Cucumbers are flooding into the kitchen every day, so making pickles is almost a weekly thing around here! Which is why finding the perfect method for canning crunchy dill pickles, was a must.
I’ve tried all the tricks to make my pickles crunchy. For years I would try a new recipe, thinking this was the one, only to be disappointed when we cracked open our jar of pickles and they were soggy.
Don’t get me wrong…. we still ate the pickles because I didn’t want to waste them. But we were all missing that delicious savory crunch when we bit into our home canned pickles.
Methods I tried to get crunchy dill pickles.
There is loads of advice out on the web and even in some of my canning cookbooks that I love, that suggest how to keep your pickles crunchy when canning them.
- Make sure to pick the cucumbers small enough. Don’t let them get too big.
- Cut the blossom end off right away.
- Soak them in an ice water bath at least 12 hours before canning
- Add pickling crisp to each jar
- Add a grape leaf to each jar
Now there is some truth to some of those suggestions, however just doing those won’t give you consistent crunchy dill pickles every time.
The reason those methods don’t work all the time is because you are still cooking the cucumbers in hot boiling water to can, which leads to soggy pickles.
That’s why using the canning method called low pasteurization works!
When you cook your cucumbers at such a high temperature during a normal water bath canning process, your cucumbers really don’t have a chance.
By using the low pasteurization method you are never raising your water temperature above 185 degrees. This ensure that your jars seal properly but that your cucumbers don’t cook and get soggy.
Since you are using a low pasteurization method, you do not need to worry about adjusting for elevation. You will simply hold your water temperature at 180-185 degrees for a total of 30 minutes.
If your water temperature drops below 180 degrees you will need to start your timer over. It’s important that your water stays at that exact temperature for a total of 30 minutes to remain safe for the shelf.
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The easiest way to do this is with an electric canner however I don’t have one so I am just using my water bath canner without the lid and a candy thermometer.
Ingredients you will need for crunchy dill pickles
- 8lbs of pickling cucumbers
- 3/4 cup good quality salt
- 2 gallons water
- 8 cups water
- 6 cups 5% distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup good quality salt
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 TBSP pickling spice
- mustard seed
- fresh or dried dill
- cloves of garlic
At least 1 night before you are ready to can:
Take about 1 quart of warm water and 3/4 cup of salt and add it to a large container. I use a 3.5 gallon white bucket. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Add enough water so that you have a total of 2 gallons of water.
Place your cucumbers in the salt water brine and weigh it down with a plate. Place in fridge until ready to can.
If you don’t have enough cucumbers right off the get go, put what you do have in the brine and keep adding to it! The cucumbers can sit in the brine for up to 7 days!
Once you are ready to can your pickles:
- Wash your 8 pint jars, lids, and rings with warm soapy water and place in the canner to stay warm. Start heating your canner on low to get it to 140 degrees.
- In a large pot add 8 cups water, white vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, sugar, and pickling spice wrapped in cheese cloth or a mesh tea bag. Bring your pickling brine up to a boil.
- Carefully remove your jars and place one clove of garlic, 1 tsp of mustard seed, and either a few sprigs of fresh dill or 1 tsp of dried dill into each jar.
- Slice your cucumbers (or if you picked them super small keep them whole) in the desired shape you want your pickles. Pack tightly into each of the pint jars.
- Pour hot pickling brine over cucumbers leaving a 1″ head space.
- Stick the back of a spoon into each jar to remove any air bubbles from the jar. Adjust the head space if needed.
- Place jars into the water bath canner, or electric canner, keeping the lid of the canner off. Make sure your jars are completely submerged in the water.
- Using a candy or cheese thermometer, bring your water up to 180 degrees. I like to do this slowly so it doesn’t get too hot too fast and I am unable to correct it.
- Once you hit 180 degrees start your timer for 30 minutes. Hold your temperature at 180-185 degrees for the full 30 minutes. If the temperature drops below. Start your timer over.
After the jars have been process for a full 30 minutes:
- Once the timer goes off, turn stove off and carefully removed each jar onto a clean dish towel.
- Leave jars undisturbed for 24 hours.
- I find that the jars don’t start sealing until around 45 minutes to 1 hour. Since the temperature of the water is so low during the canning process, it takes the jars a lot longer to seal. It is very important to not disturb them during this time.
- After 24 hours, remove your rings and wipe each jar clean. Label and place on your shelf for later!
- Never store your jars with the rings on. Once the jars are properly sealed, the rings no longer hold a purpose.
Watch how I can crunchy dill pickles
Crunchy Dill Pickles for the whole year.
Pickles is one of my girls favorite snacks, so having loads of jars on my shelf for the whole year is important to me. Now that I have found the perfect way to keep my pickles crunchy, they are really flying off the shelf!
I’d love to know if you use this method and how it worked for you!
Canned Dill Pickles
Equipment
- 1 Water bath canner or electric canner
- 1 Candy thermometer
- 8 Pint jars with lids and rings
- Canning tools
- 1 Piece of cheese cloth or mesh tea bag
Materials
- 8 lbs pickling cucumbers
- 2 gallons water
- 3/4 cup salt
Pickling Brine
- 8 cups water
- 6 cups white vinegar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 TBSP pickling spice wrapped in cheese cloth or a mesh tea bag
Amount For each Jar
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1 tsp dried dill seed or a couple sprigs of fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Make sure to pick your cucumbers when they are smaller. Take the blossom end and cut a slight amount off.
