# My first go at pickles.



## Steve H (Feb 10, 2019)

I've made "pickles" before. But not in the true sense. Just cukes thrown in vinegar with salt and pepper. I was going to wait until my vacuum attachment arrived to speed the process. But my wife knew I was interested in giving this a try. So she picked up a couple packs of mini cukes. And my sister had a recipe she swore by. 
So, I gave it a go.
3 1/2 cups of water
2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons course kosher salt
Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to boil.
Place 2 teaspoons each  of minced garlic, dill seed, dried dill, minced dried onion in each jar.
Cut enough mini cukes into spears and pack somewhat loose in jars.
Pour hot brine to 1/2" from top. Secure lid. And allow them to cool before putting in fridge.
I'll let them set for a week and see.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 10, 2019)

The pickles look good, but if you don't vac pack them in a vac canister, then they will take about 6 weeks until they have their full flavor.
Al


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## Steve H (Feb 10, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> The pickles look good, but if you don't vac pack them in a vac canister, then they will take about 6 weeks until they have their full flavor.
> Al



Thanks Al. I'll be getting this in  a few days. It's being shipped. Maybe when it arrives I can do it then to speed up the process?


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## SmokinAl (Feb 10, 2019)

Steve H said:


> Thanks Al. I'll be getting this in  a few days. It's being shipped. Maybe when it arrives I can do it then to speed up the process?



That will work!
It only takes about 4-5 days under vacuum.
Al


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## Steve H (Feb 10, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> That will work!
> It only takes about 4-5 days under vacuum.
> Al



Cool! I bought the vac attachment that goes on the mason jar. Sounds like a neat gizmo to vacuum pack.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 10, 2019)

I don't have one of those, but I have a couple of big vac canisters.
I know some of the guys use the Mason jar attachment, & it works fine for them.
Al


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## Steve H (Feb 10, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> I don't have one of those, but I have a couple of big vac canisters.
> I know some of the guys use the Mason jar attachment, & it works fine for them.
> Al



Thanks, I thought this would work. Good to hear from somebody that knows them to.


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## chopsaw (Feb 10, 2019)

Your gonna love the jar attachment . Really speeds things up , but they still get better the longer they sit . 
Also , if you ever want to buy more jars make sure they are the wide mouth .


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## Hawging It (Feb 10, 2019)

Looking real good!


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 10, 2019)

Ah and the stage is set and once again the waiting begins. Hope it works for you Steve H.

Warren


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## Steve H (Feb 11, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Your gonna love the jar attachment . Really speeds things up , but they still get better the longer they sit .
> Also , if you ever want to buy more jars make sure they are the wide mouth .
> View attachment 387656



Thanks for the input. Both my quart and 1/2 gallon jars are wide mouth. I prefer them.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 11, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Your gonna love the jar attachment . Really speeds things up , but they still get better the longer they sit .
> Also , if you ever want to buy more jars make sure they are the wide mouth .
> View attachment 387656



Hey Chop, my machine pulls 27.5 vacuum.
I think that may be too much for a mason jar.
Wouldn't want it to implode in the fridge.
Is there a limit on how much vacuum a glass jar will take?
Cause that sure looks like a handy gadget.
Al


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 11, 2019)

SteveH Thanks for the like.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 11, 2019)

Al mason jars are pretty tough they are used in the pressure cooking in canning but any doubts check with the jar companies.

Warren


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## chopsaw (Feb 11, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Hey Chop, my machine pulls 27.5 vacuum.
> I think that may be too much for a mason jar.
> Wouldn't want it to implode in the fridge.
> Is there a limit on how much vacuum a glass jar will take?
> ...


Al , it's very handy . 
I looked for the specs on my machine , but didn't find any . So I had a vac gauge in my tool box ( mechanic days ) and just did a test at the gauge . It pulled 20 " . 
I'm not sure , but I think that is a working number ,, not sure how much is measured inside the jar . I think it depends on the pressure outside the jar or bag .


