# 12 oz of pickling salt. By weight or volume? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405 "2010-09-11T14:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/1 "2010-09-11T14:47:05Z")
> **[Pulled Pork](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe-1914045)** > > Get Pulled Pork Recipe from Food Network Dumb question but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/2 "2010-09-11T14:50:37Z")
Since it’s a dry ingredient, it should almost certainly be by weight. Seeing that it’s an Alton Brown recipe, I feel even more confident in saying that; many non-professional cooks who write up recipes might go by ounce volume on a dry ingredient, but I don’t think he would. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/3 "2010-09-11T14:53:25Z")
Thanks. Is there a rule of thumb or something that would make that clear to me whenever I see things like this? Is it dry=weight and wet=volume? Is it that simple? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/4 "2010-09-11T14:56:33Z")
That’s my understanding, yes. Dry = weight, wet = volume. Unless specified otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/5 "2010-09-11T15:52:09Z")
By weight that’s a 12% brine, which is pretty standard for pickles and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/6 "2010-09-12T04:59:31Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > That’s my understanding, yes. Dry = weight, wet = volume. Unless specified otherwise. Yes, this is the official “rule” as it is, but so many recipes ignore the convention. Spices are a great example. they are dry ingredients, and should be listed by weight, but more often, they are measured by teaspoons and tablespoons. If the recipe is multiplied, they may be converted into volume-ounces, and now you have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/7 "2010-09-12T06:27:27Z")
Many recipes I’ve seen will say “oz” for weight and “fl oz” for volume. ---
**Author:** ![notsoheavyd3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85e7bf/32.png) [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/8 "2010-09-12T11:37:49Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html) > > Dumb question but I’m not sure. Umm, in the video of him making the receipe he weighs it. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/9 "2010-09-13T00:07:55Z")
One clue is in the specified quantity of molasses: 8 ounces or 3/4 cup. A full cup is 8 fluid ounces, so 3/4 cup is 6 fluid ounces. This means it specifies 8 ounces of weight for molasses. Since it uses “ounces” to mean weight for molasses, I would expect it to do the same for salt. ---
**Author:** ![miatachris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@miatachris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miatachris)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/10 "2010-09-13T05:22:24Z")
I do the Good Eats brined pork thing all the time, and the salt doesn’t have to be exact. I’ve even gotten so lazy that I don’t even measure it out anymore, I just dump some in and stir it up. The difference that even any brining makes is very large. Relax, share, and enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-oz-of-pickling-salt-by-weight-or-volume/553405/11 "2010-09-15T01:27:33Z")
> [@notsoheavyd3](#): > > > [@Cubsfan](#): > > > > [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pulled-pork-recipe/index.html) > > > > Dumb question but I’m not sure. > > Umm, in the video of him making the receipe he weighs it. Not only does he show, but also says, “Be sure to weigh it, because it does not take up the same volume as kosher salt.” I can testify that it doesn’t. As can a batch of pickles I made years ago.