Dry brine

Dry brining means salting meat, poultry or fish well before cooking and letting it rest in the fridge. The salt draws out a little juice, dissolves in it, and then soaks back into the meat. It seasons more deeply than salting just before cooking, keeps meat juicy, and helps skin turn crisp. It does the job of a wet brine without the bucket of water.

How to do it

1. Pat the meat dry.
2. Sprinkle it evenly with salt on all sides. Use about 1% of the meat's weight in salt: 10 g per 1 kg, or about 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine salt per 1 kg (2 pounds). Use a little more for a turkey or a thick roast with bone.
3. Set it on a rack over a tray so air can reach all sides.
4. Refrigerate uncovered, or loosely covered, for the time below.
5. Cook it without rinsing. Do not add more salt.

Food	Time
Fish fillets	15 to 30 minutes
Steaks and chops	1 hour to overnight
Whole chicken	12 to 24 hours
Whole turkey	1 to 3 days
Large beef or pork roast	1 to 2 days

Why it works

At first, salt pulls liquid to the surface, and the meat looks wet. Over time the salty liquid is drawn back in. Salt dissolves some muscle proteins, so the meat holds on to more water as it cooks. Leaving it uncovered dries the surface, which helps it sear and roast to a crisp brown.

Common mistakes

• Cooking after 10 to 30 minutes on thick meat. At this stage the juice has come out but not yet gone back in, so the surface is wet. Either cook straight after salting or wait at least an hour.
• Using too much salt, especially with fine table salt.
• Dry brining meat already sold as "enhanced" or injected with a salt solution.
• Leaving it at room temperature. Keep it in the fridge at 5°C (41°F) or below.

In recipes

"Salt the meat the night before" or "season generously and refrigerate uncovered" both describe a dry brine. A long, heavy salting with sugar to preserve meat is a cure instead.