Per usual some listed ingredients and directions didn't quite work logically so I had to make a few corrections to their recipe. I also use food grade calcium chloride to make the pickles more crisp instead of letting them be soft. And I use sodium benzoate as a preservative to guarantee there will be no ongoing fermentation or bacteria growth that might otherwise spoil the stored pickles.
I ferment the pickles similarly to the original recipe, but not in canning jars so I increased the amount of brine. Also, I vacuum seal the pickles and brine after fermentation in quart size vacuum seal bags and then refrigerate them. Thus, later I only open enough at a time for what will be eaten within a day or two.
Ingredients:
6 cups of water
5 tbsp. of kosher salt
1 tbsp. of sugar
2 Tbsp. of black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. of coriander seeds
6 dried chiles, such as chiles de arbol (optional) (But I used fresh Thai hot green peppers and they were perfect)
3/4 cup of white vinegar (5% acidity)
3 lbs. of medium size pickling cucumbers (10 to 12 ... the number depends on the size of the pickling cucumbers)
8 to 10 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 bunch of dill fronds (roughly 10) or 10 large fresh seeded dill heads
Food Grade Calcium Chloride (at the rate of 3/4 tsp. per gallon of brine) or, for this recipe, 3/32 of a teaspoon is the right amount ... or roughly 1/8th of a teaspoon.
Concentrated Sodium Benzoate solution (at a rate of 1/10 of 1 percent by weight of all ingredients) ... thus, weight to be determined and then the proper volume value for the concentrate. But this preservative is not used until fermentation is completed. Also, the amount you need will depend on the concentration of the product you buy. I bought my supply from a company named Koldkiss® that sells snow cone flavor concentrates and additives like sodium benzoate. You may well find sodium benzoate in crystal form, which is much easier to use if you have a sensitive kitchen scale.
Directions:
Combine 2 cups of water, the kosher salt, sugar, peppercorns, coriander and chiles over high heat in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add the remaining 4 cups of water and the vinegar and the calcium chloride and stir to combine; let the mixture cool completely.
If needed, scrub the cucumbers to remove any dirt. Cut off a 1/8" thick slice from both ends of each cucumber and discard those pieces. Then cut the cucumbers into halves or into quarters lengthwise, unless they are small cucumbers, and in that situation leave them whole.
Put the cucumbers, garlic and dill fronds or heads into a one gallon stainless steel pot.
Add the brine to the pot and stir well. Put a dinner plate or shallow soup bowl on top of the cucumber slices and brine to keep the cucumber slices submerged in the brine.
Cover the pot with a stainless steel lid.
Store the pot in a cool, dark place (the ideal temperature is 65 degrees F), and stir gently for one minute once per day.
Check the pickles after 8 days to see how they are coming along (how fast they ferment will depend on the room temperature). If they are done fermenting (you decide based on strength of taste) proceed to the next step. Otherwise allow them to ferment for 3 more days. The brine needs to fully penetrate the cucumbers to turn them into pickles, so cucumber size will determine the minimum amount of time you must ferment the pickles. Repeat until you are happy with the intensity of the taste of the kosher dill pickles.
Add the proper volume of sodium benzoate concentrate solution to the brine and stir well. Assume a total product weight of 4 pounds. If you are using Koldkiss® concentrated sodium benzoate solution you need about 5 grams of the concentrate, or, roughly, dispense 1/2 teaspoon of the concentrate into the pot and stir well.
Vacuum seal the pickle slices in quart vacuum sealing bags, six to eight slices to a bag, with the brine evenly distributed to each bag.
Keep the bags of pickles refrigerated.
Enjoy … and I know you will.