Let's talk pickles...(and Canning)

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Yuri_Rage

Yuri_Rage

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I'm a big Alton Brown fan despite his homebrew episode faux pas. I've now tried three of his pickle recipes, and I think they're fantastic! We keep at least one variety of homemade pickles on hand almost all the time. Who else pickles at home? What do you pickle? What are your recipes?

Here are links to the recipes I've tried:
Bread & Butter Pickles
Kinda Sorta Sours
Firecrackers (spicy pickled carrots)
 
the_bird said:
Dude's in with his pickled eggs in three... two... one...
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That thread is what inspired this one. I hate pickled eggs but generally love pickled vegetables...figured I'd start a conversation about them.
 
I've never pickled anything but the eggs. I'm not a huge fan of pickles--I pick them off my burgers even.

I'd love to experiment and pickle some odd stuff though.

I didn't realize that pickling was so easy though...I had memories of my dad canning vegetables and it seemed like an involved affair.
 
Dude said:
I didn't realize that pickling was so easy though...I had memories of my dad canning vegetables and it seemed like an involved affair.
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Canning veggies is involved because you're not adding preservatives, so you need a sterile environment (usually gained by "processing," or boiling, the jars).

Pickling (at least with the recipes I've used so far) is easy because there isn't much that will live in a salty, acidic environment. Plus, you're adding boiling brine to the jars, so the heat should take care of any nasties that are there to begin with.
 
I want to try and make "mixed pickle". I have the mason jars, just haven't tried yet.
 
It seems like where we live, everybody pickles everything. I love pickled northern pike (one 24 inch pike is enough for one quart), and pickled beets. My friend pickles zucchini and makes bread and butter pickles out of them. She also pickles just about everything else in her garden- yellow squash slices, onion, green peppers, etc. She makes something called "piccadilly" which seems to be every thing that was left in her garden in the fall.

If anyone is dying to have a good pickled fish recipe, I can dig it up.
 
Clausen Kosher Dills. No need to go any further, they're the perfect pickle.

And the pickles on White Castle sliders.
 
Yooper Chick said:
It seems like where we live, everybody pickles everything. I love pickled northern pike (one 24 inch pike is enough for one quart), and pickled beets. My friend pickles zucchini and makes bread and butter pickles out of them. She also pickles just about everything else in her garden- yellow squash slices, onion, green peppers, etc. She makes something called "piccadilly" which seems to be every thing that was left in her garden in the fall.

If anyone is dying to have a good pickled fish recipe, I can dig it up.
Click to expand...

OH HELL YEAH!!

Please, dig it up. That sounds amazing.

I assume it isn't cooked at all beforehand...the acids do that, right?
 
Dude said:
I assume it isn't cooked at all beforehand...the acids do that, right?
Click to expand...


No it's not cooked. The acids do that. If it were cooked it would lose it's consistancy and chewyness.

Here in the barrio, I recommend highly, the ceviche. Seafood "cooked" in lemon juice.
 
Dude said:
OH HELL YEAH!!

Please, dig it up. That sounds amazing.

I assume it isn't cooked at all beforehand...the acids do that, right?
Click to expand...



**Raises Hand**

Me too, please! I'm leaving on our annual treck to the sandhills of Nebraska for some pike fishing in a few weeks. Would love to try it out.

loop
 
So, I get all excited about pickling recipes, and the first thing that comes up is fish?!?! Sorry...I'm not big on seafood, and pickled seafood just doesn't interest me. Certainly post the recipe since it's in high demand, though.

How about homemade pepperoncini? Anybody have a recipe?
 
Sorry, Yuri, but you asked what we pickle. I'll post the recipe in the morning for the pike- as I'm making brownies for 60 people right now and can't find the recipe at the moment. But I have it here somewhere........

No pepperocini, sorry- they only cost a dollar at the dollar store, so I've never even thought about pickling my own. Zucchini? Cucumbers? Okra?
 
Pickled onions are delicious. But after eating you need like a week before you can talk to people without being offensive.
 
Ok,

Pickled Northern
(other fish may be substituted)

Recipe for 1 quart:
Fillets should be clean with skin and rib bones removed. Cut fillets cross grain into one inch strips. Loosely pack fish in quart jar, pour in 1/4 cups salt and pour in enough vinegar to cover fish. Close jar and refrigeratre 5-6 days. Remove fish from refrigerator, drain and rinse with clean water.

