Kirby cucumbers are an ideal pickling cucumber for Polish dill pickles. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly under cold water, but use your hands to clean them rather than a vegetable brush (which can bruise them).
You can identify the blossom end of the cucumbers by looking for a rough dot. The stem end has a smooth, indented dot.
It should take 15 to 30 minutes for the cucumbers to crisp up.
If you wash the jars in the dishwasher, ensure that all of the residue is removed.
After the jars have cooked for 20 minutes, turn off the oven but leave the jars inside the oven until you’re ready to fill them.
Traditionally, Polish dill pickles are made from whole cucumbers. However, you can trim the cucumbers to better fit in the jars if necessary. Try to keep each piece of cucumber the same size, though.
You can also add some coriander seeds, bay leaves, and/or crushed red pepper flakes to the pickling mixture if you like.
The water should be hot but not boiling.
Stir the mixture periodically as it boils to help the salt finish dissolving.
At the end of the initial pickling period, the pickles should still be crunchy and fresh in the center.
