Grama's Dill Pickles

Grama’s dill pickles are the kind of recipe handed down on an index card splattered with brine. Just five ingredients and a few weeks of patience separate you from snappy, crunchy pickles that taste nothing like the soft store-bought kind.

The technique is old-school hot pack. Pricking each cucumber with a fork helps the brine penetrate evenly. A pour of boiling water first warms the cukes, then a hot brine of white wine vinegar, water, and pickling salt seals the deal with a sprig of fresh dill in every jar.

The magic happens slowly. Give them at least two to three weeks before opening so the flavors deepen and the sour-salty bite develops.

Kitchen Tips

• Use small Kirby or pickling cucumbers, never waxed grocery slicers. Waxy skins keep the brine out and result in soft pickles.
• Pickling salt only. Table salt has anti-caking agents that cloud the brine, and iodine darkens the pickles.
• Trim the blossom end (¼ inch off the flower side). Blossoms contain enzymes that soften pickles over time.
• Soak cucumbers in ice water for a few hours before packing for the snappiest crunch.

Variations

• Add 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and a few black peppercorns to each jar for classic kosher dill flavor.
• Toss in red pepper flakes or a fresh chili for spicy dill pickles.
• Add a grape leaf or oak leaf to each jar. The tannins help keep pickles extra crunchy.