Sweet Sour Sandwich Pickle Chips

This quick and simple recipe makes sweet and sour pickle slices for sandwiches perfect for mounding on hamburgers, deli sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, or even straight as a side or snack. You don't need to Pasteurize or heat treat these pickles, and you don't need much time, but they must be stored in the refrigerator. Click here to learn more about The Zen of Pickles, the different types of pickles, and pickle production methods.

Recipe

Yield. Makes about 1 quart
Preparation time. 3 1/2 hours
Cooking time. 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of small pickle cucumbers, about 3 to 5" long
3 tablespoons pickling spices
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
1 1/4 cups sugar

About the vinegar. Use only distilled white vinegar, not cider vinegar.

About the salt. The amount of salt and vinegar are crucial in making pickles so if you must substitute another sale, use my conversion table.

About the pickling spices. Pickling spices are a blend of spices and they blend can vary from packer to packer. A good blend typically includes allspice, bay leaves, black peppercorns, cinnamon bark, cloves, coriander seeds, dill seeds, ginger, hot pepper flakes, juniper berries, mace, and mustard seeds.

Options. You can add other flavors if you wish. I recommend you start with this recipe. Then, if you like, make another batch and add a sliced onion to the cukes and salt (add more salt). To the spice mix you can add 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of mustard seed, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, or 1 tablespoon of dill seeds.

Do this
1) Slice the cukes into 1/8" disks. Place the cucumber slices in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, and mix it all together. Put the bowl in the fridge for about 3 hours.

2) Put the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan, and add the pickling spices. Turn the exhaust fan on high or take this next step on the sideburner on your grill outdoors because the vinegar smell will be strong. Bring to a boil and back it down to a simmer and let the spices steep for about 15 minutes.

4) Drain the cukes in a colander, rinse off excess salt, shake off excess water, and add to a very very clean quart jar. Pour the spiced syrup in while it is still hot, and fill until the pickles are submerged or within 1/4" of the rim. If there is extra syrup, you can throw it out. If you are short, don't worry. A few slices may float. That's OK, too. With a spoon knock out any big bubbles under the pickles. Seal tight, and chill. They can be used the next day but it takes a few days to reach peak flavor. Keep in refrigerator. They usually don't last long in my house, but I've kept a small jar for as long as a year in the fridge.

This page was revised 5/7/2010

---

NOMINEE: 2010 World Food Media Awards MEMBER: International Association of Culinary Professionals MEMBER: Kansas City Barbeque Society MEMBER: National Barbecue Association REPRESENTED BY: The Lisa Ekus Group Promoting A World Of Culinary Talent

Important Info About This Website

AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, burgers, steaks, rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by Meathead.

AmazingRibs.com is published by AmazingRibs, Inc., a Florida Corporation.

Our philosophy about food is simple. First of all it must taste great. It must be easy to make and emphasize fresh seasonal products with a minimum of processed ingredients. We think that people need to know why as well as how, so we spend a lot of time explaining things, and we believe that there are no rules in the bedroom or dining room.

Advertising on this site. AmazingRibs.com is one of the 100 most popular food websites in the US according to comScore, Alexa, and Quantcast. It is by far the most popular barbecue website in the world and pageviews double every year. Advertising on AmazingRibs.com is a great way to build your brand or make direct sales. I keep a strict wall between editorial and advertising, so, for current pricing and availability of prime space, contact my agency, Federated Media, by clicking the logo at right. Click here for analytics, stats, demographics, and advertising options.

Our Privacy Promise. AmazingRibs, Inc. promises to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and we promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more details of my privacy promise.

Disclaimer. The information on this website is for educational purposes only. All material within comes without warranties of any kind. The authors are human and capable of mistakes, omissions, or errors, so we make no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or safety of the information. Under no circumstances are we liable for any damages that result from use of the site (so you can't sue us if you don't like a recipe or if you burn your tongue on hot ribs, OK?).