America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Dill Pickle Chips

By Nicole Konstantinakos

Published on July 12, 2020

Time

1¼ hours, plus 3 hours salting and 24 hours chilling

Yield

Serves 128, makes four 1-pint jars

Dill Pickle Chips

Ingredients

2½ pounds pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed, sliced ¼ inch thick2 tablespoons canning and pickling salt 2 cups chopped dill plus 4 large sprigs3 cups cider vinegar 3 cups water ¼ cup sugar 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds 2 teaspoons dill seed ½ teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp 4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

Instructions

  1.  Toss cucumbers with salt in bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours. Drain cucumbers in colander (do not rinse), then pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  Bundle chopped dill in cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. Bring dill sachet, vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, and dill seeds to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 15 minutes; discard sachet.
  3.  Meanwhile, set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-pint jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
  4.  Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Add ⅛ teaspoon Pickle Crisp to each hot jar, then pack tightly with dill sprigs, garlic, and drained cucumbers.
  5.  Return brine to brief boil. Using funnel and ladle, pour hot brine over cucumbers to cover, distributing spices evenly and leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar, pressing slightly on vegetables to remove air bubbles, and add extra brine as needed.
  6. For short-term storage: Let jars cool to room temperature, cover with lids, and refrigerate for 1 day before serving. (Pickles can be refrigerated for up to 3 months; flavor will continue to mature over time.)For long-term storage: While jars are warm, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Before processing jars, heat water in canning pot to temperature between 120 and 140 degrees. Lower jars into water, bring water to 180 to 185 degrees, then cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain water between 180 and 185 degrees. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)
Dill Pickle Chips
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Time

1¼ hours, plus 3 hours salting and 24 hours chilling

Yield

Serves 128, makes four 1-pint jars

Ingredients

2½ pounds pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons canning and pickling salt
2 cups chopped dill plus 4 large sprigs
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups water
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons dill seed
½ teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

Ingredients

2½ pounds pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons canning and pickling salt
2 cups chopped dill plus 4 large sprigs
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups water
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons dill seed
½ teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

Ingredients

2½ pounds pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons canning and pickling salt
2 cups chopped dill plus 4 large sprigs
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups water
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons dill seed
½ teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp
4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

Why This Recipe Works

To give our chips their characteristic punch, we found dill seed and fresh dill to be the best combination. Mustard seeds and garlic added heat, while a bit of sugar balanced the acidity of the apple cider vinegar. We knew from our other pickle recipes that it can be difficult to preserve the crunch, so we used the same method: We salted our cucumbers for several hours to draw out water and then packed the raw slices into our jars, along with a bit of Ball Pickle Crisp, before covering them with hot brine. We processed the cucumber slices using the low-temperature pasteurization method, maintaining them in a hot-water bath at 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to produce crisp pickles.

Instructions

  1.  Toss cucumbers with salt in bowl and refrigerate for 3 hours. Drain cucumbers in colander (do not rinse), then pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  Bundle chopped dill in cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. Bring dill sachet, vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, and dill seeds to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 15 minutes; discard sachet.
  3.  Meanwhile, set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-pint jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
  4.  Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Add ⅛ teaspoon Pickle Crisp to each hot jar, then pack tightly with dill sprigs, garlic, and drained cucumbers.
  5.  Return brine to brief boil. Using funnel and ladle, pour hot brine over cucumbers to cover, distributing spices evenly and leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar, pressing slightly on vegetables to remove air bubbles, and add extra brine as needed.
  6. For short-term storage: Let jars cool to room temperature, cover with lids, and refrigerate for 1 day before serving. (Pickles can be refrigerated for up to 3 months; flavor will continue to mature over time.)For long-term storage: While jars are warm, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Before processing jars, heat water in canning pot to temperature between 120 and 140 degrees. Lower jars into water, bring water to 180 to 185 degrees, then cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain water between 180 and 185 degrees. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

This is a members' feature.