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MO, USA
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Posted: 3/8/2009 9:54:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Giltweasel]
The wife and I are a bit burned out on the Ball Dill Pickling mix. We've looked around in a few books but haven't found one we really like.
What we're looking for is a good salty, sour pickle spice recipe. If we could duplicate a cold pack flavor like Claussen's that would be great. We do like the Ball mix, but it comes out a little too sweet, and not quite sour enough for our tastes. So the request is: Post your best dill pickle spear or whole recipe that pushes the envelope on what you get from the store-bought mixes. We're willing to try fermenting in a jug for a while before waterbath canning/preserving, but ultimately we want a durable, tasty, pickle that we can pull out of the pantry in the middle of freezing January and invoke Summertime and summon the burger gods and the goddes of the grill.. It can't be too hard, right? Hive mind, you have been challenged! vivere paratus |
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KY, USA
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Posted: 3/8/2009 9:59:56 PM EDT
[#1]
grow your own dill ,cloves and sage m mix that with vinegar salt and water. very tasty
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MN, USA
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Posted: 3/8/2009 10:52:00 PM EDT
[#2]
hopefully BozemanMT chimes in here. He gave me his recipe a couple years back and its GREAT!!!!!
2 years ago I made 14 quarts by myself. last year my brother helped me make 24 quarts and we split them this coming year my brother AND one of his friends wants to help so he gets pickles as well. it's a really good recipe. i also add a bit of pickle crisp (calcium chloride) to help keep the pickles extra crispy. MMMMMMMM. down to my last couple quarts. |
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Posted: 3/9/2009 10:20:18 AM EDT
[#3]
Originally Posted By mr_mojo_risin:
hopefully BozemanMT chimes in here. He gave me his recipe a couple years back and its GREAT!!!!! +1 I can vouch for that recipe. 
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Posted: 3/10/2009 10:47:42 PM EDT
[#4]
Hoping to do some pickles this year as well...
C'mon Boze. A good recipe would be GREAT!!! |
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:59:16 AM EDT
[#5]
Y'all owe me
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 Eat. KILLER |
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USA
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Posted: 3/11/2009 2:20:33 PM EDT
[#6]
i just wish i could get them to taste like Best Made
There's ya some sour salty pickles....YUM! The recipies here look good too...have to try em out. |
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Posted: 3/11/2009 4:50:42 PM EDT
[#7]
How long will these keep? Do they need to be kept refrigerated? -Slice |
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:09:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Setting this thread to not go to the archive.
No, these pickles don't need refrigeration. I won't comment on how long they'll keep except to say that they won't go bad.....that's the nice thing about pickling––food doesn't spoil, it just gets stale. |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:17:59 PM EDT
[#9]
I can't believe the Boze let the secret out! I'm hurt.........I thought I was one of the select few
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:34:13 PM EDT
[#10]
Originally Posted By HomeSlice:
How long will these keep? Do they need to be kept refrigerated? -Slice years for sure. They get pretty darn hot after a few years. (esp if you are experimenting and add extra garlic and peppers DAMHIK) As long as they seal (the lids go POP), no refrigeration necessary. |
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MN, USA
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Posted: 3/11/2009 11:44:32 PM EDT
[#11]
i add some calcium chloride for added crunch, i also put just a bit of dill in. last year my brother sliced the thai chili peppers down the middle (we used fresh ones) and i thought it would be a waste and not do anything. boy was i wrong, i think it dispersed the heat a lot better instead of localized heat (ie, the pickles touching the pepper would be tangy, but the ones further away would not be tangy). slicing the pepper this way took that away, every pickle tasted great!
it's a really good recipe. everyone that tries these pickles loves them!! |
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Posted: 3/12/2009 12:37:41 AM EDT
[#12]
Bozeman. How many quarts of pickles does this make or do you use pints? About how many pounds of cukes do you use? Sliced length wise or whole? Small cayanne pepper?
Sorry for so many questions just want to get it right. |
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Posted: 3/12/2009 4:21:27 PM EDT
[#13]
So are you water bath canning them? Or are you just heating all the "ingredients" to make sure they are sterile?
