My mom makes the BEST DILL PICKLES EVER!!!! I’m not even kidding. She has been perfecting this recipe for over 30 years!!!! They are crisp, tangy, garlic and I have yet to find it’s equal. Friends, today is your lucky day because she has shared her secret recipe. In this video, we show you how to make fool proof dill pickles and share some tips & tricks to help you along the way. Note: in this video, we doubled the recipe and made 21 jars!
Dill Pickles Recipe (makes 6 quarts)
Ingredients:
- 2-3 heads of garlic, peeled & separated into cloves
- 2-3 bunches of dill, washed & picked into smaller sections
- 12-15 lbs of medium sized pickling cukes
- 10-12 quart sized Wide Mouth Mason Jars
- 10-12 canning jar lids & bands
For Brine:
- 1 quart pickling vinegar
- 2 quarts water
- 3/4 cup coarse salt
Method
1. Sanitize the Mason Jars by putting them in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle. Leave them in until you are ready to use them. They need to be hot for the jars to seal properly.
2. Wash, Soak & Scrub the cukes
3. Combine the ingredients for the brine & bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and put a tight lid on it to keep it warm.
4. Prepare the garlic by breaking the heads into cloves. Peel off the skin.
5. Soak & Rinse the Dill, then break it up into smaller pieces, removing any large stems.
6. Heat the canning jar lids (not the bands) in warm water. Keep them in the water in preparation for canning.
7. Time to stuff the jars! Tip: Make sure the jars, brine & lids are still nice & toasty or else they may not seal.
- Remove only a couple jars from the dishwasher at a time, closing the dishwasher door to keep them warm.
- Place 2-3 cloves or garlic and a couple pinches of dill in the base of the jar.
- Stuff the pickles in, starting with the bigger sized cukes, then filling the gaps with medium and smaller sized cukes. Leave at least 1/2 inch of space from the very top of the jar.
- Fill the jar with brine, leaving at least 1/4 inch of space from the top of the jar.
- Immediately place a canning jar lid from the warm water onto the jar. Screw the band part of the lid onto the jar, but don’t tighten it or it might not seal!!!!! Leave it fairly loose.
- Repeat these steps until you’re out of ingredients.
8. Place the jars somewhere out of the way to let them cool. Allow at least 1-2 inches between the jars so the air can circulate and help them cool & seal.
9. Wait for the lids to seal. You’ll hear them make a popping sound as the lids seal to the jar. This process can take up to 24 hours.
10. Test the seal by looking at the lids to make sure the dimple has inverted. You can also test the seal by tapping the lids (the higher pitched taps means it has sealed) or by trying to lift the jar by only holding the jar lid (without the band).
11. Wait 6 weeks then enjoy! Once sealed, pickles can be stored for up to 2 years.