Description
Prep time: 15 minutes
Brine heating: About 5–10 minutes
Flavor rest: At least 24 hours refrigerated
Servings: Approximately 8
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 pounds small pickling cucumbers
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1–2 jalapeños, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Wash cucumbers, trim blossom ends, and cut into spears or thick rounds. Place in clean, suitable food-safe containers.
- Combine tomato juice, vinegar, water, salt, Worcestershire, horseradish, hot sauce, celery salt, paprika, peppercorns, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and optional sugar in a nonreactive saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat and cool briefly to a temperature suitable for the container. Avoid prolonged counter cooling.
- Add garlic, jalapeños, optional flakes, and dill among the cucumbers. Pour over brine to cover; do not top up with plain water.
- Cover and refrigerate immediately at 40°F or below. Allow 24 hours for flavor, gently turning once during chilling.
- Serve cold with clean utensils and return the main batch promptly to the refrigerator.
Storage: Use within 3–4 days of preparation as a conservative limit for this untested mixture. The resting day counts toward that period. Do not can or store at room temperature. Freezing is not recommended for texture.