Traditional Ukrainian Pickles Recipe with a Spicy Twist (Open Kettle Method)
Discover our spicy dill pickles recipe, specially designed for open kettle canning but easily adaptable for water bath canning! Made with simple, natural ingredients—no artificial additives like artificial cucumber crisp— just the right mix of vinegar, salt, and a touch of Ukrainian magic for crunchy, out-of-this-world pickles.
Ingredients
The amount of marinade (brine) you will need depends on the number of 32 oz. (1-litre) Mason jars you’re using, not the weight of the cucumbers. Our ingredients list provides you with the ingredients you need to make one 32 oz. (1-litre) jar of pickles. If you need to make two jars, multiple all amounts times two and so one.
- Cucumbers: Enough to fill one jar usually about 1 ¼ lb. (600 grams)
- 500 ml 16 oz. Water, per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 tbsp. pickling salt per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 ½ tbsp 7% pickling vinegar per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 2 -3 whole garlic cloves per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 dill head per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 bay leaf per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 6 whole white or black peppercorns per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 small chili pepper per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 tsp whole mustard seeds per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
Instructions
Prepare the Cucumbers:
- First, wash your cucumbers really well. Soak them in cold water for 3 to 5 hours.
- After soaking, drain the cucumbers and cut off the ends.
Sterilize the Jars:
- Wash the jars with soapy water and then sterilize them. Let the jars cool completely before using.
Add Spices and Herbs:
- Put garlic cloves, dill heads, peppercorns, bay leaves, and small chili peppers at the bottom of each 32 oz. (1-liter) canning jar.
Pack the Cucumbers:
- Place the cucumbers tightly into the jars, packing them as snugly as possible.
Hot Water Treatment:
- Measure out 1 liter (32 oz) of cold water for each jar packed with cucumbers.
- Boil the water in a large pot for 5 minutes.
- Carefully pour the hot water into the jars until they are full.
- It’s easiest to do this over the sink. Let the cucumbers sit in the hot water for 15 minutes.
Reheat the Water:
- Pour the water back into the pot and bring it to a boil again. If some peppercorns fall in, that’s fine.
- Pour the hot water into the jars again and let it sit for another 15 minutes.
- Discard any unused boiled water
Make the Brine:
- Pour the water back into the pot and add the salt and sugar.
- Boil it until the salt and sugar dissolve completely (about 2-5 minutes). Just before turning off the heat, add the pickling vinegar.
- Turn off the heat—this is your pickling marinade.
Fill the Jars:
- Carefully pour the hot marinade into the jars over the cucumbers.
- Quickly place the lids on the jars and tighten the bands until they are snug and you can't turn them any further.
Cool the Jars:
- Turn the jars upside down and wrap them in warm towels. Beach towels work great—use two or three for three large jars.
- Leave jars wrapped until they’re completely cool, which takes about 2 days. Once they’re cool, your pickles are ready to go in the pantry!