Kosher Dill Pickles Recipe

This kosher dill pickle recipe is simple to make, and deliciously robust. These are a good pickle to have on your shelf for all occasions, and a great way to preserve a bountiful cucumber harvest.

Everyone wants to know the difference between kosher dill pickles, and regular dill pickles, and the truth is, the lines have become somewhat blurred over the years, with confusion about whether it means dietarily kosher, or something else.

While Kosher dills should be compatible with a jewish diet, the term these days refers more to the type of pickle popularizes by Jewish delis in New York City. These pickles were originally made with fermented brine, but as the need for consistency and large quantity availability grew, they became more frequently vinegar based.

The “Kosher” style pickle also usually includes spices like mustard seeds, and a distinct garlic flavor. And while, yes, we usually do use kosher salt in making pickles, that’s not what makes them kosher. You would need a pickle certified by a rabbinical organization or a true kosher pickle. Incidentally, Kosher salt is simply a style of salt that is flakier, dissolves easily, and is the best type of salt to use for “koshering” meat. It’s great for canning because of the easy dissolving, and because it does not contain iodine.

 

Canning Kosher Dill Pickles

There are a couple different ways to can pickles. One is the inversion method, which is not USDA approved. I’m not saying I don’t use it, but I’m definitely not going to recommend it. Essentially, all you’re doing is turning the jar over while it’s still piping hot so that the hot liquid kills any germs in the top of the jar, and then turning it back over to seal as it cools.

What this basically means is that your cucumbers are potentially still raw and full of living microbes. In theory, that won’t matter because your pickling brine won’t allow them to live and cause harm, but it’s not a guarantee.

The USDA approved method for pickle canning is the boiling water bath. If you’ve desiccated your pickles either with salt water, or pickle crisp, this should’t scare you as they will still be crispy – even after cooking in boiling brine.

All you need is a water bath canner. Basically a large stock pot with a rack inside to keep the jars from breaking against the hot bottom of the pot. It also needs to be deep enough to cover the jars with water and room to spare. My favorite is this stainless steel pot.

And don’t forget canning jars and lids. I use a myriad of canning jars I’ve collected over the years, and order bulk canning lids from Denali Canning. They come with a seal guarantee and you can’t beat that!

Other good things to have are a jar lifter for lifting hot jars, and canning funnel. 

Ingredients for Kosher Dill Pickles

• Cucumbers. Make sure you use pickling cucumbers, as slicing varieties often become softer after canning.
• Vinegar. Distilled white vinegar gives you a neutral acid flavor that allows your dill and spices to shine.
• Sugar. Just a little bit of sugar to temper the acidity.
• Salt. This is not just for flavor, but also essential for preserving pickles.
• Dill. If you grow dill, you probably know that the seed head is the most flavorful part of the plant, and preferable to use in pickle making. However, each plant only grows one seed head, so you’ll probably find that you’ll need to use the rest of the plant too. For those buying dill, the dill weed at your store works very well too!
• Bay leaves. These add a subtle earthy flavor.
• Mustard seeds. These are pungent, slightly bitter, and spicy.
• Hot peppers. Using a whole pepper, such as cayenne (which is traditional) will add a slight spice to your pickles over time. Using a sliced pepper, such as the slice of jalapeño I’ve used in my jars, will massively increase the heat of your pickles. Within a few weeks, you’ll have pickles spicy enough to satisfy the most intense heat lover.
• Garlic. This is similar to the hot peppers in that it’s not so much the quantity that matters, as the quality. In other words, if you want truly garlicky pickles, bruise or smash your garlic clove rather than adding a handful to your jar.
• Pickle Crisp. This is an optional ingredient that is made with calcium chloride. This is a natural mineral salt that fortifies vegetable pectin. The result is pickles that stay crispy – even after you can them, and give you that nice crunch.

For many of our pickles, such as bread and butter pickles, we do a salt and ice soak before canning. This desiccates the pickles, and causes them to stay firm. The pickle crisp is similar, but works within the pickle brine, eliminating that extra step.

How to make kosher dill pickles

1. Prepare fresh cucumbers. Wash and slice cucumbers into desired style. In these picutres, you can see that I mostly did long slices for sandwiches, and spears.
   
   
2. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a large pot, and bring to a simmer, stirring a few times as it heats to help dissolve the salt and sugar.
3. Prepare your jars by sterilizing them, and then add to the bottom of each, a clove of garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of mustard seeds, a hot pepper (or slice of a pepper), and a sprig of dill. Also add pickle crisp according to the package directions if using.
   
   
4. Next, pack cucumbers into jars. You can to fit as many in as you can without mashing them, Leave as little space between as possible that’s just dead space that has to be filled up with brine.
   
   
5. Pour hot brine over cucumbers, fully submerging them, but leaving a half inch headspace.
6. Screw down lids and rings.
7. Prepare water bath canner with hot water.
8. Place jars in canner, making sure they don’t touch, and that the water reaches a depth of at least an inch over the tops of the jars.
9. Bring canner to a rolling boil, and process pint jars for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from heat, and let cool for 15 minutes.
11. Remove jars from canner to a place where they can rest undisturbed. Cover with a towel to protect from drafts, and let cool completely.
12. After 24 hours, check seals, and wash jars if needed.
13. Store in a cool place out of direct light.

More recipes for you:

• Quick and easy pickled okra
• Refrigerator bread and butter pickles
• Old fashioned pickled beets recipe
• Simple pickled eggs
• Pickled green beans

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