Pickle Recipe?

I'm sure a handful of users on here make their own pickles, so i figured I'd try my luck with a recipe recommendation...

I tried making deli style half sour pickles recently from a recipe I found googling. They were OK, but tasted like christmas. I'm assuming that's because the store-bought pickling spice has too much clove and cinnamon?

Anyways - I'm looking for a recipe for half sour or sour pickles.

Thanks!
Bryan

I am interested in the responses you get. I just started pickling, myself, but I haven't yet tried sours. They are fermented and pickled, right? Or just pickled?

are you talking vinegar pickles or lacto-ferment pickles? i haven't made lactic acid pickles since i used to help my mother when i was a kid, i loved them, am going to make them in a couple weeks. for vinegar pickles i use (homemade) cider vinegar, boiled briefly with sugar, salt, water, throw in garlic cloves, chilis and black peppercorns when it's still hot, pour over the cukes and add lots of dill, lots of onion slices, stick in in the fridge and wait a few weeks... i never add clove or cinnamon. sometimes mustard seed, would consider caraway or fennel seed.... i don't really measure anything, i think of it as a you can't go wrong sort of project, as long as it's highly acidic. i love em.

I think sour pickles are lacto-fermented... the ones we get locally at the kosher places (Picklelicious is right down the street: www.picklelicious.com) seem to be that way. I've done a lot of pickles similar to your process, just with the exception that I end up canning them for non-fridge storage. And I generally throw in fennel seed. But a lacto-fermented pickle is quite a different animal, right?

I might have to look into the lacto-fermemted pickles.. I absolutely love drinking pickle juice.. I make sure everyone in the house uses utensils when getting them so I can save the juice when I'm doing a hard job outside.. I like the harsh sour and that's kinda why I started making kombutcha a while back

I've been doing lacto fermented pickled cukes. It's super easy! Just put pickling cukes in a bucket or crock, add a whole lot of peeled garlic cloves (say, 3 heads of garlic per 5 lbs of cukes). I add a few tsp of dill seed (not weed), some whole peppercorns, coriander, and mustard seeds. Cover with brine (3 tbsp salt per quart of water). Put a plate on top to push the cukes below the water, and loosely cover the whole deal to keep flies out. Don't refrigerate! After a few days, start tasting regularly until they are sour enough.

You'll get all kinds of terrifying scum on the surface of the brine. Skim off if you want -- just make sure the vegetables stay covered!

Best damn dill pickles ever

Brine: 1 Quart apple cider vinegar (not apple cider flavored)
3 Quarts water
1 Cup pickling salt
Boil 5 minutes - Keep hot

Wash and cut off both ends of pickles.
Cut large ones in half lengthwise.

Drop 1 clove garlic
1 piece dill
1 little red pepper
Into bottom of sterilized jar and pack pickles into jar upright. Place in hot water to heat jars (very hot!) Fill with hot brine. Heat lids and seal. Turn the jars upside down for a little while so that the lids stay hot. Turn right side up and make sure they seal.

Wait 3 weeks

I've been making a lot of vinegar pickles lately since my garden is overflowing with cucumbers, but I am going to try my hand at lacto crock pickles here in the next week or so as I just scored a 3 gallon ceramic crock. I have fond memories of being a kid and making pickles with my dad using a huge ceramic crock with the cucumbers weighted down in the brine with an overturned plate and a rock on top. I had mentioned my interest in making these traditional style pickles to my parents a few months back and was picking my Dad's brain for some of the details. To my great surprise this morning I got a phone call from my parents who are on vacation visiting family in NE PA. Lo and behold my parents happened to mention to my uncle yesterday that I was looking into making lacto pickles and he told them about a local ceramic crock factory that had reasonably priced crocks since here in the Midwest is pretty hard to find traditional ceramic crocks that don't cost an arm and a leg. The place where they went had discounted seconds that were miscolored so they scored me a 3 gallon crock for $20. It is supposed to arrive next Tuesday, so after that I will be a lacto pickle fool

After picking up the crock this morning my mom talked to my aunt who is the lacto pickle making fanatic of the family and she had some pointers that my mom relayed over the phone. I didn't have a pen at the time to write anything down, but I am supposed to call my aunt here for details this weekend. I will post up if I learn anything insightful. The one thing I did take away from the conversation was that my aunt puts grape leaves in the bottom of the crock to facilitate firmness. Nonetheless I will be on the hunt for some grape leaves over the next couple of days.

I have been making hot, spicy, garlic pickles for years with a friend-combined 2 old family recipes and came up with this:

1 tsp mixed pickling spice
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Fresh dill, or if unavailable, dried dill
Soak pickles in ice and water, pack pickles in jars
Mix 1 cup un-iodized salt (kosher, or canning salt) with 6 ½ quarts water, cold
In large pot until dissolved.
Use pitcher to pour water into jars, to top
Seal with lids and rings which you have boiled.
Lids should be tight.
Store in basement for 10 days and then refrigerate for 10 days before opening.
They will cure slowly.

These are awesome pickles! we make around 150 jars total and believe it or not they go pretty quickly. We only make them once per year and very rarely do we have any left as we get around to making them again!

CHefJohnboyardee said:

Best damn dill pickles ever

Brine: 1 Quart apple cider vinegar (not apple cider flavored)
3 Quarts water
1 Cup pickling salt
Boil 5 minutes - Keep hot

Wash and cut off both ends of pickles.
Cut large ones in half lengthwise.

Drop 1 clove garlic
1 piece dill
1 little red pepper
Into bottom of sterilized jar and pack pickles into jar upright. Place in hot water to heat jars (very hot!) Fill with hot brine. Heat lids and seal. Turn the jars upside down for a little while so that the lids stay hot. Turn right side up and make sure they seal.

