing Salts
Sea Salt can always be used alone. Some prefer to add a small percentage of curing salt for various purposes. Here is a link to an article I wrote on curing salt 1 and 2.
Curing salts 1 and 2 are often a bright pink to differentiate them from regular salt, since they need to be used with caution and safely.
Curing Salt No.1 and No.2 has many different names such as:
- Pink Curing Salt #1, Pink Curing Salt #2
- Prague Powder #1, Prague Powder #2
- Quick Cure #1, Quick Cure #2
- Instacure #1, Instacure #2
- Tinted Curing Mix (TCM) #1, Tinted Curing Mix (TCM) #1
For the above calculator, if dry curing it’s always
- 99.75% regular sea salt
- 0.25% curing salt 1 or 2.
The ingredients of the CURING SALT consist of:
Curing Salt No.1 (Under 30 Days Curing)
- 93.75% Salt (Sodium Chloride)
- 6.25% Sodium Nitrite
Curing Salt No. 2 (Over 30 Days Curing)
- 89.75% Salt (Sodium Chloride)
- 6.25% Sodium Nitrite
- 4.0% Sodium Nitrate
Useful Links and Articles
You need accurate digital scales for equilibrium curing. The whole point is consistent salt flavor and meat curing results.
Here is a page I wrote with some digital scales I can recommend.
If you’re looking for a guide on building a DIY curing chamber for dry-cured meat or are interested in a charcuterie course – check out more info on this page.
The amount of pink curing salt (also here is an article about which type of salt) for the amounts of meat that you are curing is a ratio that should always be the same, but there are some calculations needed.
If you want to control the level of saltiness, then this method will help you achieve this.
So, I created this tool/calculator to help you easily calculate the amounts (well, it was my awesome brother, coding Mathematician Mike D).
For either Pink Curing Salt No.1 or No.2 (same percentages of pink curing salt anyway).
Rather than using a hit-and-miss method.
This calculation can be done manually, and I used to do it that way for many years. It’s up to you whether you include this additive in meat curing.
I want to summarize the equilibrium curing and equilibrium brining process if you are new to these terms.
I think the confusion comes from the directions on a lot of pink curing salt, which talks about it in commercial quantities and applies to commercial methods
From using a lot of different types of curing salt. There are a whole bunch of methods that people use, and you read about. So regardless of whether you’re cured, meat will be consumed in under 30 days for Pink Curing Salt No. 1. Or over 30 days for Pink Curing Salt No. 2.
But there’s one way to work out exactly how much curing salt for dry curing or wet brining cures.
Don’t get me wrong; I still love the traditional ‘by the eye’ salting that a master salter is respected for in Italy (like the Parma Ham Salt Masters).
But many use weighed amounts of salt over the pork leg for the prosciutto to help the salt-curing stage.
But if you want a more consistent outcome at home, this is what the methodology is all about.
The owner of an 85,000-a-year Parma Ham factory (mid-sized out of 150 producers around Parma) I visited said 2-3% of his hams are wasted yearly. Due to the variations with hand salting, that’s about 2,550 Parma Hams a year in the rubbish bin.
Why Equilibrium Curing for Meat Curing
Specifically, a level teaspoon is meant to be = 4.2g (depending on the teaspoon!)
Which is inaccurate. It can be used, but the results will vary. Both salt and teaspoons vary in size.
Equilibrium curing is very useful for precision in this area; some have also started to use it more widely in baking and other food areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some useful questions from the comments I wanted to highlight.
Regarding wet brining ratios, if a recipe states a 40% water ratio to the meat weight, is that accurate?
It can be not very clear. Nowadays, a good approach is to place the meat in the container, pre-measure the water needed to cover it, then remove the water to mix in the brine ingredients. This allows you to accurately calculate the required cure based on the total weight of the meat and water.
If wanting to cure a whole pig (130 lbs), how much curing salt should be used?
Curing a whole pig for long-term dry curing typically requires breaking it down into smaller pieces. Curing a whole pig for cooking or smoking until cooked is a different process. More specific details about the intended method are needed to provide guidance.
The calculator shows different percentages for dry and wet curing. If the wet brining amount (.35%) was accidentally used for a dry cure (where .25% is recommended), is that unsafe?
For dry-cured meat projects using pink curing salt, the maximum recommended amount is generally 0.25%. The higher percentage in wet brining accounts for the dilution from the added water. Using a higher percentage than recommended for dry curing could potentially be unsafe.
In the pink salt calculation section, there’s a sea salt calculation. Is the sea salt amount meant to be used along with the pink salt?
No, the sea salt calculation refers to regular sea salt and does not include pink curing salt. Pink curing salt is a separate ingredient with a specific purpose.
For wet brining, the calculator suggests a specific water amount (e.g., 1 qt for 5 lbs of meat). Is this enough liquid to ensure the meat is fully submerged for proper curing?
The initial water ratio might not always be sufficient for full submersion, especially for irregularly shaped cuts. A better approach is to place the meat in your container and then add enough water to cover it completely. Then, measure this water to calculate your brine ingredients accurately. Some find an 80% water ratio to the meat weight is often needed for adequate coverage.
Tom Mueller
For decades, immersed in studying, working, learning, and teaching the craft of meat curing, sharing the passion and showcasing the world of charcuterie and smoked meat. Read More