Labor Day is the last hurrah before the official end of summer and the final cookout of the year. This year I’m making Slow Cooker Beer Brats along with these pickle chips are the perfect accompaniment for those. These are dill refrigerator homemade dill pickle chips. This means I did not use the canning method for a long preservation because they don’t last long in my house. If you want to properly can these, you can find the instructions in the step by step above the recipe card further down this page. A little word of caution when you start the pickling liquid. Do not put your head anywhere near the pan when the vinegar has heated up because a vinegar steam facial is not fun. The pickling liquid has mustard seeds and dill seeds. I opted to add fresh dill for looks and also for extra dilly flavor. I could not find proper pickling cucumbers so I tried it with English cucumbers and they work just fine. This recipe yields 2-16 ounce (473 ml) jars so if you have the nice giant jars, you can double the recipe. The sweetness can be altered to suit your palette. This recipe is the perfect balance of vinegar to sweet, but if you like your pickles on the sweeter side, you can add more sugar to taste and that’s it! You’ve made your own homemade dill pickle chips. These homemade dill pickle chips will keep sealed and refrigerated for 5 days.
Homemade Dill Pickle Chips – Step by Step
First step is to sterilize your jars. Fill a large stock pot with water and add the jars and lids, make sure they’re submerged. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Use tongs to remove and set on a towel to dry. Wash an English cucumber and cut into slices.
Chefs tip
Soak the cucumber slices in ice water and refrigerate for 2 hours. This helps keep them crispy. While the cucumber refrigerate make the pickling liquid. Add white vinegar, mustard seed, dill seeds and salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, remove and allow to cool completely. Add fresh dill and cucumbers to a sterilized jar and pour over the pickling spice. If you are using the jars I did (pop top style), seal and refrigerate. They will keep up to 5 days.
Canning/preserving dill pickle chips
Per the USDA, jars do not need to be sterilized prior to using a water canning bath if being boiled for 10 minutes or longer, which applies in this case. This canning method is for a simple water bath. Make sure you are using proper canning jars (the ones in my pictures are just for the photos and not for canning/preserving). Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a deep pan (or canning pot). You must elevate the jars off the bottom of the pan to prevent them from breaking. Fill the pan with water (it should cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches). Bring the water to a boil, use tongs to carefully add the jars, cover with a lid and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars carefully.
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