Do you miss the flavor of those old-fashioned barrel pickles you enjoyed as a kid? I'm going to show you How To Make Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles at home.
Making old-fashioned homemade Deli Style Kosher Dill Pickles is easy, tasty and an awesome way to learn how to preserve your own food.
Fermenting in a Crock
Fermenting pickles in a crock is very easy to do and you don't even have to own a crock or a barrel. You can use a large plastic or glass container like a gallon size mason jar. Or a plastic food grade tub.
If you have ever wanted to learn how to ferment or preserve some of the cucumbers you are growing in your backyard garden then making homemade pickles is just what you have been looking for.
Growing Fresh Kirby Pickles
The first time I made homemade pickles I make refrigerator dill pickles with Kirby cucumbers I had grown myself along the fence in my backyard.
Back then it wasn't so easy to find pickling cucumbers at the store. Now you can buy pickling cucumbers at most grocery stores. You'll know when you've found them because they are usually labeled as pickling cucumbers.
If you want to try making homemade pickles but don't want to mess around with fermenting them for a time you can still make homemade Kosher Dill Pickles by making refrigerator dill pickles.
What is the difference between a dill pickle and a kosher dill pickle?
A "kosher" dill pickle is not necessarily kosher in the sense that it has been prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary law. Rather, it is a pickle made in the traditional manner of Jewish New York City pickle makers, with a generous addition of garlic and dill to a natural salt brine.
When it comes to flavoring Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles or refrigerator garlic dill pickles you can decide how much garlic and dill to add to the pickling brine. If you like very garlicky pickles add more garlic than the recipe calls for. Same goes for the fresh dill.
Make your first batch of Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles with the ingredient amounts I have used as a tester batch. Then make adjustments to the amounts of fresh garlic and fresh dills when you make your next batch.
Ingredients to make
- 30 firm and fresh Kirby cucumbers
- 8 whole cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 medium bay leaves
- 14 sprigs of fresh Dill, flower heads, leaves and stems
- ½ cup 5% vinegar
- about 3 quarts of non treated water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
Directions
- Wash the Kirby cucumbers and trim off ends.
- Place the Kirby cucumbers tightly in crock or container standing up vertically. Pack the cucumbers in as tight as you can without bruising them.
- Add the whole garlic cloves, mustard seeds, coriander and fresh dill sprigs to the crock or container on top of the cucumbers.
- Mix the untreated water with the Kosher salt in a bowl. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved, add the vinegar and stir.
- Pour the salt water mixture (brine) over the cucumbers and spices in the crock or container until the cucumbers are covered completely, mixing more brine if needed to completely cover the cucumbers.
- Place a fermentation weight, plate or bowl on top of the cucumbers to force the cucumbers under the brine and keep them submerged at all times. Check frequently, at least once a day to make sure the cucumbers stay completely submerged.
- Ferment the Kosher Dill Barrel pickles in a cool area where the temperature stays about 65 to 70 degrees F. at all times.
- Check the cucumbers every 24 hours and remove any foam that floats on the top of the brine surface.
- For half sour Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles ferment the cucumbers for 5 days.
- For full sour Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles ferment up 10 days. After 5 days of fermenting begin tasting the Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles for the preference of pickle sourness you enjoy.
- Once the kosher dill barrel pickles have achieved the sourness that you like transfer the Kosher Dill Pickles to individual glass jars, cover with the pickling brine and store in the refrigerator.
- If using a one-gallon mason jar to ferment the pickles you may cover the jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.
Helpful Tip for How To Make Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles
If you like a more garlicky pickle feel free to add more fresh garlic or dill to the crock.
Make sure you wash your crock and utensils well before beginning.
Buying mustard seeds. I buy brown and yellow mustard seeds by the pound. I use them for making pickles and also for making this awesome homemade Dijon Mustard recipe.
Helpful Products for How To Make Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles
(affiliate links)
- Fermenting Crock
- Gallon Mason Jar: A gallon mason jar is the cheapest fermenting jar you can start with.
- This Pakkon Wide Mouth Glass Mason Jar with Metal Lid has a very large wide mouth opening and would be perfect for making homemade pickles. The extra-wide mouth of the jar will make packing the fresh cucumbers in tightly easier.
- Brown Mustard Seeds
- Yellow Mustard Seeds
- Pickling Salt
- All Natural Distilled White Vinegar 5% Acidity
- A fermenting weight is optional but comes in handy
Print the How To Make Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles recipe below
How To Make Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles
Ingredients
- 30 medium firm and fresh Kirby cucumbers
- 8 medium cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 medium dried bay leaves
- 14 sprigs fresh Dill flower heads, leaves and stems
- ½ cup 5% vinegar
- 3 quarts non-treated filtered water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash the Kirby cucumbers and trim off ends.
- Place the Kirby cucumbers tightly in crock or container standing up vertically. Pack the cucumbers in as tight as you can without bruising them.
- Add the whole garlic cloves, mustard seeds, coriander and fresh dill sprigs to the crock or container on top of the cucumbers.
- Mix the untreated water with the Kosher salt in a bowl. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved, add the vinegar and stir.
- Pour the salt water mixture (brine) over the cucumbers and spices in the crock or container until the cucumbers are covered completely, mixing more brine if needed to completely cover the cucumbers.
- Place a fermentation weight, plate or bowl on top of the cucumbers to force the cucumbers under the brine and keep them submerged at all times. Check frequently, at least once a day to make sure the cucumbers stay completely submerged.
- Ferment the Kosher Dill Barrel pickles in a cool area where the temperature stays about 65 to 70 degrees F. at all times.
- Check the cucumbers every 24 hours and remove any foam that floats on the top of the brine surface.
- For half sour Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles ferment the cucumbers for 5 days. For full sour Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles ferment up 10 days. After 5 days of fermenting begin tasting the Kosher Dill Barrel Pickles for the preference of pickle sourness you enjoy.
- Once the kosher dill barrel pickles have achieved the sourness that you like transfer the Kosher Dill Pickles to individual glass jars, cover with the pickling brine and store in the refrigerator.
- If using a one-gallon mason jar to ferment the pickles you may cover the jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Make sure you wash your crock and utensils well before beginning.
- If you like a more garlicky pickle feel free to add more fresh garlic or dill to the crock.
- Buying mustard seeds. I buy brown and yellow mustard seeds by the pound. I use them for making pickles and also for making this awesome homemade Dijon Mustard recipe.
Sue
This recipe calls for untreated water. What are you using?
Arlene Mobley
Hi Sue
I use store bought bottled water.
Jim Smith
First time trying this, I have purchased a 5gal. glass jar to do my pickles in, we have a convenience store and would like to sell them there, can they be stored at room temp in the store?
Arlene Mobley
Jim
these pickles will need to be refrigerated at all times.
Carol
after 8 days mine have white "motherish" film on them.Remove and still use them and the brine?
Arlene Mobley
Carol
Yes you should skim and remove it. This is very common when fermenting. As long as mold doesn't form you are fine. You can taste the pickles now and see if you like them. If your happy with the sourness it is time to refrigerate them.
Karen A Geer
This is my first time making lacto fermented pickles in quite some time. This is the 4th day and when I checked the pickles, the water has turned a dark color, brownish. Is this ok or is something wrong. What should I do? They smell good but the water is funky brown. Thanks
Arlene Mobley
Karen
I would dump and start over. I have never had the water turn brown whenever I have made any type of pickles. Did you trim the ends off the cucumbers? You have to trim both ends off the cucumbers especially the blossom end.
Margaret Vechy
How long will they keep in the refrigerator ?
Arlene Mobley
These pickles keep about 3 weeks