Garlic dill pickles UPDATE! READY TO EAT IN 3 DAYS WITH VAC CANISTER

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SmokinAl

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Jun 22, 2009
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Central Florida (Sebring)
I love dill pickles and I have been toying with dill pickle recipes for years. This one is the best I have ever come up with. All you pastrami guys need to try this, because a good pastrami sandwich needs a great garlic dill. Here is the recipe:

4 - 1 pint canning jars

2 lbs. pickling cukes                                                                                                                                                       

In each jar put:

1 onion slice

1 heaping TB minced garlic or 3 garlic cloves                                                                                                                  

1/2 tsp dry dill weed or 3-4 fresh dill sprigs                                                                                                                      

1/2 tsp dill seed                                                                                                                                                                

1/8 tsp alum                                                                                                                                                                      

1/8 tsp mustard seed                                                                                                                                                          

If you want spicy dills add:                                                                                                                                                  

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes                                                                                                                  

2 slices fresh jalapeno pepper with seeds                                                                                                                          

Brine:                                                                                                                                                                                    

1 cup white vinegar                                                                                                                                                

3 cups distilled water                                                                                                                                                  

1/4 cup pickling salt

   AMENDED RECIPE FOR VACUUM CANISTERS

3 LBS PICKLING CUKES                                                                                                                                  

1 LARGE FOODSAVER CANISTER

INTO THE CANNISTER PUT:                                                                                                                                                         

1/2 ONION, SLICED THIN

1/2 CUP MINCED GARLIC

1 TBS DRY DILL WEED

1 TBS DRY DILL SEED

3/4 TSP ALUM

3/4 TSP MUSTARD SEED

FOR SPICY ADD:

1 SLICED JALAPENO

1/2 TBS CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES      

MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF BRINE:

FOLLOW THE RECIPE & VACUUM THE CANISTER, &

REFRIGERATE FOR 3 DAYS & THEY ARE READY TO EAT.

Here in Sebring, Walmart sells 2 lb bags of pickling cukes. You have to get very hard cukes to start with or you will not have crisp pickles. 

I try to buy them when they are grown in the US if possible.

First thing is to soak them in ice water for 4 hours.


Here's all the ingredients


After 4 hours I slice them into spears. First cut off both ends of the cuke. I have a cutting mat with lines on it so the pickles are all the same size & fit the jar perfectly.

FOR VACUUM CANISTER THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE THE SAME LENGTH.


Next put the spears back in the ice water and heat the brine to a boil


Put the spices in the jars, then pack the jars with the spears as tight as you can

FOR CANISTER, PACK TIGHT ALSO.


I had a couple left over, but that's ok, they are really good in salads


Next fill the jars with the hot brine all the way to the rim, don't leave any head room like you would for canning.

SAME WITH THE CANISTER FILL ALMOST TO THE RIM.


Now comes the hard part. You have to put these in the fridge for a minimum of 6 weeks. The longer they stay in there the more flavor they get. I usually don't touch them for 3 months, and 6 months is perfect.

Here is a jar that is 3 months old, you can see the difference in color in the pickles.


GOOD NEWS THE ONES IN THE VACUUM CANISTER ARE READY TO EAT IN 3 DAYS!  
banana_smiley.gif


HERE THEY ARE ALL READY FOR THE FRIDGE.


I LET THESE GO FOR 5 DAYS, BECAUSE I LIKE STRONG PICKLES. THE COLOR LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN PICKLING FOR 4 OR 5 MONTHS.


I TOOK THEM OUT OF THE CANISTERS & PUT THEM IN A LARGE CONTAINER & INTO THE FRIDGE TO STORE UNTIL I EAT THEM.

THIS WAS JUST TOO EASY.


I use the bottom shelf in our beer fridge for pickles. It will hold 20 jars. When I eat 4 jars I make a new 4 jar batch. This way I always have a steady supply of awesome garlic dills. 


I promise you that you will never buy pickles in the store if you try this. You cannot get a pickle with this much flavor & so crunchy it will break your teeth.

Thanks for looking and I sure hope you guys will give this a try.

Al
 
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Al they look good I make half sours every year,grow my Kerbies never found them firm enough in the stores

Richie
 
 
Al they look good I make half sours every year,grow my Kerbies never found them firm enough in the stores

Richie
That's awesome Richie. Been getting some really firm ones from Florida here lately. Sometimes they are from Mexico, a little scary but I use them if I need to.
 
Interesting recipe Al.  Nothing like a homemade recipe...I will have to give these a try.

I hope our Walmart has the 2 lb bags!!!

Thanks again...Crunch!

John
Thanks John!
 
Al,

Is your beer refrigerator a wine cooling frig?

John
No it's set up for cans & bottles. It has a glass door, but it's not set up to put bottles on their side. 

If I put all the shelves in it will hold 96 cans of beer. That would probably last us a couple of days. 
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Al
 
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Thanks for the recipe Al, but pickles on pastrami? No way man! A good homemade kraut, and a pickle wedge in the side!

I do counter top pickles a few times a year. Will have to give your recipe a try the next time pickling cukes show up in our stores.

Points!
 
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Sounds really good. But, that wait would be tough. I like the Onion addition, never tried that. Alum is a Really Old School ingredient in pickles. Your showing your age Bro!
biggrin.gif


 My Mom has made an old Polish recipe for 24 hour Pickles for over 50 years. They do get better a week later...JJ
 
Thanks for the recipe Al, but pickles on pastrami? No way man! A good homemade kraut, and a pickle wedge in the side!

I do counter top pickles a few times a year. Will have to give your recipe a try the next time pickling cukes show up in our stores.

Points!
Thanks Case, No I agree pickles on the side. But a ham sandwich with dills on it is really good!

Thanks for the points!

Al
 
Sounds really good. But, that wait would be tough. I like the Onion addition, never tried that. Alum is a Really Old School ingredient in pickles. Your showing your age Bro!
biggrin.gif


 My Mom has made an old Polish recipe for 24 hour Pickles for over 50 years. They do get better a week later...JJ
Thanks JJ.

These just seem to get better the longer they age. I've had them 1 year old & they were just as crispy with a ton more flavor.

At one point I was changing this recipe over & over. I had a whole fridge full of pickles sitting there ageing.

I finally ate or gave them all away.

Al
 
"These just seem to get better the longer they age. I've had them 1 year old & they were just as crispy with a ton more flavor.

At one point I was changing this recipe over & over. I had a whole fridge full of pickles sitting there aging.

I finally ate or gave them all away".

Al

LOL!

I could help you get rid of those 96 beers if you ever get stuck!

Take care, and I definitely  will be trying your recipe.

John
 
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Now you've done it, I'm craving them. I've made something similar and I learned it from my mother.

For the garlic, I've used sprigs of garlic chives (allium tuberosum) which grows as a major nuisance weed at the house I sold. I brought some here for my new gardens.
 
 
Now you've done it, I'm craving them. I've made something similar and I learned it from my mother.

For the garlic, I've used sprigs of garlic chives (allium tuberosum) which grows as a major nuisance weed at the house I sold. I brought some here for my new gardens.
Garlic chives sound like a good alternative. I just like really garlicky pickles, so 1 heaping TB of minced really does the trick. 

Al
 
I'm going to try this one. Thanks!
Your welcome, let me know how you like them.

Al
 
Garlic chives sound like a good alternative. I just like really garlicky pickles, so 1 heaping TB of minced really does the trick. 

Garlic is an excellent natural repellent for mosquitos, ticks, and humans.
Boy you got that right, I also pickle garlic. When we have company I always put out pickled garlic for appetizers, but I tell everyone that we all have to have one or we will not like each other.

Al
 
So when do you smoke them?   
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That's good M!!

Points to you!!!

Al
 
Al, nice recipe and I hope to go back to it when we think about canning next summer. It's cold ,snowy and  not canning weather up here . 
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Al, nice recipe and I hope to go back to it when we think about canning next summer. It's cold ,snowy and  not canning weather up here . 
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I have to have my pickles so I make them year round, but small batches. Course it's not snowing down here.

Al
 
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