Good dill pickles

[Ulysses G.]

Hamburger Mike has been sharing some of his recipes with Mad Dog Pizza. They have a few new sandwiches on the menu and more coming next month. Chicken Parmigiana and Phili-Steak sandwiches are the ones that spring to mind. However, the dill pickles that come with the meal are outstanding, especially for this part of the world.

[cloudhopper]

The dills that come with the Dukes sandwiches are also excellent. Maybe we can find out where they get them.

[Saan]

The pickled cucumbers at the Gecko Garden are pretty good too. I buy them to take home.

[Ulysses G.]

I agree with both you guys on both places, but Mike's dill pickles taste just like the ones we used to get from a wooden barrel at the market when I was a kid - such nostalgia.

[uhhh ohhh]

The dills that come with the Dukes sandwiches are also excellent. Maybe we can find out where they get them.

I haven't tasted Mikes pickles but the Dukes pickles are delicious and a little different with those tiny red peppers.....not hot.....just a little different!! I buy them there and I think I was told they make their own!!!

[NickJ]

I googled making dill pickels a few years ago.....Its real easy. Dill is everywhere here and mixing chilli and garlic........pickeld shallots, baby corn......Even if you burn water you can make great stuff......It all started when Vlassics at Villa reached over 400 b for the large bottle.

[Ulysses G.]

I don't think it is easy if you do it the traditional way. Lacto-fermentation is not easy here because of the weather. I've only known a few places that made good dill pickles over many years and they all used the Lacto-fermentation method.

[pgrahmm]

I asked at the Dukes once and Dave told me they make their own....

[chingmai331]

Just sayin', but hardly any food value in a pickle. But good ones are not cheap.

[FolkGuitar]

German dill, Kosher dill, and regular dill all use different recipes. The ones we used to get from the big wooden barrel in the A&P supermarkets in the US 50 years ago were all Kosher Dill. "Heinz Hamburger Dill" in the jars use the Kosher Dill recipe, and I can't find anything similar to that here in Chiang Mai. Ordinary dill or German dill can be found locally though. The U.S. commissary in Bangkok carries "Clausson's Kosher Dill" in the refrigerator case, but you need to have a military ID (active or retired) or be on staff with the Embassy or consulate to shop there.

[elektrified]

The pickled cucumbers at the Gecko Garden are pretty good too. I buy them to take home.

I get them too but they don't seem to last more than a few days. I guess it's because there are no preservatives.

[northernjohn]

The dills that come with the Dukes sandwiches are also excellent. Maybe we can find out where they get them.

Dave makes his own. You can buy them from him.

The pickled cucumbers at the Gecko Garden are pretty good too. I buy them to take home.

I bought them once and in my opinion they were to small.

The topic is sort of a nonissue as every one has different tastes.

[flare]

How about a good sour pickle? All I've had locally were half-sours, which aren't my favorite- does any place have the right stuff?

[luther]

Here’s how to make a great dill pickle at home…

Start with just one jar and fill it with great cucumbers.

Stuff in dill and add garlic if you want.

Boil water and add salt and vinegar.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Taste it like you would a salad dressing.

Too much vinegar…add water, etc.

When you have got it right, and that is the hard part,

boil it again and fill the jar.

Let the jar cool for an hour and put it in the fridge with a top.

No canning involved.

[lj cm]

The best are 'Jo's Best' pickles (sold in Rimping). So nice and crunchy; without being too sour.

[Ulysses G.]

Just sayin', but hardly any food value in a pickle. But good ones are not cheap.

The taste good, have very few calories, very few carbohydrates and the fermented types have healthy probiotics. That is food value as far as I am concerned.

[chingmai331]

Probiotics? Korean kim chi is the way to go. Esp the cabbagey kind. And the gas passed is delightful.

[FolkGuitar]

Just sayin', but hardly any food value in a pickle. But good ones are not cheap.

The taste good, have very few calories, very few carbohydrates and the fermented types have healthy probiotics. That is food value as far as I am concerned.