- Make a salt water brine by taking 1 quart of warm water and mix 3/4 cup of good quality salt until the salt is dissolved in a 2 gallon bucket. Add cool water until you have 2 gallons. Place cucumbers in the salt water brine and weigh down with a plate. Place in the fridge overnight or up to 7 days. Adding more cucumbers as needed.
- When ready to can pickles: wash jars, lids, and rings in warm soapy water. Fill your canner and turn on low to start heating up to 140°. Place jars in canner to stay warm.
- Make your pickling brine by adding water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pickling spice wrapped in a tea bag or cheese cloth. Place on the stove and bring to a boil.
- Carefully remove jars from canner. In each jar place 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp of mustard seed, and 1 tsp of dried dill or a couple sprigs of fresh dill.
- Slice cucumbers as desired and packed tightly into each jar.
- Using a wide mouth funnel, fill each jar with the hot pickling brine leaving a 1" head space.
- Stick the back of a spoon or a canning tool in each jar a couple times to remove any air pockets.
- Wipe the rims of each jar with a clean dish towel ensuring there is nothing on the rims. Place the cap and rings on the jars and tighten until finger tip tight.
- Place into canner, leaving the canner lid off, and make sure the jars are completely submerged in water. Bring your water up to 180°. Use a candy thermometer or cheese thermometer to watch the temperature closely.
- Once you have reached 180° start your timer for 30 minutes. You do not need to adjust for elevation with this method.
- Process your jars for 30 minutes holding the water temperature at 180°-185° for the entire time. If the water drops below 180° start your timer over.
- After processing is over, gently remove each jar and place on a clean dish towel. Leave undisturbed for 12-24 hours to cool down. Jars will take a while to seal.
- After your jars are cool, remove your rings, wipe your jars clean, and label each jar with contents and year canned. Store your jars on the shelf without rings.
Can I leave the salt water cucumbers out or does it NEED to be in the fridge?
It really needs to be in the fridge to keep the cucumbers crisp and crunchy! I take out a shelf in my shop fridge to fit a bucket in there.
Do you rinse the cucumbers when you remove them from the brine?
I do not. The extra salt doesn’t seem to change the flavor at all!
How long do you keep them at temp if using quart jars??
Thanks
With this method I would stick with pint size jars as this recipe is an approved safe recipe for canning with the low pasteurization method. I have only ever used pint jars for this since the recipe doesn’t give a quart option.
Thank you 🙂
You are welcome!
Can I use quart jars for these instead of pint? Does the cooking time change?
I would stick with pint size jars. Since we are using a low pasteurization method, it is only safe with approved recipes. This recipe only calls for pint size jars!
Ok, I made them in pint jars but only 2 of the lids don’t “pop”. Is there anything that can be done to salvage them? It’s been 14 hours.
You can run them through again for the full 30 minutes to get them to seal or you can pop them in the fridge. I know you would likely prefer them on your shelf but at least they won’t go to waste!
Your written instructions say to place in hot water bath with lids off. That is incorrect.
I apologize for the confusion. I thought it was understood that you are keeping the lid of the canner off, not the actual lids on the jars. I changed it to say “the lid of the canner” so there is no more confusion! Happy canning!
How long will these stay shelf stable this way?
The safe rule of thumb is a year as long as they stay sealed. However, I have had jars stay on for longer and they have stayed good!
Do you know if you can use apple cider vinegar? I have a recipe our family absolutely loves and would love to use this low pasteurization method to seal the jars.
Thank you!
You can use any vinegar that is 5% but not raw vinegar because it will change the PH over time. Unfortunately with this canning method you have to be careful on the recipe you use.
Hi, I have had my jars out of the canner for 2 hours and they are not sealing. How long should I go before putting them back in? Ty
I let them sit a full 12 hours before checking the seal. I takes a lot longer to seal with this method and I have found that I never hear the “pop” when I do this method.
I don’t have an electric canner, I have a steam canner (similar to water bath). Since I can’t gauge a specific temperature, is it fine to process for 10 minutes in the steam canner?
It is not. Unfortunately for this method you really need to know what temperature the water is at in order to can them safely. I don’t have an electric canner either. I use a candy thermometer with my water bath canner! I show you how to do it that way in the video, if you haven’t already watched the video!
Hi, I have been canning for quite a few years and with over 500 + jars I can count on 2 hands the number that didn’t seal. I made 3 batches of pickles with this method yesterday and only had 3 jars seal so I’m wondering what’s up with that because now I don’t trust the ones that did seal.
I’m so sorry they didn’t seal! I have never had that happen. I do know it takes quite a while for them to seal because of the slow method. I usually don’t check the seals and unscrew the rings for at least 24 hours. As long as you followed the process and the recipe the ones that did seal should be safe. That’s such a bummer!
Just making sure, do you process for 30 minutes? Other dill pickle recipes say 10-15 minutes and say that if you over process they may be mushy.
Thank you.
Good question! In other recipes they are water bath canning so it is usually 10-15 minutes. This method is low pasteurization canning which means you need to use an approved recipe and it has to be for 30 minutes at the appropriate water temperature for the whole 30 minutes.
Hi Stephanie, what if they temperature briefly exceeds 185?
I would start the time over. When using any method of canning, it must hold the temperature, pressure, or water boiling for the full processing time. If it drops below for any reason, the timer needs to be started over.
How long to process using quart jars?
This recipe I follow only has instructions for pint jars so I am not sure what the price would be for quart jars. Sorry!