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## SmokinAl (Feb 12, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Al , it's very handy .
> I looked for the specs on my machine , but didn't find any . So I had a vac gauge in my tool box ( mechanic days ) and just did a test at the gauge . It pulled 20 " .
> I'm not sure , but I think that is a working number ,, not sure how much is measured inside the jar . I think it depends on the pressure outside the jar or bag .



Thanks Man!
I can actually stop mine at 20, or set it just to pull 20.
I wonder if there is any info that tells how much vacuum a Mason jar can take, cause the more vacuum, the quicker the pickles will be done.
Al


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## ironhorse07 (Feb 12, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Hey Chop, my machine pulls 27.5 vacuum.
> I think that may be too much for a mason jar.
> Wouldn't want it to implode in the fridge.
> Is there a limit on how much vacuum a glass jar will take?
> ...


Interesting question. my new machine is set for 25 but I haven't done any pickles yet.


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## Steve H (Feb 12, 2019)

I've seen a few sites that say that the Ball mason jars can handle 25.0 vacuum. I'm sure max vacuum put out will vary according to your model vac sealer.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 12, 2019)

ironhorse07 said:


> Interesting question. my new machine is set for 25 but I haven't done any pickles yet.



Have you used the Mason jar attachment & pulled 25 on a Mason jar?
Al


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## SmokinAl (Feb 12, 2019)

Steve H said:


> I've seen a few sites that say that the Ball mason jars can handle 25.0 vacuum. I'm sure max vacuum put out will vary according to your model vac sealer.



Well Thanks Steve!
Mine has a digital readout on it & I can stop it at any vacuum up to 27.5.
I usually go all the way to 27.5, but could easily set it to stop at 25.
Al


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## chopsaw (Feb 12, 2019)

Just because the machine is rated to pull 27 " of vacuum , I don't think that means you can get that inside the jar . I've read that it has to do with the atmospheric pressure . When testing the jar for strength , they were submerging them in water to change the pressure outside the jar . Just my take on it , not saying I'm right .


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## ironhorse07 (Feb 12, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Have you used the Mason jar attachment & pulled 25 on a Mason jar?
> Al


No, I haven't done any pickles yet with it, still have three jars left, might have to try it though.


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## ironhorse07 (Feb 13, 2019)

Avocado pickles vacuumed to 25 inhg.


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## WaterRat (Feb 13, 2019)

Hey All, In my non-smoking life I'm a chemist. I've worked with tons of glasswear under positive pressure and vacuum and am not in the least concerned using mason jars with a foodsaver - and I use it on pickles myself. That said, always inspect the jars carefully for cracks, chips, etc. and don't use if you find any - keep for non-heated, non-vac use (or toss, they don't cost that much). I do recommend wearing safety glasses - when glass fails it's not pretty. I place my jars in a small cooler while I pull the vac as a safety shield and to catch the mess if it does pop. Oh, the outside pressure is irrelevant ;) the in water test was likely to contain the shards if it did fail or they were doing a version of a hydrostatic test like is done on compressed gas cylinders.


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## Steve H (Feb 13, 2019)

WaterRat said:


> Hey All, In my non-smoking life I'm a chemist. I've worked with tons of glasswear under positive pressure and vacuum and am not in the least concerned using mason jars with a foodsaver - and I use it on pickles myself. That said, always inspect the jars carefully for cracks, chips, etc. and don't use if you find any - keep for non-heated, non-vac use (or toss, they don't cost that much). I do recommend wearing safety glasses - when glass fails it's not pretty. I place my jars in a small cooler while I pull the vac as a safety shield and to catch the mess if it does pop. Oh, the outside pressure is irrelevant ;) the in water test was likely to contain the shards if it did fail or they were doing a version of a hydrostatic test like is done on compressed gas cylinders.