Make brine of:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tablespoon pickling spice
1 1/4 cup vinegar.
Heast slowly until sugar is dissolved. Cool, pack fish in clean jars alternating levels with large sliced onion. Pour in cooled brine to cover. Close jar and refrigerate. Fish can be eaten the next day.

This recipe is good for pike- pike is such a bony fish that I hate to cook it. In this, the bones just disappear and it's really good. It comes out firm, not squishy.
 
I'll have to dig up a pickle recipe I got from someone. I really liked them, I gotta grow more Cuke's this year.

Here's an interesting one. Take Lemons, halve them (crossways) and then quarter the halves. Pack them in Sea Salt. Let them sit in the fridge for like 6 months. Good with Gin, Ice and Tonic.
 
The wife and I have gotten into pickling a lot here over the past few years. We have a small garden and we have been gearing it toward pickling and canning for the last two summers.

We have made sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, dilly beans, crock dills, pickled garlic, pickled eggs, dilled green tomatoes and sour pickles. I also have a half gallon jar of pickled sausage in the fridge. This summer I'm going to pickle all the extra jalapeno peppers from the salsa we make.

After brewing, this is one of my favorite hobbies.
 
Dude said:
I saw that one of the hop farms sells pickled hop shoots. I think I'm going to cut some sprouts and try that!!!!!!
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That sounds pretty interesting! You could probably cut them back a few times before letting them grow out. It may even encourage root development.
 
Here is a link to a Garlic Dill recipe I tried this past year with my Mid-East Prolific cukes I grew:

Pickles

It is a good balanced recipe, imo. I did use the Alum (I normally avoid stuff like that but I couldn't seem to find Pickling Lime anywhere) and I must say, it makes for a very crisp pickle even after months in the jar.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
Recipes, man...post the recipes! Sounds like we could use your expertise here!
Click to expand...
PICKLED GARLIC:
1 3/4# garlic,peeled and separated
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
5 or 6 whole small chilies
1 tbsp pickling salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oregano
Combine vinegar, wine, salt, sugar and oregano in sauce pan. Bring to boil for 1 min. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic for 1 min. Put one slit pepper in each half pint jar. Fill to 3/4" from top with garlic. Fill to 1/2" from top with liquid. Process 10 min in boiling water bath.

PICKLED EGGS:
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pickling spice
1/2 onion,sliced
6-10 cloves peeled galic
1 bay leaf
2+ dashes hot sauce
pepper corns to taste
Boil all (exept eggs). Cool. Pour over 1 dozen peeled hard boiled eggs. Put in fridge for 2-4 weeks. I like these covered in hot sauce.

SOUR PICKLES:
1 gallon pickling cukes
1 cup pickling salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup dry mustard
1 gallon white vinegar
3-4 grape leaves
Mix salt, sugar, mustard and vinegar in large crock. Add grape leaves. Add cuckes as they are ready from the garden. Cover with a plate and add weight to keep the cukes submerged in the brine. Ready in 6 weeks. These will keep for many months in a cool cellar or can be stored in the fridge. Warning: these are very sour.

SWEET PICKLES:
http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/pickles/02/rec0210.html

DILL PICKLES:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5342.html
 
Pickled Shrimp!

636-pickledshrimp.jpg


Just a little experiment I decided to do after I saw a Paula Dean episode. I used her recipe exactly. After 24 hours in the brine, they rock!!
 
Here are two somewhat original recipes of mine:

Crunchy Dills
2 medium cucumbers
2 cloves garlic
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 Tbsp dill weed (fresh preferred)
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 12-16 oz canning jars

Combine water, vinegar, salt, and spices in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. While the brine is heating, peel and slice garlic. Wash and cut cucumbers into desired slices/spears. Evenly divide garlic and cucumbers between the two jars. As soon as brine boils, remove it from the heat, and carefully pour it into the jars, filling them completely. Immediately place lids on the jars, and allow them to cool. Refrigerate. Pickles can be eaten in 24-48 hours. Best after one week.

Yuri's F'ing Hot Pickle Mix
Like Alton Brown's Firecrackers...but better...
1 cup carrot sticks
4 radishes, sliced
6 habañero chiles, sliced
4 jalepeño peppers, sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 12-16 oz canning jars

Follow the same basic process as above.

4688-hotpickles.JPG
 
My grandma used to make pickled cucumbers with lime (the mineral) or alum. I always liked the alum ones better, but man it stunk up the house for a couple weeks during the making-of. I don't have a recipe though, considering that she's no longer around and I never bothered to ask.
 
