The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (2024)

Tags canning, Month July Week 3, pickles

If you like old-fashioned fermented sour pickles then you will want to learn this recipe. Real deli-style pickles cost around $7 per jar in my area, but I can make 10 pounds of organic sour pickles for just $20! I did not invent this recipe, but it seems to be the most commonly used methodology out there and it works every time without fail. The pickles are garlicky, crunchy, and delightfully sour.The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (1)

Many years ago I acquired some beautiful old pickling crocks and I was eager to put them to use. After lugging home a giant bag of fresh cukes, I followed a recipe for pickling them in the crock. It was a disaster. My brine turned into a stinky, moldy mess and the cucumbers turned out soggy. I ended up throwing out the whole batch, discouraged.

Each year, I would see ten-pound bags of pickling cucumbers and a bouquet of dill in the arms of people leaving the farmers’ market. Green with envy, I asked the market vendor to please give me some tips on making sour pickles so I could try again. I did my best to remember the recipe and ran home to try it right away. I’m so glad that I did because this is now my go-to pickle recipe that I can’t wait to make year after year.

The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (2)

Ingredients

Makes 10 quart-size jars, adjust recipe accordingly

  • 10 pounds fresh-picked pickling cucumbers
  • 2/3 cup ofkosher salt
  • 16 cups of boiling water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
  • 8 cups cold water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
  • 10 clovesof fresh garlic
  • A bunch of fresh, flowering dill
  • 5 teaspoonscoriander seed
  • 5 teaspoons whole black pepper
  • 10 chili peppers (optional)

Equipment

The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (3)

Make it!

  1. The key to crunchy pickles is to be sure that you are using very fresh cucumbers. They should go from farm to canning jar in no more than 24 hours and it’s essential to keep them chilled if you aren’t pickling right away. Size doesn’t matter for flavor, just for preference.
  2. Fill the sink with cold water and wash the cucumbers well. Remove any discolored, bruised, or soft cucumbers. Be sure to get cucumbers that are not waxed.
  3. To make the brine, bring 20 cups of water to a boil and add 2/3 cup of kosher salt. It’s important to use water that is non-chlorinated or filtered because you don’t want the minerals or chlorine to prevent fermentation.
  4. Stir the salt to dissolve. Set the brine aside to cool while you pack the jars.
  5. A cucumber has two different ends, thestem and the blossom end. Cut the blossom end off the cucumbers, or cut off both if you can’t figure it out. You can also slice the cucumbers if you choose. I like them whole.
  6. Divide the garlic, dill flowers, dill leaves, spices, and optional chili peppers among the jars.
  7. Pack the cucumbers into the jars tightly, leaving enough headspace that the brine will cover the them. The idea is to pack them into to jar so tightly that they won’t float up when the brine is added. You can also press a cucumber lengthwise across the upright pickles to pin them down.
  8. Add the cold water to the brine to cool it down more. It should be room temperature before pouring it on the cucumbers.
  9. When cool, pour the brine over the cucumbers, herbs, and spices. Screw a plastic canning lid loosely onto the jar and set them on a counter to ferment.
  10. “Burp” the pickles daily by loosening the cap and letting the air escape, then replacing the lid (loosely) again.
  11. After three days, check the pickles for flavor. Keep fermenting them on the counter until you get the sourness you like, then move them to the fridge to slow down the process. Consume the pickles within a month.

The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (4)

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  • These Printable Canning Labels are the Essential Party Dress for Your Jam!

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Comments

  1. Plastic jars or glass jars? Which are you using?

    Reply

  2. I am just doing a batch of these today and hoping they work out. Is the refrigerator best for storing them (I can’t each all within a month and want some mid winter and spring). You mentioned in responding above to another comment that they could be stored in a cool place… so I am guessing it does not have to be the frig., correct?

    Reply

    • Hi Terry, yes, the fridge is best after the original ferment.

      Reply

  3. So, you’re saying you have to eat 10 quarts of pickles within a month? I think not.

    Reply

  4. Can I divide this down to a 2 quart recipe?

    Reply

    • yes

      Reply

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The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy (2024)

FAQs

The Best Ever Deli-Style Sour Pickles Recipe. Ever. Seriously. - Garden Therapy? ›

Usually in New York delis they are large garlic dill pickles, fermented in brine, mustard seed, and bay leaf. They are never cooked, which can be told from their light color.

What is a deli style pickle? ›

Usually in New York delis they are large garlic dill pickles, fermented in brine, mustard seed, and bay leaf. They are never cooked, which can be told from their light color.

