Alison Roman provided a great recipe through Bon Appetit for full sour kosher pickles. While I am not a big fan of pickles, these ones are pretty darn good, and the pickle lovers in my life seem to agree. I have reposted the recipe with very minor alterations that I made.
I did not have cucumbers in the garden this year, so I picked up a few baskets at the farmer’s market and made 13 litres at once. For best results make sure you get your cucumbers as fresh as possible and start preparing them right away.
I also give fair warning for the squeamish: some mold will likely grow on top of the brine during fermentation – this is normal. Just skim it off regularly as highlighted in the USDA guidelines for pickled vegetables, which can be found here (see guide 6).
Kosher Style Pickles
Yield: 2 x 1 litre jars
Source: Alison Roman’s Recipe
Ingredients
3-4 lbs Pickling cucumbers (#1 or #2 size)
8 cloves garlic
10 sprigs dill or baby dill
Brine:
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1/4 cup pickling vinegar (7% acetic acid) – normal white vinegar (5%) will also work
2 cups water
Instructions
1. As soon as you bring the cucumbers in the house get them scrubbed and trim off both ends slightly, discarding any that are discoloured, rotten, or badly bruised. Put them to soak in cold water overnight.
2. The following day bring 1/2 cup water, and the salt, sugar, peppercorns and coriander seed to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups water and vinegar.
4. Sterilize 1 litre jars
5. Into each jar put 3 sprigs dill and 2 cloves of garlic, fill with cucumbers leaving as little space as possible between the pickles, top with 2 sprigs dill and 2 more cloves of garlic.
6. Ladle brine into each jar: I recommend adding 1 ladle of brine to each jar, then a second to each jar, and so on; I end by using a tablespoon to divide the spices which sit at the bottom of brine as equally as possible between the jars.
7. If you run out of brine top up each jar with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. Ensure all the cucumbers are submerged in the brine (use a clean sandwich bag with something heavy to weigh down the cucumbers if needed.)
8. Cover each jar with cheesecloth attached by a rubber band and place in a cool (70-75°F), dark place.
9. After 2 days start skimming any scum or mold off the top every day or two. Top up the brine with 50/50 vinegar and water as required to keep pickles covered.
10. After 7 days, begin daily taste testing of a small slice from a pickle. When it is sour to your liking remove the cheesecloth put on a jar lid and put in the refrigerator for use within 4-6 months. At this point the pickles should be a nice olive colour.
Notes:
If you are planning on canning the pickles and have a large vat available it is probably better to follow the USDA recommended method of fermenting the pickles in one container and then canning them. If you want to do it this way, when you are finished fermenting the pickles bring the brine to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, transfer the pickles to sterilized jars, cover with hot brine and seal in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes (adjust for altitude). The criticism with this method is that the heat can cause the pickles to be a little less crisp.
During step 1 I also put all the pickles into jars before I soak them overnight, this gives me an idea how much brine I need to make.
You may also slice the cucumbers in any manner you wish, but if you do you should start checking the sourness by the second day as they will ferment faster.
Some things you might see – blue or blue/green garlic: your garlic was too fresh, it is safe to eat though. Pink pickles: your cucumbers were overripe. Cloudy brine: this can be either a good or bad sign, and can be caused by many different things – If you are worried about it check your pickles step by step: smell, texture (crisp not mushy, mushy usually means spoiled), and if these are good then taste.
Nutritional Information
Not available.
robton 