Not near enough brine for a 1 gallon jar of pickles but yes it should be heated first and then the jar refrigerated immediately and kept there. Safety isn't so much an issue with fridge pickles but they will have a limited storage time because listeria will begin to grow even in the fridge after about 2 1/2-3 weeks. That is why there are currently no approved fridge pickle recipes.

Dave

Listeria!? What the ****? Ok, so I have the Joy of Pickling and some say to keep for a month before even trying. The Ball Kosher packet says two weeks before trying. And yes lets be real, as though I'm really going to wait that long, but it sounds like they shouldn't even be kept for a month, let alone not tried for a month?

What edition? Things change. ;) But the 2009 revised edition should have this info in it.

All the research into listeria is relatively recent (2004) - which is why USDA/NCHFP says there are currently no approved recipes for fridge pickles unless they are fully fermented first. This recipe, as posted, isn't a fermented pickle recipe.

You can read all about listeria in the NCHFP publications.

Why don't you post the source of the recipe? Perhaps others know more about it or perhaps some steps were left out. But there still is no way 2 cups of vinegar is going to cover cukes and onions in a 1 gallon jar unless you only fill it 1/4 full and you wouldn't use that much salt for so few cucumbers. So for that reason alone the recipe as posted, makes little sense. Sorry.

Dave

This is a portion of an email I received from Dr. Elizabeth Andress of the NCHFP in June of 2007. I post it because I think there has been a misunderstanding about which refrigerator pickles are an issue.

There is nothing wrong, to my knowledge, with a fresh prepared refrigerator pickle that is always kept refrigerated, like the one you cite. Listeria bacteria can multiply at refrigerator temperatures, although very slowly, so for this reason as well as others, a mildly acidic pickle product will have its shelf life partially determined by the exact recipe and refrigerator temperature. Many other things will affect the final refrigerated shelf life of each recipe and now [sic] the product is used during refrigerated storage.

The concern over a former USDA recipe called "Refrigerator Dill Pickles" is that those directions (and there are other sources of this still out there) called for a week storage at room temperature in a salt solution BEFORE refrigeration. This is the process that was withdrawn by USDA in 1989. It was a partial fermentation.

A fully fermented pickle or sauerkraut, fermented at room temperature, if fermented fully to a good conclusion, can also be kept refrigerated without these same concerns.

Linda Ziedrich's updated edition (2009) of The Joy of Pickling includes a number of refrigerated vegetable pickles, including Dutch Lunch Spears, which are a cucumber pickle. She is a Master Food Preserver, follows USDA standards and has had her recipes vetted for safety by an emeritus professor of food science at the University of Connecticut and staff at Oregon State University. Her formulas and recommendations re shelf or refrigerator-life for her recipes are trustworthy.

As Dr. Andress states, the listeria study was done with a refrigerated dill pickle which first was left at room temperature for a week. After 4 days at room temperature there was a significant reduction in pH. That is a different kind of pickle than a fully fermented one where lactic acid develops or a quick pickle which is immediately refrigerated.

That doesn't mean there are no concerns with a refrigerator pickle, as Dr. Andress noted. It is not a pickle to store long-term under refrigeration.

Carol

Thanks for the info.

Correction. I should have said significant increase in pH (i.e. less acid).

To return to the original question, personally I don't see a problem with making this pickle and placing it directly in the fridge. However, I wouldn't plan on keeping it in there more than a few weeks.

If you do make it, heat the sugar-salt-vinegar solution gently to dissolve sugar and salt, let it cool, pour over the prepped cukes and refrigerate immediately.

I am with Dave that this sounds like way too little solution for a gallon of slices. I'd probably prep only a quart or perhaps two quarts for quick consumption. If you have many people eating this and need to make a gallon, I'd double the pickling solution. You don't want those slices sticking together without solution between them. You want plenty of liquid in the jars.

Carol

Thanks for posting that Carol. I had forgotten about it even though I know you had posted it before. It makes much more clear the distinction between fermented fridge pickles and non-fermented fridge pickles, something many of us tend to overlook.

Dave

Thanks for the info. I don't have a source for the recipe. Once people knew I was making pickles this year I started to get recipes from everyone and all the recipes were unsafe. This was a recipe that was given to me by someone at work and I thought it was interesting because the brine was all vinegar. I am staying away from the recipe and sticking to Linda Lou's Heinz pickle recipe.