Claussen Pickles

Ingredients

Sterilize the jars by immersing them in boiling water.
Remove from the boiling water and place on a clean, dry towel.
In a large, nonreactive pan, place the water, vinegar, salt, minced onion, peppercorns, mustard seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. If you are using dill seed rather than fresh, add the seeds to the pan too.
Bring the brine to a boil to dissolve the salt, then allow to cool.
If using fresh dill, add it to the sterilized jars along with the garlic cloves.
Slice cucumbers lengthwise into quarters or eighths depending on size; pack into the sterilized jars along with the dill and garlic cloves.
If you are using more than one jar, strain the solids from the brine by pouring the brine into another large pan, using a fine-mesh colander to trap the seasonings. Stir the seasonings in the colander to mix well, then using a spoon evenly distribute them between the jars you are using.
Pour the cooled brine over pickles.
Put the lid on the jar, and turn the pickles a few times to distribute the seasoning through the pickles.
Loosen the lid and allow to sit on the counter for three days, shaking or turning them occasionally,
On the fourth day, refrigerate the pickles.

It’s important to use pickling salt because it doesn’t contain an anti-caking agent. A good alternative is kosher salt.