Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

half sour pickles deli style

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Pamela Rappaport
The Villages, FL

Have you even been to a deli and enjoyed the crunchy, green whole pickles served there? My husband adores them. Since we move away from south Florida there were no deli restaurants around so I learned to make them. They're super simple to make. The only caution I give is to use a container with a wide enough top that you can place something inside to weigh the cucumbers down. If any float and are exposed to air they may rot.

(1 rating)
prep time 15 Min
method Refrigerate/Freeze

Ingredients For half sour pickles deli style

  • 6 to 8 pickling cucumbers, or enough to fill your container
  • 4 c
    cool water
  • 1/4 c
    kosher salt, don't use table salt it has ingredients you don't want
  • 3
    cloves garlic, give them a quick crush and remove the peel
  • 1 tsp
    black peppercorns

How To Make half sour pickles deli style

  • 1
    Wash the cucumbers well and place in a wide mouth container. I have a little stock pot, about 8 inches across and 10 inches deep that's my go to. You need to be able to weigh the cucumbers down so they don't float, I use a saucer.
  • 2
    Add the garlic and peppercorns to the container. NOTE - it's not traditional, but some like to add a teaspoon of picking spices, or a sprig of fresh dill.
  • 3
    Mix the water and salt and stir until dissolved.
  • 4
    Pour over the cucumbers. If they are not covered make more salt water with the same proportion of salt to water.
  • 5
    Weigh down the cucumbers so they are not floating. If exposed to air they will rot.
  • 6
    Partially cover and let sit on the counter for 3 days. You'll see little bubbles starting to form. This means they are fermented and ready. Chill and enjoy!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT