Bread & Butter Pickles

Okay everyone, this recipe is found in a video on the FOODNETWORK and it's about making your own pickles! I tried to get a direct link to the video, but no can do, just look for the "IN A PICKLE" video! It's funny, cause well it's Alton Brown's Show GOOD EATS!


So after watching the video you may notice a few things! 1. He doesn't say what kind of pickles are gonna be made. 2. He talks so darn fast if you want to make it you have to watch it about 5 times to get all the stuff written down!

I am posting this blog because I made these and they are awesome! Now to answer the question he didn't answer as to what type, well my title gave it away.. ha ha.. they are Bread and Butter pickles! Great on Hamburgers or by themselves.. which is how I have been scarfing the whole jar full! And of course, I have spent the time to write all those things down that Alton talks about in the video for the ingredients and how to make them!

Let's start by saying these are GOOD! They are tangy! Much more than any store bought ones! I love them! I made two batches at first and am ready to make a few more to give away and also to eat myself.... cause I am running low! They do take at least 24 hours to sit in the fridge before you eat them, and the longer they sit the better they seem to get! Here is what mine look like!

That's a picture of the ones I am snacking on as I write this blog... and actually they are all gone now! LOL! Yum!

Let's get started on making some for you!

What you need:

Ingredients:
2 Cucumbers (size matters here... as two filled two jars for me!)
1 Medium Size Onion ( I used a Valdilia onion)
4 cloves of Garlic - Smashed - easier to get the skin off after you smash it with the side of a knife
1 cup Water
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup of Sugar ( I used Organic Sugar from Cane Juice)
1 Tbsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Pickling Spice ( I bought some of this cause I didn't know I could make it myself.. when I run out I plan to make my own and will post the recipe here!)
1 Tsp Celery Seeds (whole)
1 Tsp Yellow Mustard Seeds (whole)
1/4 Tsp of Turmeric
1 Quart Mason or Kerr Jar

Okay, now what?
Instructions:
In a non reactive pot ( use stainless or glass), pour the water, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pickling spice, celery seeds, mustard seeds and turmeric. Stir!
Heat to a boil.
Once the mixture is at a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir it once in a while.
Take it off the heat and let it sit while you process the vegetables!

Wash all the veggies!
Slice the cucumbers with a knife or mandolin into thin slices.
Chop the onions into round slices and then quarter them to provide julienned pieces..
And smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large carving knife or similar item, peel off the skin.
Then, as in the video, put alternating slices of cucumbers and onions in a 1 quart mason jar or you can use an old pickle jar. I would say make sure it is glass and clean before you put anything into it, including the lid! Once you get about half way up, add two of the cloves of garlic, then continue till you top off the jar, and add the final two cloves close to the top. Don't fill the jar to the top with veggies, you want to have the vinegar cover them so leave a bit of room!

Now take the heated mixture and pour it slowly into the jar until it covers the veggies, then seal the jar and place it in the fridge! Wait 24 to 72 hours before tasting them! Then ENJOY your homemade pickles!

I waited 24 hours and it almost killed me to have to wait that last hour! LOL! Once I tasted them I wanted to share them with the world, but also clarify what Alton Brown left out of his video, and I tried to find the recipe on the site but couldn't so I was obligated to make a note of this great recipe until foodnetwork decides to post it in print.

I think Alton Brown is hilarious, intelligent, explains things clearly and is an awesome chef. I like most of his recipes! So you might see a few more of these later on!

I used store bought regular old veggies here, I would have liked to get organic ones, but my idea was to try it, so I didn't want to waste money on the more expensive and better for you items if the recipe was gonna suck! Ha ha! Next ones will be organic and I bet the taste will be even better! I did not get into the cost of the items, but I am convinced that making my own pickles is the better way to go for taste if not health. Store bought pickles are bound to have preservatives in them, just like most things you buy now. So making them at home, I doubt these last more than a week in your home once you taste them! Assuming you like that Bread and Butter style pickle!

I plan to find a recipe for dill and sweet pickles so I can try to make those too! Problem is I can only eat so many pickles in a day! haha! So we will go slow on that, cause I am wanting to make some more of these now!

Oh one more thing! You notice Alton's pickles were just cut flat with no texture, so I was thinking I would use the fancy attachment on my mandolin, that is why you see my pickles with the grooves! You can cut them anyway you choose I guess, but since they are a bread and butter pickle, if you have a mandolin, I suggest using it... the pickles also stay on a hamburger better with the grooves!

Enjoy!