Homemade Burger Pickles

I love to not waste food in the kitchen. So, when I had an abundance of cucumbers in my fridge, I just knew I had to make up a batch of burger pickles. My pickling recipe is a simple one, which gives great flavors reminiscent of the classic dill flavored burger pickles. I can also guarantee that once you have made these pickles you won’t be buying store bought pickles anymore.

The pickles are made up of 2 components – the cucumbers and a brining solution, which we explore below.

Preparing the Cucumbers

The first decision you will need to make is what sort of cucumbers to use to make burger pickles. For me, it came down to what I had in the fridge I was wanting to use up. If you planning to buy from scratch, you will be best buying Lebanese cucumbers (known as Lebanese cucumbers in Australia, other parts of the world may know them as Persian cucumbers). If Lebanese cucumbers are not available, then look for something with a thin skin that is not waxy.

Next, with your pickles you will need to cut them ready to pickle. You have 2 options here on how you cut them:

• As pickle spears – slice them lengthwise into quarters.
• As pickle chips – thinly sliced.

Pro-Tip: Use a mandelin slicer to ensure thin consistent slices.

Once your cucumbers have been prepared, you will next need to transfer them to your jars ready to pickle.

Add the Brine and Flavor

To start, you will first want to prepare your brining solution. Add some water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a saucepan and place it over a medium heat. Stir the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Set the brining solution to the side and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Pro-Tip: White vinegar is used because it’s colourless and yet provides great flavor. White wine vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar could also be used in a pinch if needed.

With the brining solution to the side cooling, you next need to add some flavoring to your jars. To each jar of cucumbers, you will need to add:

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
• 1-2 sprigs of dill

Once the brine solution has cooled sufficiently, pour the brine into each jar, filling it to the top completely. If you find you don’t have quite enough brine solution, you can make more, following the ratio used in the recipe.

Lastly, firmly place the lids on the jars and transfer the jars to the fridge.

Serving the Burger Pickles

As tempting as it is to want to eat the pickles straight away, you should wait at least 24 hours, allowing some time for the pickles to develop flavor. After 24 hours the pickles will be lightly flavored and will continue to develop in flavor the longer they are left before consumption. The pickles will last in the fridge for several weeks.

The pickles make for a tasty snack eaten on their own. I also love adding them to fresh sandwiches and burgers (such as my The Ultimate Fried Chicken Burger)

Burger Pickle Flavor Variations

The flavors used here are designed to create that classic dill burger pickle taste. Why not try mixing up the flavor by adding different spices and herbs to your brine instead.

You could also try try:

• Coriander seeds
• bay leaf
• Crushed chilli flakes
• Ginger

Vary with different flavor combinations until you find what you like.

Other vegetables such as carrots, onions and chillis can also be pickled using the above process (although I would use a different flavor profile if I was to pickle other vegetables).