If you like canning pickles, you are going to love these Smoked Quick Pickles! This recipe is perfect for the fall canning season, but you can make quick pickles any time of year. The hint of smoky flavor in this recipe adds so much. And the crunchy texture of the pickles will have you reaching for another one.
Your smoker is such a versatile cooking implement! You can use it to impart flavor to so many different meals! These Horseradish Smoked Potatoes would make a wonderful side dish to any meal! And come on! Who doesn’t love corn on the cob? This amazing Smoked Corn On The Cob recipe is perfect for the clan!
Autumn is canning season. We usually do all our canning for the winter before the September long weekend. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make these year-round. The ingredients are always in the stores, and it takes no time at all to prepare them!
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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE smoked quick pickles?
Honestly, you really need just a handful of ingredients to make these fabulous smoked quick pickles. If you have a well-stocked spice drawer and a small herb garden, you have almost everything you need!
INGREDIENTS
- Little cucumbers
- Fresh dill
- Fresh thyme
- Whole peppercorns
- Whole mustard seeds
- Whole garlic cloves, smashed
- White vinegar
- Water
- Kosher salt
- Sugar
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED quick pickles
Preheat your smoker to 175 – 200 degrees F. You need to keep the temperature of your smoker pretty low. As you don’t want to cook the cucumbers, just impart some smoky flavor to them before the quick pickle process.
Thoroughly wash your canning jars with mild soapy water, rinse them well, dry them, and set them aside.
Next, slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise. I like to put them in the canning jars to make sure that they will fit. If they are too tall for the jars, you can trim off a little. Remember, they should be about 1 inch below the top of the rim of the jars. Keep the trimmed bits as they work great to fit in around the larger pieces of cucumbers in the jars.
Place the sliced cucumbers and bits, the whole peppercorns, the mustard seeds, and the smashed garlic cloves in the foil pan. Place the pan in the preheated smoker for 30-45 minutes. I like to use hickory wood, but you can play around with whatever wood flavor you like.
Make sure you have good smoke for the whole time the cucumbers are in the smoker. Remember, they aren’t in there very long, but you do want to develop a light smoky flavor.
Preparing the brine and finishing the quick pickles
While the cucumbers are smoking, you can prepare the brine. In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and Kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking until the sugar and kosher salt is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Once the cucumbers have finished smoking, remove them from the smoker and allow them to cool slightly. Place a sprig of fresh dill and fresh thyme in each of the prepared jars.
Then, divide the smoked cucumbers, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and smashed garlic cloves between the 2 jars. Load the jars so that the cucumbers are tightly packed but not squishing each other in the jars.
Now, carefully spoon the brine into the jars. Fill the jars to about 1/2 inch from the top of the jar. Give the jars a little shake to make sure that you get all the air bubbles out.
Place the lids on the jars and tighten them down firmly. Refrigerate the jars for 48 hours before eating them. It takes some time for the flavors to meld and the cucumbers to pickle.
They look fantastic, and they taste even better!
Other quick pickling ideas
Quick pickling is a great way to get that crunchy, tangy pickle flavor into all sorts of vegetables without going through the full canning process. Here are some amazing quick pickling ideas that you should try. Trust me, they are all superb!
These Quick Pickled Onions could not be simpler to make. Pickled onions are a quick fix to making sandwiches, burgers, tacos, burritos, and salads even better!
Sweet and spicy Quick Pickled Radishes are easy to make and add a crunchy, tangy zip to any dish. Keep a jar handy in the fridge to add to salads, burgers, tacos, and sandwiches.
If you love the flavors that pickling gives your food, you need to start doing some quick pickling today!
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Pin it HERE!
Smoked Quick Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 lb. little cucumbers sliced in ½ lengthwise (about 6-7 little cucumbers)
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tsp whole peppercorns
- 2 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 175 – 200 degrees F. I use hickory wood to smoke my pickles, and they turn out great!
- Wash the canning jars with mild soapy water, rinse well, dry, and set aside.
- Slice the cucumbers lengthwise in half. I put the cucumbers into the pint jars and trim off the tops as needed to make sure the lid would close. They should be approximately 1 inch below the top of the jar. Keep the tops and smoke them, too; they are great one-bit pickles!
- Place the sliced pickles, whole peppercorns, mustard seeds, and smashed garlic cloves onto a shallow foil pan and place in the smoker for about 30 – 45 minutes. The cucumbers should just develop a light smoke; you don’t want to cook the cucumbers.
- While the cucumbers smoke, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and Kosher salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the Kosher salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove the cucumbers and spices from the smoker and allow to cool slightly.
- Place a sprig of fresh dill and fresh thyme into each jar.
- Divide the smoked cucumbers, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and garlic between the 2 jars. You want the cucumbers to be tight but not too tightly packed into the jars.
- Carefully spoon the vinegar-water mixture into the jars to about 1/2 an inch from the top.
- Place the lids on tightly and refrigerate for 48 hours before trying them. This will help to allow the flavors to meld and the cucumber to pickle.
- Enjoy!!
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