Spiced Dill Pickles

This is a clever shortcut for making sweet spiced pickles without starting from raw cucumbers. You take existing dill pickles, slice them, and re-brine them in a hot sugar and vinegar solution spiked with mixed spice and chopped onion. Twenty-four hours later, you’ve got something completely different from what you started with.

The hot brine is what makes it work. Boiling the sugar and vinegar together dissolves everything into a syrupy liquid that penetrates the pickle slices quickly. Pouring it over the packed jar while still hot kickstarts the flavor exchange, pulling out some of that original dill brine and replacing it with sweet, warm spice.

Pack the slices tightly in the jar. The closer they sit, the less brine you need to cover them, and the more concentrated the flavor becomes.

Chef Tips

• Use full-size dill pickles, not pre-sliced. Pre-sliced pickles have already lost some crunch from sitting in brine. Cutting your own slices fresh gives you better texture.
• Let them sit the full 24 hours. Tasting at 12 hours will disappoint. The sweetness needs time to work all the way through to the center of each slice.
• Store in the refrigerator after the initial 24-hour rest. These aren’t processed for shelf-stable canning, so keep them cold. They’ll last several weeks in the fridge.

Variations

• Bread and butter style: Add a pinch of turmeric and celery seed to the brine for that classic bread and butter pickle flavor.
• Spicy kick: Toss a few sliced jalapeño rings or red pepper flakes into the jar before pouring in the hot brine.