Summer and pickles go together like, well, summer and pickles! Pickle slices on burgers, pickle relish on hot dogs, pickle spears with BBQ, or even just a whole pickle on its own. Good eatin’, if we may say so ourselves. Turns out making pickles on your own is super easy, too. See how with this recipe from Food Network star Alton Brown.
Ingredients
- 5½ ounces (about ½ cup) pickling salt
- 1 gallon filtered water
- 3 lbs. pickling cucumbers, 4-6 inches long
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dill seed
- 1 large bunch dill
Directions
- Stir the salt and water in a pitcher until the salt dissolves.
- Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly. Snip off the blossom end stem.
- Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
- Check the crock after 3 days. Do you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock? Awesome, fermentation has begun! Check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
- The fermentation is complete when the bubbles have stopped rising. This should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once fermentation is complete, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles become soft or start smelling bad, throw them away.
Recipe credit: Alton Brown, Food Network