Widely practiced across Korea; particularly common for large kimjang batches in autumn
The secondary method — soaking in brine rather than dry-salting — is used when time, uniformity, or volume demands it. A 10-15% salt brine (by weight) submerges the quartered cabbage for 8-12 hours at room temperature, or up to 16 hours in cooler conditions. This method produces more even salting throughout the leaf because the brine penetrates at a controlled rate. Commercial kimchi operations and many home kitchens making large autumn batches (kimjang) prefer brine soaking. The trade-off is that brine-soaked cabbage retains slightly more water, which can dilute the yangnyeom paste on application.
Even brine penetration is the difference between kimchi that ages gracefully for months and kimchi that becomes unevenly sour and texturally inconsistent within weeks
{"Brine concentration must be 10-15% by weight — too weak and bacteria proliferate before fermentation begins properly","Submerge fully using a weight plate — floating cabbage salts unevenly","Total immersion time is 8-16 hours depending on ambient temperature","Drain and press firmly after soaking — excess water dilutes paste adhesion","The soaking water can be reserved and added to dongchimi (water kimchi)"}
After draining, stack the quarters cut-side down for 15-20 minutes to let gravity remove remaining water before rinsing. Then rinse 3 times in cold fresh water. After the final rinse, taste a leaf from the base rib — it should be pleasantly salty but not overwhelming, roughly the saltiness of well-seasoned pasta water.
{"Under-strength brine below 10% — cabbage starts softening from bacterial activity before it's even seasoned","Not weighing down the cabbage — floaters stay under-salted","Pouring out all the brine — the mineral-rich salt water is excellent for starting water kimchi"}