Cucumber slices salted and chilled for crunch, then packed with fresh dill, smashed garlic, mustard seed, peppercorn, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and sealed under a hot vinegar brine in a boiling-water bath. Six shelf-stable jars that come into their own after four to six weeks. Sharp, garlicky, and properly crisp.
Gluten-FreeDairy-FreeVeganMake-Ahead
Best for: putting up a batch when cucumbers are cheap and plentiful. Makes 6 pint jars. The salting step is what keeps them crunchy, and the four-to-six-week wait is what makes them taste like something — plan ahead rather than opening a jar the next day.
Garlic Dill Pickles — Recipe
Prep
30 minplus 2 hr salting
Process
10 min
Cure
4–6 weeksfor best flavor
Makes
6 pints
Equipment
Boiling-water canner with rack
6 pint jars with new lids and bands
Jar lifter
Nonmetallic bubble remover or chopstick
Large pot for the brine
Ingredients
Brine (for all 6 jars)
4 cups 5% white vinegar
4 cups water
¼ cup pickling salt
Per pint jar
Cucumber slices, ⅛–¼ inch thick
2–3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
1 fresh dill head
1 small dill sprig
½ tsp mustard seed
½ tsp black peppercorns
⅛ tsp coriander seed
Pinch red pepper flakes
Crisp the cucumbers
Slice the cucumbers ⅛–¼ inch thick.
Salt the slices, put them in a closed container, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. This draws out water and is what keeps the finished pickle crisp.
Drain and rinse the salted slices thoroughly.
Make the brine
Combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Pack and process
Pack the spices and aromatics into each jar: garlic, dill head and sprig, mustard seed, peppercorns, coriander, and red pepper flakes.
Pack the cucumber slices in tightly.
Pour the boiling brine over the cucumbers, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Run a nonmetallic tool around the inside to remove air bubbles.
Wipe the rims clean, set the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed 12–24 hours.
Check the seals, label, and store. Best flavor after 4–6 weeks.
Notes from experience
The salting-and-chilling step is the whole secret to crunch — don't skip it, and rinse well afterward or the pickles come out too salty.
Use pickling (canning) cucumbers if you can get them. Slicing cucumbers work but go softer; the thicker end of the ⅛–¼ inch range holds up better.
Wait the four to six weeks. Fresh out of the canner they taste flat and one-note; the garlic and dill need time to move into the cucumber.
A note on canning safely
This is a tested-style ratio — equal parts 5% vinegar and water with pickling salt — and the acidity is what makes these safe to store on the shelf. Don't cut the vinegar or swap in a lower-acidity vinegar, and don't stretch the headspace or shorten the process time. Adjust the processing time up for high altitude per standard canning guidance. Any jar that doesn't seal goes in the fridge and gets eaten first.
Storage
Sealed jars keep in a cool, dark pantry about a year. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a couple of months. An unsealed jar is fine — just refrigerate it from the start and treat it as a fridge pickle.
