Spicy Bread & Butter Pickles

Spicy Bread & Butter Pickles

Pickles
Cucumbers, Canning

Makes 4 pints

These crisp sweet-and-spicy pickles are are best after a few days in the refrigerator, and will keep for a couple of weeks without canning. They never last that long at my house, where we make them with cucumbers from our garden. These are great alongside a plate of Nashville hot chicken.

Ingredients #

  • 2 lbs. pickling cucumbers
  • 1 medium white or yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 6 Serrano or jalapeño chiles (or any other hot pepper you care to use), stem removed and pepper split down the middle
  • 2 carrots, scrubbed carefully and sliced into thin diagonal slices
  • Heaping ¼ cup Kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 1 tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 2 green cardamom pods, crushed
  • ¾ tsp. celery seeds
  • 1 tsp. coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp. black peppercorns
  • 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • A generous pinch of ground allspice
  • 6 whole cloves
  • A pinch of ground cloves
  • ½ tsp. turmeric

Instructions #

Thoroughly rinse the cucumbers under cold running water, scrubbing off any dirt that may be stuck to them. Slice off 1/8 inch from the blossom-ends and discard. Slice the cucumbers in ¼” slices and place in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the sliced onions, chilies, carrots and salt. Toss everything together so that the salt is distributed evenly among and between the cucumber slices. Cover with a clean, thin kitchen towel and top with ice cubes. Let this chill in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Discard the ice and rinse the vegetables thoroughly. Drain them, and rinse and drain again.

In a large pot, place the vinegars, sugar, and all of the spices. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar is fully dissolved in the brine, add the drained vegetables. Return to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils again, remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to move the vegetables to a glass or stainless steel bowl (or a plastic container, but be aware that the turmeric may stain plastic). Pour the hot brine over the vegetables. Cool, cover and refrigerate.

If you like, these can be canned. Process for 35 minutes (for quart jars) using the water-bath method.