Actually, I was thinking about doing that as well. Putting them in a cooler or a large pot with lid just to be sure. I have seen bottles explode before. And glass shards can travel a long ways. In my line of work. Occasionally a overfilled bottle of booze makes it to the corking machine. And with no head space one of two things is going to happen. If we're lucky the cork just launches like a missile. If we're not lucky either it blows out the bottom. Or at a thin section of bottle.


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## chopsaw (Feb 13, 2019)

WaterRat said:


> Oh, the outside pressure is irrelevant ;) the in water test was likely to contain the shards if it did fail or they were doing a version of a hydrostatic test like is done on compressed gas cylinders.



Thanks for clearing that up for me . Why am I thinking you can't pull past a 14.7 inch vacuum ?


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## disco (Feb 13, 2019)

A big like for encouraging me to try this!


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## WaterRat (Feb 13, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Thanks for clearing that up for me . Why am I thinking you can't pull past a 14.7 inch vacuum ?



14.7 PSI  = 1ATM = the pressure of the atmosphere pushing down on us at sea level. A -14.7PSI vacuum would therefor be an absolute vacuum meaning there is no more matter inside the vessel so the vacuum pressure can't be greater because there is nothing else that could be removed. It seems weird because you can't measure "nothing" so in reality you measure the difference between "something"  -standard atmospheric pressure - and the vacuum.


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## chopsaw (Feb 13, 2019)

WaterRat said:


> 14.7 PSI  = 1ATM = the pressure of the atmosphere pushing down on us at sea level. A -14.7PSI vacuum would therefor be an absolute vacuum meaning there is no more matter inside the vessel so the vacuum pressure can't be greater because there is nothing else that could be removed. It seems weird because you can't measure measure "nothing" so in reality you measure the difference between "something"  -standard atmospherric pressure - and the vacuum.



That's where my mind set comes from , I just don't know enough about it to word it correctly . 
So my next question is , if you vacuum the jar with a machine that pulls 20 " of vacuum , will it pull the jar down to 20 "


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## ironhorse07 (Feb 13, 2019)

I did forget to mention that I did put the jar in a containment when I pulled the vacuum on it.


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## WaterRat (Feb 13, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> That's where my mind set comes from , I just don't know enough about it to word it correctly .
> So my next question is , if you vacuum the jar with a machine that pulls 20 " of vacuum , will it pull the jar down to 20 "



In a perfect setting yes, in reality no. At some point the lid seal is going to lock down - I don't know exactly what is going on inside the jar sealer gizmo and when the seal engages. You need to figure little leaks into the equation too. Also don't get confused: when talking 20-25" here that is 20-25 inHg, not 20-25 PSI. 2.04 inHg = 1 PSI. Ooof, my brain is starting to hurt


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## Steve H (Feb 14, 2019)

Got my vac attachment 2 days early. I sealed one jar of pickles. The other jar didn't survive the wait. They were already pretty tasty! And I sealed the 2 jars of pickled eggs I did about a week ago.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 14, 2019)

Thank you guys for all the info!
I think I'll look into buying one of those gizmos.
It would make it a lot easier to have them in the mason jars right off the bat, instead of transferring them after they are processed.
Al


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## Steve H (Feb 14, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Thank you guys for all the info!
> I think I'll look into buying one of those gizmos.
> It would make it a lot easier to have them in the mason jars right off the bat, instead of transferring them after they are processed.
> Al



For 11.00 they are worth it. Though I lost my hose years ago. So I had to spend 6.00 on that as well. They're super easy to use.


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## ironhorse07 (Feb 14, 2019)

I got mine at the local Walmart a few years ago. I picked up both the wide mouth and the regular at the time. They are handy, when I buy spices in bulk I started keeping out what I use in a reasonable amount of time then vacuum seal the rest in Mason jars.


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## WaterRat (Feb 14, 2019)

ironhorse07 said:


> I did forget to mention that I did put the jar in a containment when I pulled the vacuum on it.


Good idea, I sure don't want to lose an eye for a pickle - not a good trade!


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