Refrigerator Pickles

Since my wife and I started our garden, we've always wanted to try our hand at refrigerator pickles. Now that we finally have our new garden producing, we now have an overabundance of pickling cucumbers. This has made for the perfect opportunity for us to try making these tangy and salty morsels of love. I do wish that our cucumbers were ready by the time I made my Pulled Pork so that I could have placed these pickles on them. I suppose that just means I'll have to make it again before summer is over.

Pickles are one of our favorite snacks and we are extremely fussy when it comes to their flavor. Being from Michigan, one of our favorite pickles are McClure's Sweet and Spicy Pickles. We wanted to mimic the amazing flavor and spice that they provide. If you are not a fan of the spice, no worries, there are only a couple of ingredients you can avoid when making this quick and amazingly simple recipe.

The process and steps we took in making the perfect pickle includes allowing the brine to cool. This will allow the cucumbers to stay crunchy during the pickling process. While this may seem lengthy, there are ways to chill the brine quickly. We used two metal bowls, the outer bowl contained water and ice and the inner bowl contained the brine. Using this method seemed to be the fastest way to get the brine to cool.

Ingredients for Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

• Cucumbers: This basic, yet necessary, ingredient is the star of the show. The cucumbers that we will be using in this recipe are grown organically in our garden. If you do not have a garden or simply find it easier to buy them from the store, go for it!
• Fresh Dill: This is also an essential ingredient for this recipe. We love the tanginess that it gives to the pickles and its amazing aroma and flavor. We also picked this from the garden, however, do not be afraid to grab this from your favorite store.
• Garlic: For the right flavor we use garlic in our refrigerator pickles. The combination of garlic and dill is fantastic and is part of the inner workings for the perfect pickle.
• Onion: We love to add onions to our pickles because it adds to the overall flavor to the pickles.
• Fresh Habanero & Red Pepper Flakes: These ingredients are optional, but since we enjoy the heat, we typically toss them in for that extra kick.
• Vinegars: We typically use both apple cider vinegar as well as white distilled vinegar. Adding the apple cider vinegar brings a little more depth to the flavor of the pickles that we absolutely love.
• Seasonings: Our refrigerator pickles include a combination of bay leaves, mustard seeds, black peppercorn, and pickling salt.
• Honey: If you prefer a sweeter pickle recipe, we've found that adding a few tablespoons of honey to the brine is a step in the right direction.

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

Step 1

Grab the Dill and lightly crush it using a rolling pin or a mason jar

Step 2

After you've finished preparing the Cucumbers, Habanero, Onions, and Garlic, pack them into a 6-Cup mason jar along with the Bay Leaves, and Dill. Be sure to layer them nicely leaving about a 1/2" from the top.

Step 3

Pour the Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, White Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Black Peppercorns, Red Pepper Flakes, and Pickling Salt into a pot and bring it to a boil. If you would like to add Honey for a sweeter pickle, add 3 Tbsp to the mixture.

Step 4

As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove the pan from the burner and let it cool until it's room temperature. 

Step 5

Once cooled, add the mixture to the mason jar, then place the mason jar into the refrigerator for one to four days. As difficult as it may be, we typically wait till the fourth day.

Storage

These cucumbers should last up to 1 month. However, should the brine or pickles look a little off or there is mold, you may need to toss them. Be sure to use your best judgement.

Conclusion

These pickles came out fantastically and we were shocked at how good they were. They're tangy, sweet, spicy, and simply delicious. Since making this recipe we've made 6 more jars for family and friends, and they love them. As soon as I get my jars back, I'm certainly going to make more since we have an endless supply of cucumbers on the way.

As for pairings, these pickles may be paired well with a charcuterie board with various crackers, meats, and cheeses. I've even mixed them in with some tuna fish which turned out to be an amazing snack. They would also pair swimmingly with Pulled Pork Sandwiches. In the near future, we plan to make more recipes, playing with some of the flavors as I've been inspired to make an asian style pickle. Also, since fall and winter are on the way, we plan on canning the pickles for longer storage.