The idea behind dry brining, which simply means sprinkling salt on the meat in advance, is to enhance the water-holding power of the proteins and amp up flavor by driving salt deep into the meat. In most cases I prefer dry brining to wet brining. You’ll need ½ teaspoon kosher salt for 1 pound of trimmed food.
Pinch the salt between your thumb and forefinger and hold it about 8 inches above the meat, as shown below, right (sprinkling the salt from 8 inches allows it to cover a wider swath than if you held it closer). Apply the salt lightly on the thin parts of the meat and lower your hand to sprinkle more on the thick parts. After salting, put the meat on a wire rack in a pan. You do not need to wrap it in plastic. If you are dry brining poultry, you actually want airflow around the meat to help dry the skin.