Our annual visit to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse has become a must. In between trips we talk about the good food and tell anyone who will listen about the restaurant and dream of slow cooked meats, chili, cornbread, and pickles. Yes, their pickles are very good. They make their own refrigerator garlic dills and they go perfectly with any of the sandwiches.
We found the recipe in our copy of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse, the official cookbook by John Stage (one of the restaurant founders) and Nancy Radke. If you are a fan of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que but don’t live close enough to easily get your fix, this book is well worth adding to your collection. The introduction tells the story of how the restaurant got its start and even includes the daily music playlist and a fun feature, From the Walls of the Stalls (bathroom wall wisdom as contributed by patrons). Stage also shares plenty of tips for outdoor cooking, smoking with wood, and how to cook low and slow.
The recipes include regular menu favorites as well as popular daily specials, such as their pulled pork, pork ribs, beef brisket, barbecued chicken, and the Mutha Sauce, a flavorful tomato sauce that is the basis for their barbecue sauces. And if you are a fan of all their appetizers and sides, you won’t be disappointed. The fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, beans, honey hush corn bread, grits, and fries are all here. The soups chapter has the Texas red chili, jambalaya, and gumbo, and you’ll find the Dr. Pepper Texas Chocolate Cake and coconut bread pudding with rum cream sauce in the desserts.
The pickle recipe is easy, no fuss, no processing in a hot canner, just cook up the brine and pour it over the sliced vegetables, then stick it in the frig. We do recommend you adjust the heat to your liking. Our jalapeños are wicked this year and just one is enough for the recipe, but taste yours and decide.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s Garlic Dill Pickles
Equipment
- 4 (1-quart) jars with lids, cleaned well in hot water
- 3-quart saucepan
- wide mouth funnel
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pickling cucumbers
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 2 jalapeño peppers (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill
Brine
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 6 tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons pickling spice
- 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
Preparation
- Combine the vinegar, water, kosher salt, sugar, pickling spice, mustard seeds, and peppercorns in the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until just slightly warmer than room temperature.
- Slice the cucumbers into ½-inch thick rounds. Divide them evenly between the jars. Add the garlic, jalapeños, and dill, dividing evenly between the jars.
- Pour the brine into the jars making sure to cover the ingredients. Cool to room temperature and cover with lids. Store in the refrigerator, allowing the pickles to marinate for a week, then serve.
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jane says
I made several batches of this recipe last summer. The first batch was too sweet so I halved the sugar and they turned out great. The peppers also become pickled and taste wonderful by themselves. I recommend waiting at least 2 weeks to start eating these pickles as they improve significantly with time.
Lisa says
Has anyone ever processed these in a canner for longer keep time? Thoughts?
Andrea says
Hi Lisa. I have not tried processing these particular pickles, though the acid content makes it easy to use the Boiling Water Method. For more details on timing for pickles, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.