Refrigerator Pickles - Your Moms Cooking

Equipment

2quart sized wide mouth glass jars with lids

Ingredients

For the Brine
2 cups distilled white vinegar 5% acidity
2 cups water
1/4-1/3 cup granulated sugar start with 1/4 cup, taste the brine, and decide if you'd like to increase it
3 tablespoons kosher salt or pickling salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
For the Pickles
2 pounds pickling cucumbers e.g. Kirby, mini Persian or other small cucumbers; washed and cut into halves or quartered into spears
1 large bunch dill if in doubt use more! can use a combination of heads, leaves and stems, rinsed
6 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half, optional

Instructions

Combine the brine ingredients (distilled white vinegar, water, granulated sugar, kosher or pickling salt, and black peppercorns) in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve, then turn off the heat and let the brine cool to room temperature.
Place roughly half of the dill and half of the garlic into the bottom of each 1-quart jar. Pack the cucumbers into the jars as firmly as you can, optionally adding sliced yellow or sweet onion if you like, then tuck the remaining dill and garlic among the cucumbers.
When the brine is roughly room temperature (it can be a little warmer or chilled), pour it over the pickles, dividing the peppercorns between the jars, and make sure the cucumbers are fully covered. If you find you don't have enough brine, make more using equal parts distilled white vinegar and water.
Screw on the lids and chill the jars in the refrigerator once they are fully cooled. For best results wait at least 24 hours before eating; the pickles will keep in the fridge for up to a month—ensure they remain immersed under the brine.

Notes

Using Boiling vs Cooled Brine: Some recipes call for pouring the boiling brine over the cucumbers but that will result in softer pickles. It’s really a matter of personal preference, but if you like your pickles nice and crunchy let the brine come to room temp first. If you do choose to pour boiling brine over them I recommend using a product like Pickle Crisp which will help the pickles retain more of their crunch.