Allow your taste buds to know and enjoy these Refrigerator Pickled Cucumbers. Whether harmoniously paired with your gastronomic delights, such as Hamburgers, Chicken Burgers, Sandwiches, Hot Dogs & Sausages, Salads, used as a Relish or consumed as a snack. These Pickled Cucumber Slices will undoubtedly satiate your innermost cravings, leaving you yearning for another sublime encounter.

The Pickling Spice used is just phenomenal in creating that Elegant & Addictive Taste. With Quick Pickled Cucumbers that’s what it really comes down to, the Pickling Spices used. And this one is just incredible.

Best of all, there is no need to sterilize the jars, boiling the brine or any canning here. Just place everything into a clean jar. Mix, cover and refrigerate.

Refrigerator Pickled Cucumber Ingredients

Water, Vinegar, sliced Cucumbers, Sea Salt, Sugar (optional), Cream of Tartar, Dill and Pickling Spice. Optionally, with a few cloves of Garlic & Bay Leaves. Fresh Dill can be used instead of dried.

Cucumbers

Try to stay with smaller Cucumbers such as Pickling Cucumbers, Persian Cucumbers or Kirby Cucumber or any Cucumbers that have a thick skin and small or minimal seeds in general, just the same as Pickles.

Although, I really like the English Cucumbers and do use these almost all the time. The skin is much thinner with English Cucumbers and the seeds are much bigger than smaller Cucumbers, which means they will go a bit soggier. I don’t mind at all and love them just the same. The smaller Cucumbers will stay crispier for longer.

The average weight for English Cucumbers is 300g. A total of about 600 g is used for pickling.

Salt Rubbed Cucumbers

Rubbing the Cucumbers with a coarse Salt will smooth out the stipples and removes the waxy coating, resulting in a shinier or pleasant uniform look. To do so, place about 1 tsp of Coarse Salt in your hand and twist the Cucumber in your hand. A green paste will form in your hand. At this point you can use both hands to twist using the Salt as an abrasion. Then rinse the Cucumber off.

English Cucumbers are not waxed and is the reason why they are wrapped in plastic when shipping. Other Cucumbers will have a wax coating applied, and is edible. I still prefer to scrub or salt rub them no matter the type of Cucumber.

Pickling Brine

The base brine solution is a mix of Distilled Water & Distilled White Vinegar (5%) at a ratio of 3:1, with a PH level of 2.75. To this Salt, Sugar, and Cream of Tartar are added. The Sugar can be omitted, if you’re looking to keep things Keto and the Cream of Tartar is optional. I like to add it for extra potassium and to balance the flavors. It also contributes a bit of Sour.

Combine the below Pickling Brine separate from the Pickling Spice and use as much as needed to fill the jar up, once the Pickling Spice & Sliced Cucumbers are added to the jar.

Sourness

This recipe uses a 3:1 Water to Vinegar ratio, and isn’t too sour. It has a PH Level of 2.75. Well under the 4.6 PH recommended for pickling. For me this is ideal with a nice balance of acidity. The amount of Salt will create a Salinity of about 2.8%.

If a more sour taste is desired. Use a ratio of 2:1, or even more sour with a ratio of 1:1 Water to Vinegar (PH level of 2.6). Entirely up to how acidic you want it. But don’t go over the 3:1 ratio. Because Cucumbers in themselves are not acidic and also contain lots of water in themselves. Plus the amount of Cucumbers added isn’t precise. It just uses 2 English Cucumbers which can vary slightly in weight.

Natural Fermentation

With Naturally Fermented Pickles, no Vinegar is used. Made with 1 lb of Cucumber Slices, 4 Cups Distilled Water and 2 Tbl Sea Salt. In this case the amount of Salt added is crucial instead of the PH Level and depends on how much Cucumbers & Water is used. The PH level will drop as it ferments in an aerobic environment and naturally get sour, almost the same as Sauerkraut.

Pickling Spice

With anything pickled, it really comes down to the Pickling Spice used for Flavor, and this one is an Absolutely Amazing Pickling blend. It really is something else. Creating a burst of complimenting flavors and a nice lingering aftertaste too.

I usually have the ground variety of Spices on hand and so use these. However, using the seeds will produce a brine that isn’t so cloudy. I don’t mind cause all the flavors are there. But if you can, use the seeds instead of ground and Fresh Dill, all the better. A bit of Turmeric can be added for color as well.

When using seeds, I double the amount. So for Black Peppercorn, Mustard Seeds, Coriander seeds and Allspice, instead of using 1/4 tsp, use 1/2 tsp. Everything else keep the same. Even the Cinnamon, Clove, Mace & Ginger, can be used in whole pieces rather than ground and will produce a clearer brine.

Dill

I often always have Dill Weed on hand and so use this. A couple sprigs of Fresh Dill can be used instead. You can also include some Dill Seeds to enhance the Dill Flavor.

Garlic

A few cloves of Garlic can be included for Garlic Dill Pickles slices. Fresh Garlic and even Dehydrated minced Garlic can be used.

Bay Leaves

Optionally add a few Bay leaves into the Jar. They add Flavor & Tannins that assist in preservation.

How to make Refrigerator Pickled Cucumbers

Combine the ingredients (Water, Vinegar, Salt, Sugar & Cream of Tartar) for the Pickling Brine into a bowl. Whisk well until everything is dissolved and set aside. Then combine the ingredients for the Pickling Spice into the Jar you will use to refrigerate the Cucumbers. Sugar is optional, if you want to keep it Keto.

Leave the Skin on the Cucumbers. With a bit of Coarse Salt in your hand, twist the Cucumber to act much like sandpaper, scrubbing the entire Cucumber until a green paste forms. Wash the Cucumbers.

Slice the Cucumbers to about the same thickness as Dill Pickle (1/4 inch) with a Mandoline. You can use a Food Processor with the Slicer Blade, but this is really too thin. With a Mandoline you can get a slightly thicker slice and still process the Cucumbers pretty quickly.

Burger Relish

These need to stay refrigerated and will only last a few months. Even still, I think you’ll find you can go through these pretty quick. Especially with all the places these can be used. Besides just snacking on by themselves or with some Tzatziki or serving them on the side with certain dishes.

Perhaps one of the best places is on Burgers! Just the slices by themselves, that is something else, what an elegant taste.

Although these are just unbelievable as a Relish too and extremely simple. Just use 3 Tbl of these Pickled Cucumbers diced with 2 Tbl of diced Onions and choice of 2 Tbl Ketchup, Mustard or Mayo for a Quick Burger Relish. These are great on Hot Dogs and Sausages too.