- January 13, 2023
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Pile these homemade Sweet and Spicy Pickles onto your sandwiches and burgers, seasoned with fresh dill, crisp jalapenos, and spices. This recipe is tastier and crisper than most store-bought brands, and so simple to prepare.
Chop the produce, add the brine, and wait 30 minutes. That’s all it really takes for these delicious sweet and spicy pickles.
Why This Recipe Works
Quick pickles.Pour over the brine and these soak in the flavor in less than an hour. They are even better the next day, but in a pinch, these pickles are a go-to staple.
Sweet and spicy. The best part about making your own pickles is that you have full control over the flavors. This recipe is a mildly sweet and spicy one, but you can easily adjust it with measurements for sugar and jalapenos.
Flexible and affordable. Don’t have mustard seeds or fresh dill? You can swap out spices very easily. Make the brine more sour, sweet, spicy, or aromatic with simple adjustments. No special ingredients are needed.
Recommended Types of Cucumbers
Not all cucumbers are the best for making pickles. You can use any cucumber to make them, but the results will vary.
Pickling cucumbers are preferred. These are generally smaller cucumbers, ranging from as tiny as 2″ up to 8″ long. My general rule of thumb is that if a whole one could fit into a mason jar, it’s good to go. The flesh inside of these cucumbers are more crunchy, which carries over to the final pickle as well.
Slicing cucumbers are not ideal. Not only do they have larger seeds and more moisture, but the skin on the outside is also typically much thicker and can be coated with wax. It’s possible to use these, such as an English cucumber, but they won’t be near as good.
What is the Best Cucumber for Pickling?
Here are some of the best (and most available) types of cucumbers to purchase, based on size, moisture, and skin thickness:
- National Pickling
- Boston Pickling
- Northern Pickling
- English Hothouse
- Kirby
- Persian
- Parisian
How to Make Pickle Brine
Place the sliced cucumbers and jalapenos in a large bowl. Heat up the brine over high heat until the mixture is simmering. Cook for a few minutes and stir to make sure the salt dissolves.
Immediately pour the brine into the bowl with the jalapenos and cucumbers. Cover the bowl with paper towels pressed down into the liquid and wait at least 30 minutes. Transfer them to a container and place them in the refrigerator.
Pickle Brine Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seeds
- 2 sprigs of fresh dill
Important Tips for the Best Pickles
- The pickles need to be fully submerged in the brine. My quick trick is to use a paper towel and press into the liquid, which holds the cucumbers down into the brine.
- Want extra crispy pickles? Soak the cucumber slices in ice water for at least 2 hours before adding brine. I place the bowl in the fridge to keep it cold.
- Taste the jalapeno first, to determine the heat level. Don’t simply slice and add chiles without testing them, you might accidentally overheat the pickles!
- Use fresh dill for the best results. It’s worth the extra penny if you’re going to be making the pickles using fresh dill. Dried herbs won’t produce the same flavors in this recipe.
Recommended Condiments to Make
We’ve got more than these sweet and spicy pickles! Condiments are what brighten up rich, smoky food and elevate them into an even more exciting bite. Check out some of our other recipes:
- Cranberry Chimichurri Sauce
- Roasted Hatch Chile Jam
- Smoked Pickled Jalapenos
- Smoked Dijon Mustard
- Korean Honey Mustard Sauce
Sweet and Spicy Pickles
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Pile these homemadeSweet and Spicy Picklesonto your sandwiches and burgers, seasoned with fresh dill, crisp jalapenos, and spices. This recipe is tastier and crisper than most store-bought brands, and so simple to prepare.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
- 1 jalapeno, sliced (seeded is optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seeds
- 2 sprigs of fresh dill
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers and jalapenos, adding them to a large bowl.
- Heat up the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, mustard seeds, and dill in a saucepan over high heat until the mixture is simmering. Cook for a few minutes until the salt dissolves.
- Immediately pour the brine into the bowl with the jalapenos and cucumbers. Cover the bowl with a paper towel or two, pressing down against the liquid to keep everything submerged in the brine.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before serving, however, they will develop more flavor if allowed to sit in the fridge overnight. Transfer everything, including the brine, to a mason jar and store it in the fridge.
Notes
- These quick pickles will be good for up to a month if left in a sealed container, refrigerated.
- Make sure to place the paper towel, or another weight, on top of the pickles to keep them submerged during the initial 30 minutes.
- Author: Brad Prose
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sauces & Salsas
- Method: Pickling
- Cuisine: Condiment
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