Kosher-Style Dill Pickles Canning Recipe

These kosher-style dill pickles have a well-rounded briny flavor that is a delicious balance between sweet and tart. They are crisp, crunchy, and infused with dill, garlic, and enough saltiness to satisfy your pickle cravings.

Come harvest time, our classic bread and butter pickles canning recipe is one of the most popular articles here at Grow a Good Life. Turning an abundant harvest of cucumbers into shelf-stable jars of pickles is such a great way to preserve them.

However, not everyone likes a sweet pickle. In fact, most prefer the addicting briny taste of dill pickles.

This is a fresh pack, kosher-style dill pickle recipe with a vinegar brine flavored with pickling spices, lots of dill, a hint of garlic, and spicy kick of red pepper flakes. Enjoy these pickles with your favorite sandwiches, as a side to meals, and chop them up to add savory zest to salads.

Tips for Making Dill Pickles

Starting with freshly harvested small pickling cucumbers are your key to preserved jars of dill pickles with a whole lot of crunch. Here are more tips for canning a great batch of kosher dill pickles:

Use freshly harvested pickling cukes

Pickling cucumbers are short, stout, thin-skinned cucumbers that are primarily grown for pickling. Skip the waxed cucumbers at the grocery store. The wax prevents the pickling liquid from penetrating the cucumber.

You will get the best results if you pick the cucumbers and make the pickles the same day. Harvest in the morning while the temperatures are cool to help prevent a bitter flavor. If you purchase from a farm stand, find out if the cucumbers were picked that day.

Harvest small cucumbers that are no larger than 4-inches. The firm flesh and smaller seed cavity help the cucumbers stay crisp when pickled. Use larger or more mature cucumbers for relishes and bread-and-butter style pickles.

You’ll need about 8 pounds of pickling cucumbers to fill 6 to 7 pint sized jars. The exact amount will vary depending on the size of your cucumbers and if you keep them whole, cut into spears, or slices. You will be able to fill wide mouth jars with more spears or whole cucumbers than regular mouth jars.

Use pickling salt

Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can darken pickles and cause cloudiness in your jars. Instead, use pickling salt, which is also called canning salt.

Use commercial vinegar with at least 5% acidity

• Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples. It has a fruity tart flavor that blends well with vegetables. The color is amber brown and may darken your pickles slightly, but the flavor is worth it.
• White vinegar is clear vinegar made by distilling corn and rye. It tastes more sour and acidic than apple cider vinegar, but this may be just what you love about pickles. Choose an organic brand to avoid genetically modified corn.

Use good quality water

Most city tap water is filled with chemicals that can affect the pickles. Filter your water or use purchased distilled water to make your pickles.

Generously flavor the pickles

Part of the reason these pickles are so addicting is the depth of flavor. First we infuse the pickling brine by simmering it with pickling spices, making a pickle tea of sorts. If you pickle a lot of vegetables, you may want mix your own homemade pickling spice.

Then we will add extra dill and mustard seeds, crushed garlic, and red pepper flakes to the jars with the cucumbers give them lots of flavor. Bay leaves add flavor and tannins to help keep the pickles crisp.

Don’t worry if you don’t have fresh dill flower heads or foliage. The main flavor of dill pickles comes from the dill seeds, so you can skip the fresh dill if you don’t have it.

Follow the recipe

When canning pickles, it is important to use a recipe that has been scientifically tested. Cucumbers contain very limited acidity and typically have a pH of 5.12 to 5.78. Clostridium botulinum can grow in improperly canned, pickled foods with a pH higher than 4.6. It is important to use scientifically tested recipes for home canning pickles to ensure their safety.

Feel free to experiment with dried herbs as flavorings, but keep the proportions of the vinegar, water, and salt the same to ensure the proper chemistry to can your pickles safely.

Steps for Making Dill Pickles

If you are new to canning, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.

This canning recipe is the “Kosher-Style Pickles” from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.. A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the general steps for making and canning dill pickles:

Step 1: Gather your canning gear

• Water bath canner and canning rack
• 7 pint sized canning jars
• Canning lids and bands (new lids for each jar, bands can be reused)
• Canning tools: jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
• Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large bowl, small pot, towels, knife, and a cutting board.

Step 2: Prepare the canning equipment

Wash your jars, lids, bands, and canning tools in warm, soapy water. Rinse well, and set the lids, bands, and tools aside to air dry until you are ready to use them.

Setup your water bath canner with the canning rack on a large burner of your stove. Place the jars upright in the canner, and add water to cover. Bring the canner to a simmer (180˚F) for 10 minutes, and keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill them.

Step 3: Make the pickling brine

Add the 3 tablespoons of pickling spice to a spice bag. If you don’t have a spice bag, use cheesecloth or a coffee filter to make a pouch and tie with thread or kitchen string.

If you don’t have pre-mixed pickling spice, substitute 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons dill seeds, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, and 4 whole dried allspice berries. Add this to your bag and tie it off.

In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and the pickling spice bag. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag and keep the brine warm until you are ready to use it.

Step 4: Prepare your cucumbers

Rinse the cucumbers under running water to remove dust and soil. Run your fingers along the fruit to remove the spines.

The stem and blossom end of cucumbers contain enzymes that can cause bitterness and limp pickles. Cut off 1/8-inch from each end. Leave the cucumbers whole, cut them into spears, or slice them into coins.

Step 5: Fill the jars

Lay a kitchen towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to remove a hot jar from the canner, drain, and place on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner, so they stay warm.

Add the following to each jar: 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of dill foliage or flower head, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dill seeds, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Pack the cucumbers vertically into the jar. It may help to turn the jar on its side, and stack the spears inside. Try to pack the cucumbers as tightly as you can. Place the jar upright, add the canning funnel, and pour hot pickling brine over the cucumbers while maintaining a 1/2-inch headspace.

Run the bubble popper through the jar to release any trapped air bubbles. Make sure all the pickles are submerged under the brine. Remove any that stick out, and adjust the headspace again if needed.

If you are canning cucumber slices, add the slices to the jar, fill the jar half way with the brine, and then give the slices a stir with the bubble popper. This will help separate the slices and combine them with the brine. Top off with more brine while maintaining 1/2 inch of headspace.

Wipe the rim with a damp towel to remove residue. Center a lid on the jar, place the band over the lid, and screw it on until fingertip tight. Place the jar back into the canner, and repeat with the rest of the jars.

Step 6: Can the pickles

Once the jars are filled and in the canner, adjust the water level so it is covering the jars by several inches, bring the pot to a boil, and process the jars in a hot water bath canner for the times indicated in the recipe below.

Let the jars cool, test the seals, label and date the jars, and store the dill pickles in a cool, dark location. Let the pickles stand for about 4 weeks before opening for the flavors to develop.

Canning Resources

• Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
• Storing Home Canned Goods – National Center for Home Preservation
• Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Foods – National Center for Home Preservation

You May Also Like These Canning Recipes:

• Pickled Dilly Beans
• Bread and Butter Pickles
• Dill Pickled Zucchini
• Dill Pickled Carrots

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