Chef John’s recipe for dill pickles in a crock turns fresh Kirby cucumbers into a batch of crunchy, delicious pickles in just about a week or so.
Preparation Time
15 mins
Cooking Time
5 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Calories
12 Calories
Recipe Instructions
Step 1
Combine water, salt, and garlic in a large saucepan. Add cloves, bay leaves, coriander seeds, and peppercorns. Stir until salt is dissolved. Heat over low heat for just a few minutes to bring water to room temperature. The water should not be warm.
Step 2
Select a jar or crock large enough to hold the cucumbers, spices, and some brine. Place some dill flowers over the bottom and top with a few cucumbers. Alternate layers of dill and cucumbers, ending with a layer of dill. Pour pickling brine into the crock. Gently tap or shake the crock to eliminate any air bubbles. Place a small ramekin on the pickles to weigh them down and ensure they stay below the surface of the brining liquid. Top with more brine and cover the crock. Reserve any extra brine to use during the fermentation process.
Step 3
Place the crock where it can ferment at a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F (18 to 24 degrees C). Let pickles ferment for a week, checking every day to ensure they remain submerged; add more brine if necessary. Small bubbles may appear; this is a normal product of the fermentation process.
Step 4
After about eight days, you can skim off the foam. Test a pickle for flavor and crunch. You can continue fermenting them for a couple more days or, if you like them at this point, transfer pickles to a large jar. Fill the jar with the brine from the fermentation process. Cover and store finished pickles in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
4 whole cloves
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
8 cups cold fresh water
8 tablespoons kosher salt
4 cloves peeled garlic
3 bay leaves, or more to taste
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 bunch fresh, flowering dill weed
2 pounds very fresh Kirby cucumbers, washed thoroughly
