Brine at its most basic is just salt and water, so let’s start there. You will often see brines described as a percentage (e.g. ‘make a seven percent brine’), which refers to the ratio of salt to water. To determine how much brine you need, place the meat or fish in the container it will be brined in and cover it with water – it must be fully submerged. Weigh the amount of water then work out the percentage from there. For example, if you’re using 1 litre of water, a seven percent brine would mean adding 70g of salt.

Most brines range from five to ten percent. A lower concentrate brine might be used for larger cuts such as a whole turkey, as this could take a couple of days to brine. If you are brining to firm up fish, a higher ten percent (or even fifteen percent) brine can be used – just don’t brine for longer than twenty minutes or it will taste too salty.

When it comes to choosing what sort of salt to use, it doesn’t matter what shape or size the grains are as they’re going to be dissolved anyway. It doesn’t make sense to be using an expensive finishing salt such as fleur de sel, as the delicate flavour wouldn’t come through in the final flavour. The only thing to note is that a tablespoon of coarse salt will probably weigh half the amount of a tablespoon of table salt, so if you’re following a recipe which provides the measurement of salt by volume (e.g. spoons or cups), make sure it does indicate the type of salt to use. You can use table salt if you can find a brand that doesn’t have added iodine or anti-caking agents (which is pretty tricky), so we recommend using sea salt. As a rule, it’s always safer to simply weigh the salt you’re using and make sure it’s exactly right.

As the meat will be retaining the brining liquid, it’s a good idea to make that liquid as flavourful as possible. Water with some other flavourings added (such as spices and woody herbs) is perfectly fine, but some like to switch out some of the water for things like stock, apple juice or beer. If using a stock which already contains salt, you might want to reduce the amount of salt added. Be careful with acidic liquids such as orange juice, vinegar or wine, as this will effectively start ‘cooking’ the meat. Whilst good for tenderizing meat, you would need to reduce brining time or mix with water to prevent a mushy finish.

Many brines also contain sugar. This is mostly just for flavour, but also helps with getting a nice caramelisation on the meat when it comes to cooking. Try experimenting here; a brown sugar will give a nice rich caramelised flavour, but you could also use honey, treacle or maple syrup. Making a brine gives you ample opportunity to get creative – all sorts of herbs and spices, fruit zests, vegetables such as onion, garlic and chilli or even seaweed and tea leaves can flavour brines in incredible ways.

The brine recipe below will create a brine suitable for all cuts of meat (you could use it for fish too but remember to only submerge it for twenty minutes), but it’s when you start tailoring the brine to a specific recipe that things get really interesting. Take a look at our brine recipe collection for some of our favourite standalone brine recipes, as well as dishes which include brining in the method.

If you are in a hurry (and have a chamber sealer to hand) you can vacuum-pack the meat in a brine. This reduces the amount of brine you need (weigh the meat, divide the number by half and use this much brine), saves on fridge space and reduces the brining time. Use a five or six percent brine to prevent over-salting when vacuum-packing.

The size of the meat or fish depends on how long you need to brine it for. Single portions such as chicken breasts or pork chops only need a couple of hours. A whole chicken will usually take around twelve to twenty-four hours, a turkey up to forty-eight hours and a whole brisket for pastrami can take up to five days! When it comes to fish, fillets only need around twenty minutes, whereas whole sides don't really need longer than half an hour.

Using a syringe to directly inject the brine into meat will also speed up the process and is effective if distributed evenly enough. This is particularly useful when brining poultry as it means the skin remains dry, making it easier to achieve perfectly crisp skin.

Temperature has an impact on the speed of the brining process, too. Obviously raw meat and fish must be kept in the fridge, however if you are in a rush, brining at room temperature for a couple of hours before cooking will speed the process up a little. If you don’t have room in your fridge overnight for something large like a turkey, a cool box with ice packs can be used. Alternatively, if it is below 5°C outside, you can leave large pieces of meat in the garden – just make sure it is in an animal-proof container.

For more ideas on how to use brines in your cooking, be sure to check out our collection of brining recipes.