One thing that I always loved growing up was the crisp bite of a good Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle. It's raw, flavorful, fat free, and other than the salt content, good for you. Something however started getting to me a couple of months ago though...I always liked the chip style pickles over the sandwich slices. You can't find the chip style of pickles anywhere in the refrigerated section where all the Claussens are. Also, I'm not spending $5 a jar on those things. So I spend 69 cents on one cucumber or a buck for some pickling cukes and started making them at home. The secret is the brine. That is the only cooking that you will ever have to do. The other stuff goes into the jar. And this is the basic gist of it.
2 cups of water
1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
2 tbsp kosher salt (has to be kosher)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1-2 sprigs of dill or a tsp of dried dill
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp black peppercorn
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
3 small pickling cucumbers or one large cucumber.
1 large container or glass jar
Put top three ingredients into a small saucepot and allow to reach boiling. Remove from heat for 1 minute. While above mixture is heating up do the second step.
Put 2nd list of ingredients in a sanitized jar. Cut the pickles into 1/8" to 1/4" slices and fill up the jar or container as much as you can and still be able to apply the lid. Pour hot mixed brine until the container is filled. Cover mouth of jar or container with plastic wrap and screw on or apply a lid. If you do put them into a canning jar, you can follow the instructions to seal your jars for later use, but I personally put them in the fridge and they stay good for about two weeks. Make sure that you allow these to marinate for at least 6 hours before tasting. I always wait 24 hours. These come out perfect for frying by the way. Just another reason improve on the fried pickle.