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Posted: 3/12/2009 8:03:24 PM EDT
[#14]
I think (you should ask me this in July)
we get about 20lbs of cukes and double the batch does it. I think leave them whole if you can, if they are too big, you cut them lengthwise. We've done some as chips and then as 1/4 spears but honestly they are best as wholes. the small red peppers that you find in Kung Pao Chicken. |
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Posted: 3/12/2009 8:04:14 PM EDT
[#15]
Originally Posted By jsteih:
So are you water bath canning them? Or are you just heating all the "ingredients" to make sure they are sterile? Just heating them for sterile if you process them (water bath can them like all the books say) they turn into mush. the acidity of the brine does it. I'm still standing. 
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Posted: 3/12/2009 8:48:29 PM EDT
[#16]
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
Originally Posted By jsteih:
So are you water bath canning them? Or are you just heating all the "ingredients" to make sure they are sterile? Just heating them for sterile if you process them (water bath can them like all the books say) they turn into mush. the acidity of the brine does it. I'm still standing.
I'm a stickler on following only tested canning recipes. But pickling is an area that I'm willing to be flexible on. The high salt and vinegar rates make this technique acceptable to me. Years ago I asked an old country woman who's made pickles for many years with an equivalent technique if her pickless were safe. She looked at me quizzically, as if i were a bit slow, and responded: "What the hell's gonna grow in all that vinegar?" 
Pickles done in a water bath canner, per Ball, tend to end up soggy....even if you use calcium or aluminum salts. You just can't cook pickles in a water bath and expect a nice crunchy pickle. |
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Posted: 3/12/2009 11:34:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: drucifer]
[#17]
I'm BUYING pickling cukes at the store tomorrow ot try this recipe...
I can't freakin' wait!!! 3 weeks is a long time to have to wait for "homegrown" pickles, but I will be patient. ETA: BTW, Can you substitute crushed red pepper for the chiles? The only Chiles I have are dried? Am I thinking of the right kind of red pepper? Thanks! Second ETA: Just got done making these. Came up with 3 quart jars full of pickley goodness. I used my dry Thai Chiles and crushed garlic. I'll post an AAR in 3 weeks or so.... |
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Posted: 3/16/2009 3:04:53 PM EDT
[#18]
Originally Posted By Feral:
I'm a stickler on following only tested canning recipes. I tested it Ya pansy.
But pickling is an area that I'm willing to be flexible on. The high salt and vinegar rates make this technique acceptable to me. Years ago I asked an old country woman who's made pickles for many years with an equivalent technique if her pickless were safe. She looked at me quizzically, as if i were a bit slow, and responded: "What the hell's gonna grow in all that vinegar?"
DUH Pickles done in a water bath canner, per Ball, tend to end up soggy....even if you use calcium or aluminum salts. You just can't cook pickles in a water bath and expect a nice crunchy pickle. [/quote] DOUBLE DUH |
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USA
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Posted: 3/16/2009 3:23:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: PossumKing]
[#19]
Originally Posted By Giltweasel:
The wife and I are a bit burned out on the Ball Dill Pickling mix. We've looked around in a few books but haven't found one we really like. What we're looking for is a good salty, sour pickle spice recipe. If we could duplicate a cold pack flavor like Claussen's that would be great. We do like the Ball mix, but it comes out a little too sweet, and not quite sour enough for our tastes. So the request is: Post your best dill pickle spear or whole recipe that pushes the envelope on what you get from the store-bought mixes. We're willing to try fermenting in a jug for a while before waterbath canning/preserving, but ultimately we want a durable, tasty, pickle that we can pull out of the pantry in the middle of freezing January and invoke Summertime and summon the burger gods and the goddes of the grill.. It can't be too hard, right? Hive mind, you have been challenged! vivere paratus Sounds like you have a taste for the vinegar. Are you using the grocery store stuff? That vinegar is usually in the range of 3-8% acetic acid. You might want to experiment with some higher concentrations. |
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Posted: 3/26/2009 7:55:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: drucifer]
[#20]
OK. So, I made these like 2 weeks ago. They're in the basement right now doing what pickles do.
Looking at the 2 jars I have left (gave one to the in-laws), one is cloudy and one is clear. The cloudy one has more cut pickles and the clear one is mostly whole cukes. Is this normal? When packaging them, I didn't completely submerge the jars as I didn't have a canner deep enough. Will this be an issue? Or, will the pickling brine be enough to kill all the nasties that may be in there? I left a bit of headspace in both jars and the cukes have floated up and are partially uncovered? The initial recipe didn't mention headspacing, but I left about 3/8 inch anyway. Anyone's input would be appreciated... Thanks! ETA: I re-read the thread and I think this is answered... But about one cloudy and one clear??? HELP!! Thanks. |
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Posted: 3/27/2009 10:05:54 PM EDT
[#21]
it shouldn't be cloudy
should be clear sounds like it didn't seal. (did the lid "pop") I'd toss it |
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Posted: 3/27/2009 10:47:09 PM EDT
[#22]
Yeah... lids all popped.
Damn. Hate to toss it, but hate to get sick too... Might crack it open tomorrow and try it. A bite or two, and then fridge it for a day and wait for the repercussions... |
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Posted: 3/29/2009 10:30:05 PM EDT
[#23]
Thanks for the recipe, I'll give it a try.
Normally I use this one for the brine: 12 Cups water 5 cups white vinegar 3/4 cup salt Been using that for years but I'd like to try something new. |
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Posted: 3/29/2009 11:00:23 PM EDT
[#24]
If I have a bigass pickle jar, can I reuse the jar and lid for this? Or do I need to buy new?
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Posted: 4/1/2009 12:19:24 AM EDT
[#25]
delicious, tagalicious ... |
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Posted: 4/1/2009 3:57:56 PM EDT
[Last Edit: drucifer]
[#26]
Well, I did it.
Cracked into the jar of pickles that was a bit cloudy and ate a half. Nothing was different about the process that I used between the cloudy jar and the non cloudy jar with the exception of the cloudy jar had a bunch of cut pickles and the clear jar was all whole. I deviated from the recipe Bozeman posted using a prepared dill paste rather than fresh dill.... This may be the reason for some of the cloudiness. I'll let you know tomorrow if I am in gastric distress. Aside from that, these pickles are fantastic. Crunchy, salty and DEEEE-Licious. This recipe is a definite keeper. I think I'm going back for another half... Hopefully, I dont die from some nasty... BTW: I now own page 2 of the pickle thread. You all must tithe to me 1/10th of your canned matter!!!! 
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Posted: 4/1/2009 10:31:23 PM EDT
[#27]
I made mine yesterday, its going to be a long three weeks staring at 3 quarts of pickles on the counter...
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Posted: 4/1/2009 11:12:27 PM EDT
[#28]
Well, seven hours down and no gastric distress yet... That's a good sign.
I want more pickles.... Have to go to the store tomorrow for more cukes. Maybe a double batch this time..... Thanks Boze fr a great recipe! |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 4/2/2009 9:24:13 PM EDT
[#29]
Cloudy brine can come from using the wrong salt. I think I use kosher salt with my canning veggies and it prevents the brine from becoming cloudy.
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Posted: 4/2/2009 11:30:57 PM EDT
[#30]
I just used the Morton's (?) pickling salt ferom Wally-World. I can give the kosher salt a shot in the next attempt. Thanks for the heads up...
I think I figured out the cloudyness thing. If I recall, the jar that turned out cloudy tipped during the heating process. It filled with hot water, but was quickly recovered, drained, and re-sterilized. The boiling water that hit the cukes might have done this to the one jar that became cloudy... 36 hours down, a metric ton of tasty pickles eaten and no ill effects. That must have been the problem. Thanks again Bozeman for a great recipe. We'll be doing this again (and again, and...) |
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Posted: 4/7/2009 6:32:10 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Winn]
[#31]
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
Y'all owe me 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 Eat. KILLER So, since I've already "outed" myself as 'strawberries' n00b in another thread ... I guess I'll admit to my 'pickle making' n00b-ness here as well.