This is hilarious, I just pickled today and was going to start a thread to see if anyone else did! We pickled a peck of peppers litterally. They're dills, similar recipe to Yuri's, except white vinegar and a couple other things. I like to add Thai chili's, habeneros, arbol, and the red round ones(fresno?) to a couple jars - who says real men don't cry! Its so easy; mix up the brine, stick pickles/spices/herbs/etc. in the jar, and pour the brine in and refrigerate. I ate our last pickle from last year in the back of the fridge - still real tasty. Not really a substitute for homebrewing though.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
Here are two somewhat original recipes of mine:

Crunchy Dills
2 medium cucumbers
2 cloves garlic
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 Tbsp dill weed (fresh preferred)
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 12-16 oz canning jars

Combine water, vinegar, salt, and spices in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. While the brine is heating, peel and slice garlic. Wash and cut cucumbers into desired slices/spears. Evenly divide garlic and cucumbers between the two jars. As soon as brine boils, remove it from the heat, and carefully pour it into the jars, filling them completely. Immediately place lids on the jars, and allow them to cool. Refrigerate. Pickles can be eaten in 24-48 hours. Best after one week.

Yuri's F'ing Hot Pickle Mix
Like Alton Brown's Firecrackers...but better...
1 cup carrot sticks
4 radishes, sliced
6 habañero chiles, sliced
4 jalepeño peppers, sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 12-16 oz canning jars

Follow the same basic process as above.

4688-hotpickles.JPG
Click to expand...
Holy Crap! Are you trying to kill us man!?! Seriously though, dang. I made a batch of chili with ~2 habanero peppers per gallon and it turned out more firey than most of my family/friends could handle.
 
thebikingengineer said:
Holy Crap! Are you trying to kill us man!?! Seriously though, dang. I made a batch of chili with ~2 habanero peppers per gallon and it turned out more firey than most of my family/friends could handle.
Click to expand...
They're really tasty, but the heat is pretty intense...that's sorta the point. I have a few friends who really enjoy that mix.

...and they go really well with a good Bloody Mary.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
Yuri's F'ing Hot Pickle Mix
Like Alton Brown's Firecrackers...but better...
1 cup carrot sticks
4 radishes, sliced
6 habañero chiles, sliced
4 jalepeño peppers, sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 12-16 oz canning jars

Follow the same basic process as above.

4688-hotpickles.JPG
Click to expand...

I make something similar that I eat with dinner when I need a kick. I get a jar of sliced jalapeno's, an old mayonnaise jar, onions, olives, and baby carrots. Pour half of the japs(The peppers...not the little slanty eyed ones) into the mayonnaise jar along with the juice from the jar. Microwave the baby carrots for ~20 seconds, turning every 5 seconds. This softens up the carrots and they'll absorb the juice better. Then slice up the onion and throw it into the jar with the carrots and olives.

Dump in the rest of the japs, and dump in some white vinegar. Leave some head space so it can be shaken and stirred. Shake the jar to mix the liquid and set it in the fridge. After a week it's great. The heat from the peppers is absorbed into the carrots and the onions. That recipe of yours looks interesting Yuri...think I'll try it next time I make another batch.

On another note...someone mentioned pickled okra. We have a brand in the stores down here called 'Talk 'o Texas'. There's 2 different kinds..mild and hot. They're still crisp and the hot ones ROCK!! Only drawback is that pickled okra gives me gas that smells worse than you can possibly imagine. Whenever I eat them, I end up sleeping on the couch cause SWMBO kicks me outta bed. I usually have to bury my head in the cushions to save myself from the smell as well.
 
So over the last few weeks I have been researching, reading up and considering trying my hand at pickling some things.

I really enjoy pickled peppers and mushrooms so I think thats what Im going to try out first. Im going to be picking up some mason jars and other stuff tonight and hopefully start this up tomorrow morning.

Any other of you brewers out there dabble in this hobby? Any tips or hints that I may not have read up on with the "how-to" articles and recipes Ive been looking at? Must do Recipes? Etc?

Cheers. :mug:
 
Yuri_Rage said:
I'm a big Alton Brown fan despite his homebrew episode faux pas. I've now tried three of his pickle recipes, and I think they're fantastic! We keep at least one variety of homemade pickles on hand almost all the time. Who else pickles at home? What do you pickle? What are your recipes?

Here are links to the recipes I've tried:
Bread & Butter Pickles
Kinda Sorta Sours
Firecrackers (spicy pickled carrots)
Click to expand...


I am not a huge pickle fan, but I LOVE firecrackers, and pretty much always have a jar of them in the fridge. Those things rock.
 

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