What makes full sour pickles sour? ›

Full Sour Pickles

Sour pickles are one of the pleasantly sour types of pickles that are actually lacto-fermented instead of pickled. This means that there is no vinegar in their brine like in a dill pickle brine, and instead solely relies on salt, water, and time to achieve the desired flavor.

What makes deli pickles so good? ›

Still, pickles from the deli, widely known as kosher pickles, taste different because of how they are fermented. Its preparation method started as a tradition some decades ago to preserve food, later brought by Jewish immigrants to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (via History).

What's the difference between a sour pickle and a dill pickle? ›

The biggest difference between dill and sour pickles is that the former includes fresh dill weed (and occasionally dill seeds or oil) for a boost of herby flavor. Also, dill pickles nowadays are typically vinegar-based, while sour pickles are always fermented in a salt brine.

What are half sour pickles called? ›

Fresh brine, dill pickles, also known as “half sours,” because the pickling brine uses salt without boiling vinegar, are also known as “kosher dills.” They are uncooked, and preserved by refrigeration.

What are the 4 types of pickling? ›

The many varieties of pickled and fermented foods are classified by ingredients and method of preparation. The four general classes are: brined or fermented, fresh-pack or quick-process, fruit and relishes. Caution: The level of acidity in a pickled product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture.

Which pickles are the most sour? ›

Our Warheads flavored pickle is an extreme sour pickle! No sugar coating here! We packed all the sour flavor we could into this WARHEADS Extreme Sour Dill Pickle, built for super sour fanatics. Available in Jumbo size.

What is the difference between sour and half sour pickles? ›

The Half Sour Pickle

They do not keep for as long as the full sours, but they ferment more quickly and taste less sour on the tongue.

Why are half sour pickles so good? ›

Because of the short brining time the cucumbers don't get completely pickled, though don't taste raw anymore either. Half sour pickles are the best of the two worlds - they retain perfect fresh crunch, sweetness and, sometimes, natural green color too, while acquiring light pickled taste and saltiness.

What is the secret of pickles? ›

Here are 10 tips for crunchy pickles:
  • Choose Freshly Harvested Cucumbers. As soon as cucumbers are picked, the softening process begins. ...
  • Use the Right Cucumber Varieties. ...
  • Cut off the Ends of Cucumbers. ...
  • Soak Cucumbers in Ice Water. ...
  • Use Calcium Chloride. ...
  • Add a Source of Tannin. ...
  • Use Enough Salt. ...
  • Don't Add Bacteria.

What pickles does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's uses dill pickles in their burgers including in the Big Mac®.

What makes pickles taste better? ›

The taste of your pickled vegetables can be greatly changed by toasting spices. This is because toasting spices cause the natural oils of a spice to be released, which in turn amplifies the flavors.

Is a sour pickle good for you? ›

Fermented pickles are a good source of probiotics. Probiotics protect your gut microbiome, or the bacteria in your gut, Peart says. “Having healthy gut bacteria can minimize symptoms of an irritable bowel. And it can help us digest food and absorb nutrients.”

What is a butter pickle? ›

Unfortunately for fans of easy recipes, bread and butter pickles are not just bread, butter, and pickles mixed together. Bread and butter pickles are best described as being a lot like sour dill pickles, but with sweet onion and sugar added to the pickling mix to give them their one-of-a-kind flavor.

What is deli style? ›

It is characterized by its use of meats, bread, and pickled vegetables. One of the most popular dishes in American deli-style food is the sandwich. Deli sandwiches are typically made with sliced meats such as pastrami, corned beef, or roast beef, and are often served on rye bread.

What is deli style food? ›

A delicatessen, or in short, a “deli,” is a store where people can go to buy ready-to-eat items such as cold cut meats, sliced cheeses, sandwiches, breads, salads and so much more. If you're from the Mid-Atlantic or New England areas, you probably have a favorite deli — or a list of at least a few favorites!

What pickles do sandwich shops use? ›

While the classic dill pickle remains a beloved choice, the world of pickles has expanded to include a wide variety of flavors and types. You can now find pickled vegetables, fruits, and even spicy or sweet variations, allowing you to customize your sandwich experience to suit your taste.

What is the difference between the different types of pickles? ›

The biggest difference between dill and kosher dill pickles is not the inclusion of salt but garlic (via The Cookful). The New York Times' kosher pickle recipe calls for five whole cloves of garlic.

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