State Fair Favorite Dill Pickles Recipe 375

Steps:

• Stir water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt together in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely.
• Combine cucumber spears, garlic cloves, and fresh dill in a large glass or plastic container. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Seal container with lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days.

Steps:

• GET ALL OF THIS GOING BEFORE FILLING THE JARS.
• Wash 7 quart jars in hot, soapy water (or dishwasher), rinse and fill with hot water; set aside.
• Fill canning kettle half-full with hottest tap water; set on burner over high heat.
• In a medium saucepan, fit lids and rings together, cover with water, bring to a simmer.
• In a large saucepan, bring water, vinegar and salt to boil; turn off the heat; set aside.
• FILL JARS: place a layer of dill at the bottom of each jar, along with one garlic clove (if used), then TIGHTLY load the cukes into the jar to the NECK of the jar (depending on size you may get two nice layers with a few small cukes in the top--)---squeeze cukes into the jar tightly--uniform size helps; add a few TINY spriglets of dill at the top, too, and another garlic clove if desired.
• Once jars are loaded, pour in the brine leaving half-inch head space in each jar.
• Add lid and ring to each jar, tightening evenly.
• Place jars into canner with water JUST to the necks of the jars.
• Bring water ALMOST to a boil (about 15 minutes--depending on how fast it heats up).
• Remove jars, set on a dish towel on the kitchen counter, cover with another dish towel & let cool.
• Check for seal (indented lid), label jars or lids, store in cool dark cellar or cupboard.
• NOTES: When washing/scrubbing cukes, sort them into piles by size. This really helps make your jars look nicer, if you have uniform sizes (and this impresses the judges too!). And makes for easier packing, too.

Steps:

• In a stockpot, bring water, vinegar and salt to a boil; boil 10 minutes. Pack cucumbers into nine hot quart jars within 1/2 in. of top. Place one dill head, two garlic cloves and two peppers in each jar. , Carefully ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. . Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 15 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

Steps:

• 1. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan until oil reaches a temperature of 350 degrees F.
• 2. Combine flour, baking powder and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Beat egg in separate bowl.
• 3. When oil comes up to temperature, dip Vlasic® Ovals Hamburger Dill Chips in egg and then in flour mixture and add to oil. Cook until golden brown, flipping over while cooking, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Set aside on a paper towel to drain.
• 5. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil into a separate cast iron or fry pan and heat until oil shimmers. Add burger to pan.
• 6. While burger is cooking, add bun, cut side down, to fry pan. Heat until grilled, 2 to 3 minutes, then remove.
• 7. Cook burger to desired doneness and turn off heat. Lay American cheese on burger and cover pan until melted.
• 8. On bottom of bun, layer lettuce, tomato and burger. Top with ranch dressing, fried pickles and top of bun.
• 9. Serve additional fried pickles on the side.

Steps:

• Cook's note: This recipe also works for carrot sticks, green beans or a medley of vegetables. Red and green bell peppers look wonderful on a relish tray at Christmas time. If you can't find a 9-percent vinegar, you may substitute a lower percentage, such as 6 or 7. If you're using large cucumbers, cut into spears or sticks. Pack the cucumbers in warm jar. Add vinegar and remaining ingredients except boiling water. Finish filling jar with boiling water, leaving about 1/2-inch of head space. Remove air bubbles. If you are going to store the jars in the refrigerator, seal and allow to cool before refrigerating. If you are going to store the jars on shelves, process them in a water bath for about 15 minutes. To tell when pickles are done processing, use tongs to pull a jar out of the water and check the color. When the pickles have lost their green, natural color and are the color of green olives, they're ready. Remove jars from water and place on a towel over a countertop, allowing space between jars so air can circulate. Do not cover with a cloth. When lids are cool to touch, check seals. If improperly sealed, store pickles in refrigerator and eat as soon as possible. If seals are fine, allow jars to cool 24 hours before storing in a cool, dark place. This recipe yields 1 quart.

Steps:

• Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.
• Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
• Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
• Check the crock after 3 days. Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
• The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded.

Steps:

• Place water, salt, and garlic into a large saucepan. Add cloves, bay leaves, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Stir until salt is dissolved. Heat over low for just a few minutes to bring water to room temperature. The water should not be warm.
• Place some dill flowers in the bottom of a jar or crock large enough to hold the cucumbers, spices, and some brine. Place a few of the cucumbers on top of the dill weed. Alternate layers of dill flowers and cucumbers, ending with a layer of dill. Pour pickling brine into the crock. Gently tap or shake the crock to eliminate any air bubbles. Weigh down the pickles with a small ramekin to ensure they stay below the surface of the brining liquid. Top with more brine. Reserve any extra brine to add if necessary during the fermentation process. Cover crock.
• Place crock where it can ferment at a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F. Let pickles ferment for a week, checking every day to ensure pickles remain submerged. Small bubbles may appear; this is a normal product of the fermentation process. Add more brine if necessary.
• After about 8 days, you can skim off the foam. Test a pickle for flavor and crunch. You can continue fermenting them for a couple more days or, if you like them at this point, transfer pickles to a large jar. Fill jar with the brine from the fermentation process. Cover and store finished pickles in the refrigerator.