Anyway, serious question - are there specific or particular cucumber varieties that are most desirable for use in this recipe, or is it simply a matter of just using *whatever* you happen to have and/or decide to grow ? |
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Posted: 4/8/2009 9:37:19 PM EDT
[#32]
There are specific "pickling cucumber" varieties.
Tougher skins, not as sweet, usually smaller. (I like the smaller ones, I think the flavor is more intense) But doing salad cucumbers as pickles would well suck. plus most pickling cucumbers are CRAZY productive. We usually plant like 3 mounds. WE easily get 25+ quarts a year out of those 3 little mounds. I can look up the exact variety if you want. |
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Posted: 4/8/2009 11:07:13 PM EDT
[#33]
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
There are specific "pickling cucumber" varieties. Tougher skins, not as sweet, usually smaller. (I like the smaller ones, I think the flavor is more intense) But doing salad cucumbers as pickles would well suck. plus most pickling cucumbers are CRAZY productive. We usually plant like 3 mounds. WE easily get 25+ quarts a year out of those 3 little mounds. I can look up the exact variety if you want. That would be great ... whenever you get a moment. Also, when you say they are "usually smaller" - how big do you typically let them grow before picking and pickling ? Thanks for the input. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 4/9/2009 8:59:21 AM EDT
[#34]
I planted some "Boston Pickling" myself.
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Posted: 4/9/2009 8:27:42 PM EDT
[#35]
This is my Aunts recipe, these are awesome.
Garlic Dill Pickles BRINE: 3 gallons water 1 gallon white vinegar 2 ¾ cup pickling salt (this fills about 35-40 jars) FILL HOT JARS WITH: 2-3 cloves garlic Fresh Dill Cucumbers Hot Banana Peppers Carrot Sticks Cauliflower Combine brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour boiling brine over filled jars. Cover with new lids & seal per lid instructions. ½ bushel of cucumbers = 20-25 jars. Pickles are ready to eat in 4-6 weeks. |
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AL, USA
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Posted: 4/9/2009 8:30:06 PM EDT
[#36]
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
Y'all owe me 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 Eat. KILLER Hey is that the Pickle Barrel recipe? |
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Posted: 4/9/2009 9:43:55 PM EDT
[#37]
be sure if you are using Kosher salt instead of pickling salt you go by weight and not per line measurement.
I do not like the Ball Dill pickling spice either but if you can find it the Ball Polish Dill is pretty darn good. I like to add about 5 small green chilis (hotter than jalepeno), three cloves of garlic and a tsp of peppercorns per quart along with the pickling spice. Makes a nice spicy pickle that has flavor and heat. Also if you cannot find it locally order Pickle Crisp online and add it to your pickles they will be nice and crisp not quite Claussen crisp but 100 times better than regular pickles. |
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Posted: 4/11/2009 8:02:31 PM EDT
[#38]
Originally Posted By Winn:
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
There are specific "pickling cucumber" varieties. Tougher skins, not as sweet, usually smaller. (I like the smaller ones, I think the flavor is more intense) But doing salad cucumbers as pickles would well suck. plus most pickling cucumbers are CRAZY productive. We usually plant like 3 mounds. WE easily get 25+ quarts a year out of those 3 little mounds. I can look up the exact variety if you want. That would be great ... whenever you get a moment. Also, when you say they are "usually smaller" - how big do you typically let them grow before picking and pickling ? Thanks for the input. Pickle Bush pickling cucumbers the package says One mound gets about 12-18 inches around, and every 3 or 4 days you picking them. Crazy productive. I like mine on the smaller side, 3 to 4" or so. I think they are crisper. But, anything below 6" or so is fine. over that I think they lose flavor. |
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Posted: 5/28/2009 3:01:01 PM EDT
[#39]
I made three quarts of pickles and they have soaked for three weeks. I had good seals on all jars and sterilized, etc.
In two of the three jars, the garlics have taken a baby blue color on the outer skin. Is this something to be concerned about? I don't want to find out that I have concocted a tasty form of botulism.
