Best Bread and Butter Pickles (low temp)

 Best Bread and Butter Pickles

Servings: makes 6-7 pints

Ingredients
5 lbs. pickling cucumbers, sliced 1/4" thick (16 cups when sliced)
2 lbs. onions, halves and thinly sliced (6 cups when sliced)
2 Cups red bell pepper
1/3 cup pickling salt (or 1/2 cup kosher salt)
3-1/2 cups vinegar; use white or cider or half-and-half combination
4 cups sugar
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
optional: 3/4 teaspoon Pickle Crisp granules
Directions
Combine sliced cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in large bowl; toss to combine; cover with ice and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or as long as 12 hours). Drain in colander, rinse well under running water for 2 minutes, tossing vegetables as they are rinsing. Drain.

In 8-quart pot, combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard and celery seeds, pepper flakes, cloves, and turmeric; heat over high heat until boiling. Add cucumber/onion/pepper mixture, stir, and return to boil. Turn off heat.


(Optional: Before filling jars with other ingredients, add 1/8 teaspoon pickle crisp granules to each heated jar.)

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to fill hot pint jars with cucumber/onion mixture, filling to just below where the jar rim begins, pressing down with tongs/spoon to fill in any gaps in jars. Ladle hot vinegar liquid into jars, allowing 1/2 headspace.

Insert chopstick or bubble remover down sides of jars, drawing it towards the center to release any trapped bubbles; refill jars, if necessary, to restore 1/2" headspace. Clean jar rims with wet paper towel. Add lids to each jar; screw on rings just until finger tight.

"low-temperature pasteurization treatment, place jars in a canner filled halfway with warm (120 degrees F to 140 degrees F) water. Add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars. Heat the water and maintain a 180 degrees F water temperature for 30 minutes. Use a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water temperature is at least 180 degrees F during the entire 30 minutes. Temperatures higher than 185 degrees F may cause unnecessary softening of pickles. This treatment results in a better product texture but must be carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage. Caution: Use only when recipe indicates.

After processing is completed, remove jars from canner with a jar lifter and place on a towel or rack. Do not retighten screw bands. Cool jars 12 to 24 hours and remove screw bands. Check lid seals. If the center of the lid is indented, the jar is sealed. Wash, dry, label, and store sealed jars in a clean, cool, dark place. If the lid is unsealed, examine and replace jar if defective, use new lid, and process as before. Wash screw bands and store separately. Pickles are best if used within a year and safe as long as lids remain vacuum sealed."