Drunken Half-Sour Cukes
Right from the vine.
We’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen this week at *DnU,* and I am no exception. I have a small garden, and I was determined to grow cucumbers for pickling this year. I bought a [Boston Pickling cucumber plant][1], an heirloom vegetable, that’s popular because the cucumbers tend to be smaller than average and are very receptive to pickling spices.
In my quest for pickles, I wondered if I could use beer to brine instead of the traditional water and vinegar. Thinking that I was the greatest culinary genius in the world, I did a quick Internet search. Not surprisingly, I was beaten to the punch by one Sam Calagione of a little-known company called **Dogfish Head Brewery**. He recently teamed up with **Brooklyn Brine**, a damn fine pickle company, to create a pickle using his *60 Minute IPA.*
I pushed past my disappointment of achieving pickle greatness. Instead, I watched a couple of videos on [Brooklyn Brine][2] and some more internet searches later I was ready to create.
First, I needed two medium sized cucumbers for this recipe. Oh, and what they don’t tell you about harvesting cukes is that they are covered in spines/thorns. Lots of them. I needed to use a glove and a pair of sharp scissors to get them off the vine. Now in hand, I prepared them by washing them in cold water with a vegetable scrubber; the little spiny buggers popped right off. I was thorough, because the last thing you need is to eat a spiny pickle. Once cleaned off, I put the cukes to the side.
This next big choice was the beer. I decided to use a bottle of **Captain Lawrence** *Kolsch.* I’m not a hop-head, but I wanted something that was clean with enough kick that the beer would come through. (Oh ok, you got me. I also had five bottles in my fridge, and I wanted to use one up.)
Ok. Let’s get ready to pickle. This is what I used:
Drunken Half-Sour Cukes
So that’s what those spices are for…
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. Mason jar with lid (Wash and clean thoroughly in soap and hot water before use)
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 12 oz. bottle of beer
- 4 oz. water
- 1 heaping Tbs kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black peppercorn
- ½ tsp coriander seed
- ½ yellow mustard seed
- ¼ tsp caraway seed (A **Brooklyn Brine** special ingredient)
- ¼ tsp red pepper flake
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 or 6 springs of fresh dill
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- any number of cucumbers to fit
Directions
- Pour the beer into sauce pan on medium-high heat.
- Add water and salt into a small bowl. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Pour salt water into sauce pan. *Adding the salt directly to the beer causes it to react and foam up. It’s not a big deal, but I find it better to dilute the salt and then add it to the beer.*
- Bring to a low simmer, and be careful not to let it boil over.
- As the beer is heating, add peppercorns, coriander, mustard, caraway, red pepper, bay leaf, and the two cloves of garlic to the Mason jar.
- Cut cleaned cucumbers into spears, and place them upright in the jar.
- Remove beer from heat. Carefully and slowly, ladle the hot beer into the jar to cover the cucumbers completely, bringing the liquid almost to the top of the jar.
- Put the rubber gasket on to the jar and, with a towel, because that glass jar is now hotter then hell, slowly and carefully screw the lid on to seal the jar.
The final product after 3 days. I couldn’t honestly wait.
What’s great is that this recipe is easily adjustable. Want more garlic? Add another clove. More heat? Add a jalapeño. Try it with different beers for different flavor profiles. It seems daunting at first, but after the first time, I promise, you’re going to be a mad pickler.
[1]: http://bonnieplants.com/products/vegetables/cucumbers/boston-pickling-cucumber
[2]: http://brooklynbrineco.com/video/index.htm
What a great idea!