I've already cracked the one jar where the garlic did not change color and am very pleased with the results. |
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Posted: 5/28/2009 3:18:38 PM EDT
[#40]
Originally Posted By Blaculo:
In two of the three jars, the garlics have taken a baby blue color on the outer skin. Is this something to be concerned about? Garlic will often take on a sort of blue-gray cast when it's canned. No big deal.
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Posted: 5/28/2009 3:30:15 PM EDT
[#41]
Originally Posted By Feral:
Originally Posted By Blaculo:
In two of the three jars, the garlics have taken a baby blue color on the outer skin. Is this something to be concerned about? Garlic will often take on a sort of blue-gray cast when it's canned. No big deal.
Thanks. I didn't want to throw them out and also didn't want to invoke Montezuma's Revenge. |
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Posted: 5/28/2009 4:01:15 PM EDT
[#42]
Im gonna have to try this also
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Posted: 5/28/2009 4:15:39 PM EDT
[#43]
Thanks for the recipe. I'll try it out when my cucumbers grow.
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Posted: 5/28/2009 10:29:45 PM EDT
[#44]
For your cloudy pickle juice, I just read this:
http://www.pickyourown.org/pickles/makingpickles.htm
Bring the mix and vinegar to a near-boil - just simmering! Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy. |
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Posted: 6/13/2009 6:48:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Winn]
[#45]
Originally Posted By BozemanMT:
Y'all owe me 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 Eat. KILLER Another newb question ... Since heat rises, why "turn the jars upside down for a while so that the lids stay hot." ? Seems like they should stay right side up if the intent is to keep the lids hot. What am I missing here 
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CO, USA
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Posted: 6/20/2009 8:11:05 AM EDT
[Last Edit: BozemanMT]
[#46]
Originally Posted By Winn:
Another newb question ... Since heat rises, why "turn the jars upside down for a while so that the lids stay hot." ? Seems like they should stay right side up if the intent is to keep the lids hot. What am I missing here Yeah, it works, sometimes, if you just leave them upright. But many times, the lid just doesn't get hot enough to "pop" putting the water on it (which is a better conducting agent than air) makes sure it gets hot. If they don't "pop", you can either just refrigerate them and eat them, or drain it out and reprocess. Trust me, turning them over saves a lot more work in the end. |
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Posted: 6/20/2009 9:32:35 AM EDT
[#47]
Oh, believe me ... I'm not questioning your process, nor do I have any intention of deviating from your method. I'm just interested in understanding a little bit more about some of the "finer points" of getting good results. Thanks again for all your help - I appreciate it. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 6/28/2009 10:16:06 PM EDT
[#48]
I just opened the first jar using this recipe today. They may not be the best I've ever had but certainly in the top 3 to 5.
Thanks for the recipe.
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Posted: 6/29/2009 10:17:56 PM EDT
[#49]
Got my daughter to help the other day and we put up six more quarts. The last atch was a bit mushy in the middle... Might have processed a bit too long.
Hot jars. Pack with cukes and spices. Ladle brine over. Seal and hang above water while all get filled. Into the drink and return to a boil. boil for 5 min and pull to cool. Boze's recipe was a bit nonspecific for me as to a process time. I went with a time that I thought would get the jars to seal as he doesn't really call for a boiling water processing time. Just "get them HOT"... It has worked well so far and this round I added about a T of crushed red pepper. We'll see what happens. |
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CO, USA
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Posted: 6/30/2009 9:08:03 PM EDT
[#50]
Originally Posted By drucifer:
Got my daughter to help the other day and we put up six more quarts. The last atch was a bit mushy in the middle... Might have processed a bit too long. Hot jars. Pack with cukes and spices. Ladle brine over. Seal and hang above water while all get filled. Into the drink and return to a boil. boil for 5 min and pull to cool. Boze's recipe was a bit nonspecific for me as to a process time. I went with a time that I thought would get the jars to seal as he doesn't really call for a boiling water processing time. Just "get them HOT"... It has worked well so far and this round I added about a T of crushed red pepper. We'll see what happens. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO THERE IS NO PROCESSING TIME. There's no return to boil. it's pretty damn specific. No wonder yours are mushy. DO NOT PROCESS. pack with cukes and spices, ladle brine, put lid on, flip over for heat, wait for pop DONE. |
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