Kosher Jewish Pickles

"Those of you who had the pleasure of growing up on the East Coast of the United States may have had one of these traditional Kosher pickles, made primarily by Jewish businesses. They are by no means your store bought pickles. They are even better then your favorite deli's pickles. These pickles are what all other pickles are founded on; quality. DO NOT be scared of making pickles. This is easy, and I will give it to you in layman's terms. In a good authentic Kosher pickle there is no vinegar. None, not a drop. What kind of pickle has no vinegar? A good one. Think of it this way, a pickle with vinegar is a pickle that could have been really good, but the maker decided to cheat, and quicken the process. How long is the process? 5 days, from start to finish. Too many for you? Then its time to move on. Want a fantastic, authentic, Kosher/Jewish pickles? You have found your recipe. Let us begin. P.S. The jar. I get my jar(s) by buying a big jar of crap pickles from a food warehouse. Then I wash it and pour some boiling water in it, and it is ready for use. I also boil the cap just in case, but have made many batches without ever using boiling water and I have never taken ill. Only reason I do use the boiling water on occasion is because my wife is around."
 
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photo by kshoufer photo by kshoufer
photo by kshoufer
Ready In:
2hrs
Ingredients:
9
Serves:
15-25
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cut 1/16" off the ends of the cucumbers and scrub very well (leaving the blossom end on can lead to spoilage).
  • Soak the cucumbers in ice water for a couple of hours.
  • When cucumbers are almost done soaking, Mix the salt and water.
  • Sterilize or wash your giant pickle jar (about a gallon) from the food warehouse. Make sure you have properly disposed of all the lousy pickles that use to be in it, I Recommend your compost heap or the garbage. Wash the jar or sterilize it so it no longer stinks like the vinegar they used to make there inferior pickles.
  • Now it gets real easy. Pack as many of your pickles into the jar as you can. Use the rest for a salad or something. stick in all the dill (you can chop it, but it does not matter), all the garlic cloves, all the seeds, then stop, and look at your beautiful jar. If you have the grape leaves, stick them in at this time. I don't ever use them, but my buddy does.
  • Pour the salt water in the jar. All the way up to the top minus an inch, or a half inch or so. If you are short water, add some.
  • Tightly cover the jar with the lid that came on the giant pickle jar. Cover it tightly, as hard as you can turn, stop, then tighten again just to make sure. Stand back, and look at the beauty of what you have made.
  • Place jar UPSIDE down, with a towel over it (to keep it dark), in a cool (65-58°F) place in your home. Put a plate under the jar to see if it leaks.
  • The next day (24 hours later) check to see if the jar leaked. If it did, it means you didn't follow my instructions. Tighten the lid (if needed) and TURN IT UPRIGHT, cover it with the towel, and ignore it. Walk away.
  • Leave in cool dark place for five days. If you want to leave them for a full week, more power to you. Both time frames will result in a great authentic Kosher pickle.
  • Enjoy, then leave feedback on this recipe.

Questions & Replies

  1. how long do they last in refrigerator
     
  2. How do you keep liquid brine clear.
     
  3. Followed the recipe pickles fermentation began but I don't remember pickles tasting like they were spicey like fruit becoming hard and producing alcohol. What is the difference between these pickles and the ones in the old deli floating in wood barrels? How do you stop the fermentation process?
     
  4. Only a 1/4 C salt to 16 C water. Is that correct?
     
  5. Do these need to be eaten quickly, or are they good for an extended period of time? How long will they last? I'm just one person so this is a lot of pickles for me!
     
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Reviews

  1. Well, being from Jersey, having worked for years in NYC and frequented many of the Jewish delis, I needed my fix, a good Kosher pickle. In Utah, pickles and pizza aren't like in NYC, not in the slightest. So, I tried this recipe and others. I followed this one to a T - Stop the Clock! These are exactly, repeat exactly, what I remembered and craved. Yes, the liquid turned cloudy but the results were spot on. And, no vinegar; he's right, no vinegar! I don't know how the others who turned up their noses at this recipe got their end product, but I'm going all in, 5 Pickles!
     
  2. These are very very close to what I do. My mother and grandma used to stand around and whip these babies up in no time. First of all, KOSHER salt is a must! I personally don't care if it's cloudy or not. It changes with every batch. I cram those cukes in there so there is no loose cuke whatsoever. This is a big deal. If you had rotten cukes, one must have gotten loose. Cram the garlic in between. I use pickling spice and a bay leaf, no fuss. Fill the jar with the brine and put the cap on tightly, then loosen it just a tad. Otherwise you can hear the explosions across the street. I have never tightened them. Right now, I have some on the dark side of my counter, fermenting away. I suggest on the second day, open it and see if there is any foam and you can take it off with a teaspoon if you'd like. It should already smell like Katz' deli. Put the cap back, and on the fourth day, tighten the lid, and shake the jar to distribute the liquid evenly. Loosen the lid and tomorrow, try one to see if it's at the taste you like best. Tighten the jar and leave it n the fridge. They'll be gone in two days so get going.
     
  3. @BitOBar: your brine turned cloudy because your salt had additives in it. It's not unsafe, just unsightly. You can leave it alone. I use pickling salt, which is absolutely pure sodium chloride with no additives, which prevents the brine from getting cloudy.
     
  4. Almost exactly what I was looking for! They're definitely the traditional Jewish pickles i remember from my childhood at Ronnie's Deli in Orlando (which I've been craving for forever!). The reviews concerning salt confused me - the recipe as I see it posted says 1/4c salt, which is exactly what I used. I actually think they were a tiny bit bland (I like pickles a little salty), so I'll use 1/3c salt next time, and up my dill and pepper/coriander by a little. I also might pack the dill/spices in with the pickles rather than put them on top. I didn't use grape leaves. I see other recipes calling for the addition of day-stale rye bread, and I might try that next. All in all, simple, crunchy, delish, and true to tradition. My family and I are already gobbling them up and reminiscing about the great pickles of days gone by! Thank you so so much for posting! This will be a frequently used recipe in my house for sure!
     
  5. If you're looking for AUTHENTIC NY "New" pickles that you'll find in every real deli in NY, you found it.... I used a huge Vlasic Pickle jar I got from Smart & Final. Came home dumped those out and ran the jar and cap through the dishwasher. Took the smell of those things completely away. I made my 1st batch just a few weeks ago in the middle of a SoCal heat wave so I took a few shelves out used my Wine Cave to store the pickles. I didn't use grape leaves and I doubled up on the garlic. BEST PICKLES I'VE EVER HAD, no question...
     
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all food is great.
 
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