Kosher Pickles In A Crock Recipes

DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.
• Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
• Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
• Check the crock after 3 days. Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
• The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded.

FERMENTED KOSHER-STYLE DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Pour 1/2 gallon of water into a large container or pot. Cover loosely and allow to sit for 24 hour to allow dissolved chlorine to escape.
• Crisp cucumbers by storing in the refrigerator or soaking in very cold water for 1 hour.
• Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
• Wash cucumbers in cold water and remove any blossoms that may be clinging to them. Quarter large cucumbers lengthwise. Cut medium cucumbers in half lengthwise. Leave gherkin-sized cucumbers whole.
• Peel and gently crush garlic cloves, but don't splinter them into fragments.
• Pour cooled salt water into a 1/2-gallon Mason jar. Add cucumbers, garlic, dill, and dried chile peppers, arranged attractively. Pack cucumbers tightly; they will shrink as they pickle. Fill the jar with the dechlorinated water until cucumbers are just covered to avoid overly diluting the brine.
• Loosely cover the jar and set aside at room temperature. Set the jar on a dish if it is very full, to catch any dribbles. Give the pickles 12 to 24 hours to begin fermenting. Refrigerate them, in brine and loosely covered, as they approach the stage of pickling you prefer: new, half-sour, or sour. Don't overshoot the mark, as refrigeration slows, but does not stop, fermentation.

KOSHER DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Arrange cucumbers in 1 gallon glass jar or stoneware crock.
• Stir salt into water and pour into jar.
• Add garlic and pickling spices.
• Lay dill over top; add rye bread.
• Cover with plastic wrap and weight with small heavy object to keep cucumbers submerged.
• Let stand at room temperature 3 days, then refrigerate at least 5 days before serving.

KOSHER PICKLES, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine the salt and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool the mixture, then all the remaining ingredients.
• Add cold water to cover. Use a plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl and a small weight to keep the cucumbers immersed. Set aside at room temperature.
• Begin sampling the cucumbers after 4 hours if you quartered them. It will probably take 12 to 24 hours or even 48 hours for them to taste pickled enough to suit your taste.
• When they are ready, refrigerate them, still in the brine. The pickles will continue to ferment as they sit, more quickly at room temperature and more slowly in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to a week.

KOSHER PICKLES IN A CROCK

Steps:

• Sterilize your crock by running it through the dishwasher or filling it with boiling water, then dumping it out.
• Add cucumbers and spices. Most Kosher dills are made whole, but I cut mine into spears so that the flavor would permeate them faster (and so that my husband would be more likely to eat them!).
• Fill the crock with brine so that the cucumbers are completely covered. Because cucumbers float, I have a heavy glass lid from a saucepan that fit down inside the crock, and I used it to weight down the cucumbers and keep them submerged under the brine. Cover the top with cheesecloth, secured with rubber bands, or loosely with the lid. I used one of those elastic bowl covers and it worked just fine. Store in a cool, dark place for 3 days.
• After 3 days, taste one. The pickles can ferment from 3 to 5 days. The longer the fermentation, the more sour they'll become but the softer they'll get. Once the pickles are to your liking, refrigerate them. DON'T LEAVE THEM TOO LONG OR THEY'LL TURN SOFT AND START TO ROT!

POLISH DILL PICKLES MADE IN A CROCK

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bottom of crock with cucumbers.
• Pour mixture (water, vinegar, salt) over cucumbers.
• Throw in a few more pieces of dill.
• Submerge pickles under water by placing a plate on top weighed down by a jar of water.
• When a film appears, just skim it off.
• Try tasting smaller pickles after 5 days.