A brine of 1 lb of salt per gallon of water is about 10.7% salt by weight, which the parent article calls approximately 10% and says floats a raw egg. Saturated brine, the most salt that water can hold, is about 26%; the brine you mix is not the salt level that ends up in the meat, because the meat’s own water dilutes it as the cure proceeds.
Part of Large-Scale Smoking & Curing
Wet-brine concentration is the mass of salt as a share of the mass of salt plus water in a curing solution, which sets how fast the cure works and what happens to the meat’s water.
What 1 Lb Per Gallon Actually Is
A gallon of water weighs about 8.34 lbs. Adding 1 lb of salt makes 9.34 lbs of solution, so the concentration by weight is
1 ÷ (8.34 + 1) = 1 ÷ 9.34 = 0.107, or 10.7%.
That is a little over the “approximately 10%” in the parent. The difference is small, but the arithmetic shows why a recipe given in pounds per gallon and one in percent are not the same. Weigh the salt; do not scoop it.
For reference, the most salt that water holds at room temperature is about 35.9 g per 100 g of water (recalled from standard solubility tables), which is 35.9 ÷ 135.9 = 26.4% by weight. A “saturated” brine is therefore about 26%. The parent’s brine is a bit over a third of that.
Lactic fermentation brines are much weaker, about 2-3% salt (Brine Ratios). Their job is to select for fermenting bacteria, not to cure meat, so do not borrow one ratio for the other.
The Egg Test Is Rough
The parent’s test is to add salt until a raw egg floats (Brine Strength discusses the method). It is a useful check that you have not forgotten the salt, but not a measurement. Eggs vary in density, and an old egg has a larger air cell and floats more readily, so an old egg can float in plain water and in a weak brine. Treat the egg as a rough alarm, and weigh the salt for anything that matters.
The Meat Dilutes The Brine
Meat is mostly water (lean meat is roughly 70% water; recalled). As the cure proceeds, salt moves into the meat and water moves out, and the brine becomes weaker than the one you mixed. A simple mass balance shows the scale. Put 10 lbs of meat in the parent’s brine of 1 gallon (8.34 lbs water, 1 lb salt) and let it come to a uniform salt level through the water in the meat and the brine (an idealised end point):
- water in the meat: about 10 × 0.70 = 7 lbs
- total water: 8.34 + 7 = 15.34 lbs
- salt in that water at equilibrium: 1 ÷ 15.34 = 0.065, about 6.5%
So the brine that began at 10.7% ends, when everything has equalised, near 6.5% in the water phase. This is an idealisation (it ignores the fat, the water drawn out of the meat, and the time to equalise), but it shows the point: a small volume of brine against a lot of meat gives a much weaker cure than the mixed strength suggests. Use enough brine to cover, keep the amount of meat to brine consistent between batches, and top up or renew when the brine is spent. For more, see Equilibrium vs excess salt methods.
What You Need
- Food-fit salt and clean water, weighed and measured
- A non-reactive vessel (crock, glazed pot, food-grade wood or plastic) with a lid
- A clean plate and stone to keep the meat under the surface
- A cold place: the parent says the coolest available location, such as a root cellar or spring house
- A scale
Method: Make And Use A Brine
Step 1: Weigh the water and the salt. For the parent’s mix, 1 lb salt per gallon of water, with optional 1/2 lb sugar per gallon and aromatics.
Step 2: Stir until the salt is dissolved. Chill it before adding meat.
Step 3: Submerge the meat completely and weigh it down.
Step 4: Hold it cold. Brine time in the parent is 3-4 days per pound for large pieces and 1-2 days per pound for cuts under 3 lbs (Curing times by thickness discusses this rule).
Step 5: Rinse thoroughly before smoking.
Common Mistakes
- Reusing brine from raw meat for another batch. It carries juices and bacteria.
- Mixing by volume without weighing. Fine and coarse salt differ.
- Meat sticking out. Any part above the brine is not cured.
- Brining warm. The brine stays in the growth range for bacteria.
Safety
Weak brine, warm brine, and poisons
A brine that is too weak, too warm or too short can let botulism and spoilage grow in the meat. Do not add nitrite or saltpetre by guess (Cold-smoked sausages and bacon). Boiling brine spatters and scalds; if you heat water to dissolve salt, cool it before adding meat. Use salt known to be fit to eat.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Equilibrium vs excess salt methods — controlling how much salt ends up in the meat
- Combine with: Brine Strength — the egg test in more detail