 Giltweasel 
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Posted: 3/8/2009 9:54:29 PM
[Last Edit: 7/31/2010 7:48:47 PM by Giltweasel]
THE IMAGE ABOVE IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT 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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Posted: 3/8/2009 9:59:56 PM
grow your own dill ,cloves and sage m mix that with vinegar salt and water. very tasty
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Posted: 3/8/2009 10:52:00 PM
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
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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drucifer
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Posted: 3/10/2009 10:47:42 PM
Hoping to do some pickles this year as well...
C'mon Boze. A good recipe would be GREAT!!! |
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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:59:16 AM
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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Posted: 3/11/2009 2:20:33 PM
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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HomeSlice
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Posted: 3/11/2009 4:50:42 PM
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
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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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:17:59 PM
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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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/11/2009 8:34:13 PM
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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Posted: 3/11/2009 11:44:32 PM
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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rusteerooster
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Posted: 3/12/2009 12:37:41 AM
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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jsteih
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Posted: 3/12/2009 4:21:27 PM
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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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/12/2009 8:03:24 PM
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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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/12/2009 8:04:14 PM
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
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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drucifer
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Posted: 3/12/2009 11:34:05 PM
[Last Edit: 3/13/2009 1:42:21 PM by drucifer]
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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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/16/2009 3:04:53 PM
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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Posted: 3/16/2009 3:23:25 PM
[Last Edit: 3/16/2009 3:23:50 PM by PossumKing]
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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drucifer
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Posted: 3/26/2009 7:55:12 PM
[Last Edit: 3/26/2009 8:00:07 PM by drucifer]
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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BozemanMT
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Posted: 3/27/2009 10:05:54 PM
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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drucifer
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Posted: 3/27/2009 10:47:09 PM
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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mark75101
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Posted: 3/29/2009 10:30:05 PM
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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n3awalk3r
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Posted: 3/29/2009 11:00:23 PM
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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Winn
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Posted: 4/1/2009 12:19:24 AM
delicious, tagalicious ... |
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