Wait 3 weeks

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These are AR15 Pickles. But I agree these are the best pickles ever. Only thing I add to this recipe is a grape leaf in each jar to keep them crisp.

simmons said:

These are AR15 Pickles. But I agree these are the best pickles ever. Only thing I add to this recipe is a grape leaf in each jar to keep them crisp.

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If it ain't broke don't fix it. I've passed this recipe on to so many people... But yes it did get it off of arfcom. :rockin:

i got my lacto pickles going! the cukes were on the downhill side of mt. old so i skimmed a little bit of pellicle from some saurkraut to help it on its way as quickly as possibly. after 3 days they are starting to honk a bit but not as bed as cabbage so far!

these are really good. 1 week in and they are prefect, sour and garlicky throughout. moved them to the fridge as i did 2 kg of pickles (proper gherkin pickling cukes!). salt, water, black peppercorns, yellow mustard seed, garlic cloves, lots of fresh dill. inoculated with a bit of sauerkraut lacto as i said above, just in case. the cukes were a bit old and they sort of hollowed out in the middle a bit and got a little bit mushy at the center, but not too bad, the outer flesh is still crunchy. measured the the liquid on a pH meter out of curiosity, it's 3.7

Originally Posted by simmons
These are AR15 Pickles. But I agree these are the best pickles ever. Only thing I add to this recipe is a grape leaf in each jar to keep them crisp.

These grape leaves, are they fresh or canned? Like the kind used to make dolmas, beef&rice stuffed grape leaves?

i stuck in a fresh one off a neighbor's vine.... no harm done, but is there any evidence that it actually does anything or is it an old wives tale?

dinnerstick said:

i stuck in a fresh one off a neighbor's vine.... no harm done, but is there any evidence that it actually does anything or is it an old wives tale?

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I use oak leaves for the same reason and I don't know whether I can tell the difference but meh it doesn't hurt any

I have tried making sour pickles with mixed results, my favorite batch consisted of about 2.5 lbs cukes, a head of garlic, black pepper, coriander, dill weed and about 15 habaneros.

As far as vinegar pickles, my latest batch was my favorite so far:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup water
Approx:
2 tbsp salt
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup+ chipotle powder
1/4 cup cow horn flakes
1-2 tbsp cayenne powder
1 scotch bonnet powder

add all ingredients to a jar stuffed with quartered cukes, shake to mix, refrigerate to desired heat and smokiness (both increase with age), at least 5 days

I use the canned grape leaves and I found that they were crunchier. I dont think its a wives tale and it seems to work so I'm sticking with it.

The grape leaves and oak leaves supply tannin (same tannin as in red wine) which inhibit the enzymes which break down the cucumbers' structure. I'm curious whether a pinch of purified tannin from the homebrew store would do the same... I think I will try it soon.

I just need to find a good container.

Old thread but....We can't find spicy pickles anywhere anymore so I looked here for recipes..... thanks gang! This our first go at it.

I've got 4 jars going. 2x the AR recipe, and a couple with that same vinegar:waterickling salt base but with garlic and a jalapeno, one with pepper flakes, picking season mix and garlic. We'll see how they turn out in a few weeks.

NYC restaurant recipe for homemade pickles:

35 lbs. Kirby pickles, excellent quality only
2 gallons white distilled vinegar
3 gallons H20
1 cup Maldon salt
1 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup dill seeds
2 bunches fresh dill
3 heads garlic, peeled & smashed
1/2 cup pickling spice

Examine cucumbers for quality. Toss any bruised or softened cucumbers. Combine all ingredients except water and cucumbers in a large stockpot. Bring to boil, add cold water, and fully cool. Pour brine over cucumbers, weighing down until fully submerged. Cover, refrigerate, and wait 2 weeks before consuming.

I love my lacto pickles. Salt, water, cucumbers. Basta.

Should I refrigerate or is the cupboard ok during pickling?

I leave em out. Refrigeration slows the lacto process.

Subbed!

I leave them out to ferment, then put in the fridge when they're done or close.

You can't get sour or half-sour pickles from a jar in the grocery store. The closest thing would be Hermann's or Nathan's, which are really good, but not the same as fresh. You have to make them yourself unless you're near someone that makes them.

bobbrews said:

Bring to boil, add cold water, and fully cool. Pour brine over cucumbers, weighing down until fully submerged. Cover, refrigerate, and wait 2 weeks before consuming.

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The key is to let it fully cool too. I've made the mistake of pouring still warm brine on my only to have soft pickles.

theck said:

The key is to let it fully cool too. I've made the mistake of pouring still warm brine on my only to have soft pickles.

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Theck, I'm not sure if you'll see this or not since I'm responding to a post that is over a year old, but when you add the cooled liquid to the jars with pickles, do you then put them into a boiling/simmering water bath to seal the lids?

imp81318 said:

Theck, I'm not sure if you'll see this or not since I'm responding to a post that is over a year old, but when you add the cooled liquid to the jars with pickles, do you then put them into a boiling/simmering water bath to seal the lids?

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You can do that. Can them for 10 minutes (more depending on elevation) in a boiling water bath. They'll keep even without canning them, but better not to risk it.

ericbw said:

You can do that. Can them for 10 minutes (more depending on elevation) in a boiling water bath. They'll keep even without canning them, but better not to risk it.

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Thanks. I wasn't sure if heating them in a water bath would cause them to lose crunch the same as pouring the hot liquid over them.

imp81318 said:

Thanks. I wasn't sure if heating them in a water bath would cause them to lose crunch the same as pouring the hot liquid over them.

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They probably won't be AS crunchy, but people do can them. But I THINK that if you let them pickle before you can them, it might help.