Nothing like a good sour pickle and hearty deli-style mustard sandwich on seeded rye for a late-night snack!

[northernjohn]

Just sayin', but hardly any food value in a pickle. But good ones are not cheap.

The taste good, have very few calories, very few carbohydrates and the fermented types have healthy probiotics. That is food value as far as I am concerned.

Nothing like a good sour pickle and hearty deli-style mustard sandwich on seeded rye for a late-night snack!

Even better is toast with peanut butter and mayonnaise on it toped off with Dill Pickles. You can thank me later.

[junglechef]

1/2 Sour is my fav pickle

Talking food value don't forget the salt content

For a probiotic I like Japanese Nato (Rimping has a multitude of different kinds) as I use it to help my stomach and though Kimchee is tasty it's a bit hard to digest for me on a daily basis, yogurt is part of my regular diet too.

[junglechef]

Talking about probiotics for breakfast today I had theses I made.

Fermented Mushroom "Nam Hed", similar to the Fermented Pork Sausage.

Oyster Mushrooms, Brown and Black Rice, Garlic, Soy Sauce and Salt wrapped in Banana Leaf.

This one aged for 3 days and is slightly tangy, looking forward to tasting the others each one more day old.

[JXXXL]

I don't think it is easy if you do it the traditional way. Lacto-fermentation is not easy here because of the weather. I've only known a few places that made good dill pickles over many years and they all used the Lacto-fermentation method.

Not true Ulysses, it's easy to make brine pickles even in hot climates. I started making brine pickles about a year ago and they are amazing, just like the ones I used to get in the Jewish delis back in the states. There are two tricks, one is getting the correct amount of salt in the solution and second is how long to let the pickles ferment before putting them in the refrigerator. The pickling spice is easy to make and you can tweak your recipe to your taste.

One more thing to add, you can make brine pickles with almost any vegetable but if you like cucumbers, the variety is critical. Fortunately, the cucumbers that are most prevalent in Thailand make excellent pickles. Oh, and there's heaps of fresh dill in Thailand.

PM me if you want a starting recipe.

[Ulysses G.]

The reason I think/thought it was difficult was because I know someone who is a really good cook - a real professional - tried to do it a few years ago tried to do it and had so many problems, he finally gave after a few months. He had a few good batches, but more bad ones. He did figure out how to make pastrami and corned beef though.

[ehs818]

There's a very simple way to make Dill Pickles that I've been using for decades. They only require a fridge. Get a larger plastic or glass container, one with a lid is nice but not mandatory. Wash whatever you choose to pickle, (cucumbers, onions, carrots). Put them in the container. Make a brine solution of 1 cup bottled water, 1 cup plain vinegar, 1 Tablespoon salt. Stir until salt is dissolved. Into the container add a Tablespoon of Black Peppercorns, dill (fresh or dried), 4-8 cloves of garlic, a couple red peppers. Then pour in the brine. Put in fridge for 10-14 days. DONE. You can adjust spices as desired.....

[NickJ]

Thats pretty much what I do. Also like to pickle the jalapenos from the Queen'project and shallots........Mint grows wild everywhere so its easy to make a batch of mint sauce and then buy the Indian chapatis at Makro and serve them with the shallots....just like the Indian restaurants do.

[zippydedodah]

Surprised to see that no one has mentioned the pickles that Mike sells at Chiang Mai Smokehouse.. they can be excellent.

the only ones i had that were not superb were ones that had not "cured" long enough. A couple of weeks in the fridge brought them

right up to expectation.

[bangmai]

Does anyone have information on the pickle factory in San Pa Tong? It's been a few years, but I met some girls out there, who told me they worked there.

[Konini]

Even better is toast with peanut butter and mayonnaise on it toped off with Dill Pickles. You can thank me later.

Change the peanut butter to hommus topped with smoked paprika and the pickles would taste even better.

[Chicog]

Sometimes I should not read threads at work.

Drool on the keyboard is fiddly to clean.