Quick Garlic Dill Pickles
You make these by submerging fresh cucumber spears in a seasoned brine and letting them sit in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Unlike fermented pickles, these rely on vinegar to provide the snap and acidity immediately, making them ready to eat once the flavors have had a moment to penetrate the vegetable.
Freshness determines the crunch
Select cucumbers that feel firm and heavy for their size, avoiding any with soft spots. Using pickling cucumbers, like Kirby or Persian varieties, is essential for a sturdy texture.
- 1-quart glass mason jar with a tight-fitting lid
- sharp chef's knife
- small saucepan
What goes in.
- 1.5 lbpickling cucumbers, cut into spears
- 1.5 cupswater
- 1.5 cupswhite distilled vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1.5 tbspkosher salt
- 4 clovesgarlic, smashed
- 2 headsfresh dill fronds
- 1 tspmustard seeds
- 0.5 tspblack peppercorns
Achieving the right snap
Dissolve the salt completely in the heated liquid before pouring it over the cucumbers; this ensures an even distribution of flavor and helps maintain the integrity of the cucumber cell walls.
The method.
Prepare the jar
Place the dill, smashed garlic, mustard seeds, and peppercorns into the bottom of the clean mason jar.
Pack the cucumbers
Stand the cucumber spears upright in the jar, packing them tightly without crushing them to ensure they stay submerged later.
Make the brine
Combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the salt disappears. Remove from heat just before the liquid comes to a full boil.
Fill and chill
Pour the warm brine over the cucumbers until they are completely covered. Let the jar cool to room temperature, then seal it and place it in the refrigerator.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Spears
Add two dried arbol chilies or a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the jar before pouring in the brine.
Bread and Butter style
Add one thinly sliced yellow onion and a tablespoon of sugar to the brine for a sweeter finish.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Trim 1/16th of an inch off the blossom end of each cucumber; the enzymes there can soften the pickle.
Wait the full 48 hours before opening; the cucumbers need that time to exchange their water for the brine.
These are refrigerator pickles and must stay chilled; they are not shelf-stable.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my pickles turn soft?
Usually because the cucumbers were not fresh or the brine was poured while at a rolling boil, which partially cooks the vegetable.
How long do these keep?
They stay crisp for about three weeks in the refrigerator, after which they will gradually soften.
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