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Close up of whole pickles in pickling juice in a pot.

Refrigerator Pickles

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Eastern European, European
Keyword: pickles, refrigerator pickles
Prep Time: 1 hour
Soaking and pickling time: 16 hours
Total Time: 17 hours
Servings: 40 servings
Calories: 19kcal
Author: Victor
The best whole refrigerator pickles.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 10 lbs pickling cucumbers
  • 5 ½ quarts water spring water
  • 8 Tbsp sea salt plus more to taste (see notes)
  • 2 Tbsp white sugar
  • 1 ½ Tbsp black peppercorns whole
  • 1 Tbsp allspice whole
  • 1 Tbsp coriander seeds whole
  • 6 bay leaves whole
  • 4 cloves whole
  • 1 tsp dill seeds
  • 8 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 garden dill stalk entire flower head and foliage, cut in pieces; or ¼ bunch fresh dill

Instructions

  • Soak pickling cucumbers in water overnight or at least for a few hours. Rinse and cut off small tips on both ends.
  • To prepare the pickling juice, in a large pot, heat water until just hot but not boiling. Add the salt and the sugar, and stir until both have fully dissolved. Add the black peppercorns, four sliced garlic cloves, allspice, coriander, cloves and dill seeds. Cover and let the water cool down to room temperature.
  • Transfer the pickling cucumber to a large container. Add the remaining four sliced garlic cloves, bay leaves and the garden dill and mix together.
  • Pour the pickling juice over the cucumbers. Weight down by a plate to keep all pickling cucumbers submerged in the pickling juice.
  • Keep at room temperature for 6 hours before refrigerating.
  • Refrigerate overnight (or for at least 6 hours) before enjoying. Keep refrigerated for up to a month. They get better with time.

Notes

The pickling juice needs to be salted a little bit more than 'just right'. Think of 'over-salted' soup.
Recipe updated on Sep 16, 2019

Nutrition

Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1405mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 84IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg