Deli Style Dill Pickles

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 2 hr

Cook Time: 2 wk

Description

These classic deli-style dill pickles are everything a good pickle should be—crisp, tangy, and bursting with bold seasoning. Naturally fermented over two weeks, they develop a deep, savory flavor that pairs perfectly with sandwiches, burgers, or your next BBQ spread. Mini cucumbers soak up a brine infused with garlic, dill seed, mustard, coriander, peppercorns, and just a hint of heat from crushed red pepper. Grape leaves help maintain crunch, while a simple saltwater ferment brings it all together without vinegar. The result? A fresh, old-world pickle that’s easy to make and impossible to resist.

Ingredients

Staples

6 tablespoon Redmon Real Salt or other non-iodized sea salt
0.5 gallon Water plus more for soaking

Spices And Herbs

1 teaspoon Fennel Seed
1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard Seed
1 teaspoon Black Peppercorn
0.5 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
3 tablespoon Dill Seed
2 tablespoon Coriander Seed

Produce

3 pound Pickling Cucumber
3 head Garlic roughly chopped

Canned Goods

1 bunch Grape Leaf

Nutritional

calories10

carbohydrates2g

protein1g

fat0g

Step by Step Instructions

1
Place the mini cucumbers in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let them soak for 2 hours to help preserve their crunch.
2
Warm ½ gallon (8 cups) of water on the stovetop or in the microwave until just warm (do not boil).
3
In a separate clean container, dissolve 6 tablespoons of non-iodized sea salt into the warm water to make the brine. Stir until fully dissolved.
4
In a clean and sterilized 1-gallon glass jar, add the following seasonings: chopped garlic, dill seed, coriander seed, mustard seed, black peppercorns, fennel seed, and crushed red pepper.
5
Drain the soaked cucumbers and place them vertically into the jar on top of the spices, packing them tightly but gently.
6
Pour the prepared brine over the cucumbers until they are fully submerged.
7
If the brine does not cover the cucumbers completely, make additional brine using the ratio: 1 scant tablespoon of non-iodized salt to 1 cup of warm water. Add as needed.
8
Place a handful of grape leaves over the top of the cucumbers to help keep them submerged and crisp.
9
Place a clean, sterile fermentation weight (such as a glass weight or scrubbed rock) on top of the grape leaves to keep everything fully submerged in the brine.
10
Cover the jar loosely with a lid or a clean cloth secured with a rubber band. Do not seal the jar tightly—gasses need to escape during fermentation.
11
Leave the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 2 weeks to ferment. The brine may turn cloudy, which is normal.
12
Check the jar every few days and skim off any white film that may form on the surface of the brine.
13
After 2 weeks, remove the weight and grape leaves, then seal the jar with a proper lid.
14
Store the pickles in the refrigerator to slow fermentation and enjoy as needed.