Brine Calculator
Salt by weight, not volume — a cup of kosher salt can weigh nearly twice as much depending on the brand, so weight is the only measurement that's actually consistent.
Why this uses weight and percentage, not "cups of salt"
Table salt, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and Morton kosher salt all pack very differently by volume — a cup of Diamond Crystal weighs roughly half what a cup of Morton or table salt does, which means a brine recipe written as "1 cup salt" is genuinely ambiguous unless it names the exact brand. Salinity as a percentage of water weight sidesteps that entirely: 5.5% salinity means the same thing no matter what salt you're holding, as long as you weigh it.
A reasonable starting salinity, and why it's not one fixed number
5–6% salinity is a commonly used starting point for a basic wet brine, strong enough to season and help the meat retain moisture without becoming overly salty — leaner cuts and shorter brine times can push toward the higher end, while very long brines (like an overnight turkey brine) sometimes use a slightly lower percentage since the salt has more time to penetrate.
Sugar is optional, and plays a different role than salt
Salt is what actually brines the meat, drawing it into the tissue through osmosis and helping it retain moisture during cooking; sugar mainly balances the salt's flavor and can help browning — it's not required, but a common addition at roughly half the salt's weight if you want a slightly rounder flavor.