Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 03:50PM | Mark Scarbrough No-Canning-Needed Bread and Butter Pickles
Can we do a little bragging? We published this recipe in COOKING LIGHT a few years ago and it got a five-star rating from their test kitchen. They apparently give out less than a dozen of those a year.
No wonder this one was a success: sweet and sour cucumber pickles, spicy and aromatic as well. Best of all, you don't have to steam up the house with a canning kettle.
We've made it every year since. In the summer, we like to bring the jar out from the fridge, set it in the middle of the coffee table, and let our friends nibble away over margaritas or other cocktails.
No doubt: these pickles are a treat. What's more, they keep for a month. So grab some cukes and let's make pickles!
The salted, drained cukes and sliced onionsFirst off, slice 3 pounds (about 1 1/3 kilograms) of medium cucumbers into 1/4-inch thick disks. (That's a-little-more-than-1/2-centimeter thick disks. And you'll end up with about 12 cups.) Place the rings in a large bowl, add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, toss well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
Those salted cukes will have given off liquid galore. Drain them in a colander, rinse them well to get rid of excess salt, and drain them well again, shaking the colander over the sink to get out as much water as you can.
Layer the cucumber rings in a heat-safe, 1-gallon (4-liter), glass jar with 2 1/4 cups thinly sliced yellow onion. (That'll be about 1 very large onion, thinly sliced.)
Now you're ready to make the brine. Mix all this in a large saucepan: 2 cups (475 ml) plain white vinegar, 2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar, 1 cup (240 ml) cider vinegar, 1/2 cup (90 grams) packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon celery seeds, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Bring the mixture to a low simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until both sugars have completely dissolved. Cool off the heat for 5 minutes.
Pour this hot vinegar mixture into the glass jar. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 1 month. Use long lobster forks or nut picks to dig out the cucumbers--and enjoy every last bite of summer!
Reader Comments (6)
Everyone needs a good bread-n-butter pickle recipe and this one should be on the top of everyone's list!
Would this recipe work if you replaced the sugars with artificial sweeteners?
Sadly, Arin, I DO think it would work; but I don't know the correct ratios. After all, you're not trying to make jam or get a cake to set, so you're not looking for a chemical reaction from the sugar in terms of building structure and coherence. You're just looking to balance the vinegar. But that said, I do think you'd have to add some water to the recipe because sugar does act as a liquid in most cooking ratios. So you might want to add a little water with those sweeteners. If you figure this out, please please let us all know.
And thanks, Jackie. It's a fine recipe--and so very good with a burger on a hot summer night.
M.
Just made these pickles - they are fabulous! I know the title says no canning but can we use this same recipe for canning? I would like to make more of these and put into smaller ball jars for winter enjoyment!
Susan: I'm sorry to be so unhelpful, but I don't know if it'd work. The pickles might get too mushy during the heating from canning--and I don't know that the sugar/salt ratio is right to keep the bad bugs from coming to work. Sorry about that. But let me say this: cukes are available all year round so we have a jar of these going even in the winter!
Mark
This is the kind of canning I like. The whole water-bath thing still gives me the heebie-jeebies. I always fear I may kill someone if I goof. But this pickling recipe looks fool-proof enough for me. ;)