To comply with Jewish dietary requirements, meat and fowl must be prepared in a special way to make the flesh kosher and acceptable for cooking and eating. Blood must be drawn out with water and salt or broiled out. Though the process of koshering (or kashering) meat and fowl is fairly simple, it requires time, and the protocol must be followed exactly to make the meat fit for Jewish kitchens.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Washing and Soaking

  1. 1
    Wash the meat or fowl thoroughly to remove any visible blood. Blood will be drained from meat in the salting process to make it kosher. Before washing the meat, cut out any clots.
  2. 2
    Soak the meat in water at room temperature for at least a half hour. Meat left to soak for 24 hours or more becomes non-kosher.[1]
    • If you like, cut the meat into smaller pieces after soaking.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Salting

  1. 1
    Wash the meat with water again before salting. It is okay to use the water in which you soaked the meat. Inspect the meat to make certain there is no visible blood.[2]
  2. 2
    Shake off the water and allow the meat to sit on the salting board to allow excess water to dry. Keep the meat damp enough so salt sticks to it but not so wet the salt dissolves easily.[3]
  3. 3
    Salt the meat thoroughly -- top, bottom and sides -- with coarse salt. Do not put so much salt on the meat that blood cannot drain out.
  4. 4
    Allow the meat or fowl to sit on the salting board for at least an hour. Allow the blood to drain into a tub or basin. Do not allow the meat to be salted for more than 12 hours as this may make the meat unkosher.[4]
    • If you leave salt on the meat for more than 12 hours, consult a rabbi as to whether the meat is still kosher.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Triple Rinsing

  1. 1
    Rinse and rub the meat well three times after salting.[5]
    • The first time you rinse, place the meat under running water and rub off salt. Keep turning the meat so all sides are exposed to the running water.
    • The second and third times you can rinse meat in a basin of clean water, using new water both times. Put water in the basin before putting the meat in. You may also rub the meat under running water the second and third times.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    When kashering meat with salt, is 100% of the blood removed from chicken meat?
    Biplob28
    Biplob28
    Community Answer
    Yes. Meat and fowl must be prepared in a special way to make the flesh kosher and acceptable for cooking and eating. Blood must be drawn out with water and salt, or broiled out. Though the process of koshering (or kashering) meat and fowl is fairly simple, it requires time, and the protocol must be followed exactly to make the meat fit for Jewish kitchens.
  • Question
    Is all kosher salt used for koshering meat non-iodized?
    Biplob28
    Biplob28
    Community Answer
    Yes! Salt is a mineral, and as such, pure salt is always kosher. Some brands of salt have a kosher symbol on the package, and that way you know that a reliable kosher certification agency is checking to make sure that nothing else gets mixed in to the salt.
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Warnings

  • When the meat is on the salting board, make sure nothing impedes the flow of blood off the board and away from the meat. If necessary to make room, you may place cuts of meat on top of each other as long as blood does not collect.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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Things You'll Need

  • Knife
  • Water
  • Soaking basin
  • Coarse salt
  • Salting board
  • Tub or basin to catch blood
  • Grill
  • Pan to catch blood


About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 11 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 135,901 times.
67 votes - 93%
Co-authors: 11
Updated: January 31, 2023
Views: 135,901
Categories: Meat

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

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