Fermented Kosher-Style Dill Pickles

Ingredients

• 0.5 gallons water
• 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers
• 1 cup tap water
• 0.33 cups kosher salt
• 5 cloves fresh garlic , or more to taste
• 1 bunch fresh dill , stems trimmed
• 3 drieds chile de arbol peppers

Instructions

1. 1

   Pour 1/2 gallon water into a large container or pot. Cover loosely and allow to sit for 24 hours to allow dissolved chlorine to escape.

2. 2

   Crisp cucumbers by storing in the refrigerator or soaking in very cold water for 1 hour.

3. 3

   Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

4. 4

   Wash cucumbers in cold water and remove any blossoms clinging to them. Quarter large cucumbers lengthwise; cut medium cucumbers in half lengthwise; leave gherkin-sized cucumbers whole.

5. 5

   Peel and gently crush garlic cloves, but don't splinter them into fragments.

6. 6

   Pour cooled salt water into a 1/2-gallon mason jar. Add cucumbers, garlic, dill, and dried chile peppers, arranged attractively. Pack cucumbers tightly; they will shrink as they pickle. Fill the jar with dechlorinated water until cucumbers are just covered to avoid overly diluting brine.

7. 7

   Loosely cover the jar and set it aside at room temperature; set the jar on a dish if it is full to catch any dribbles. Let sit undisturbed until fermentation begins, 12 to 24 hours.

8. 8

   Refrigerate pickles in brine and loosely covered as they approach the pickling stage you prefer: new, half-sour, or sour. Don't overshoot the mark, as refrigeration slows but does not stop fermentation.