Let's talk pickle distribution on a sandwich

Cafe Society
1

Do you want a pickle in every bite?

Or a pickle in every few bites?

  • A pickle in every bite
  • Random pickle bites

0 voters

Me I want the pickle bites to be a surprise.

2

You forgot the third option, pickles have no place on any kind of sandwich at any time.

3

I generally use sandwich-sliced (lengthwise) pickles and then arrange two of them so there’s pickle in every bite. If I use chip-sliced pickles, then I usually put, I dunno, five of them in typical square formation with the last one in the middle, so it’s still pretty much every bite, but I don’t particularly care. I have no strong preference about this.

4

I like my pickles on the side, generally.

5

This. Don’t get me wrong, I love pickles, but they tend to overpower any dish they’re made with.

6

Depends what kind of sandwich, really. Grilled cheese needs a bite of dill pickle in every other bite. Tuna salad needs some chopped pickle in every bite. Hamburger needs only one or two bites with pickle, or none.

7

I like a pickle in every bite, often going with relish and pickle used together to achieve this.

8

Testify!

9

Well yes, distribution outside the sandwich is optimal.

And none of them squishy cooked sweet pickles either, unless they’re whole baby gherkins.

10

I have the issue that I want pickle in every bite but it is easy to have too much pickle when the burger is loaded up. Not much I can do eating out but at home I have discovered the joy of a decent dill pickle relish.

11

I once ordered a tuna sandwich with pickles at a deli, and they put a layer of pickle slices a half-inch thick. Even for this pickle lover, that was too much.

12

Gawd, there’s nothing better than a really sour pickle slice in a decent burger. Haven’t been there in ages, but I always liked the pickles in the hickory burgers at Apple Pan. Damn, now I’m drooling.

I never eat a grilled cheese without something in it – either pickles or Ortega chiles.

13

So much this. Don’t get me wrong, as others have mentioned, I do love a good kosher dill spear on the side of a heavy sandwich to periodically reset the tastebuds, but not on a sandwich itself. And a side of pickled pepperoncini or jalapenos (well made, not most of the mass market stuff) is equally amazing for the purpose. But on 99% of sandwiches, it overwhelms any other flavors and depending on construction, adds an utterly unneeded amount of sog.

14

Being British, I take this question to refer to a cheese and pickle sandwich (recently discussed extensively in this forum). I say it means (in British English) Cheddar cheese and Branston Pickle (Link going straight to video: https://www.bringoutthebranston.co.uk/ )

Branston comes either with big chunks or little chunks. IF you have to put Branston in your sandwich, go for big chunks, as it at least affords you some bite-to-bite variation, rather than everything tasting of the same degree of masking pickle.

j

15

I very rarely put cucumber pickles on sandwiches, but we usually have a jar of home-pickled red onions, sliced super-thin, in the fridge, and most of my sandwiches have a generous helping of those. I spread 'em out so that they’re in every bite, along with all the other stuff.

16

Oh god, pickled red onions are the best!

17

I’m not a big burger guy but went through grilled burger phase after seeing the video below last year. The dill relish is just perfect for these little guys, just a thin distribution so each bite is perfect.

18

On a sandwich it’s pickles on the side, always. On a burger it’s relish, not chips.

19

They are so good, and so easy.

If folks are curious, here’s how we make them:

  1. Fill a teakettle and turn it on, or fill a pot with water and boil it.
  2. Slice 2-4 red onions as thinly as you possibly can. Whole rings are great, but cutting it in half and getting semicircle slices is just fine. Put them in a sieve in the sink.
  3. Pour the boiling water over them to wilt them a bit.
  4. Mix a brine of apple cider vinegar, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and garlic. This is super-forgiving in proportions; I use about 1-2 cups water, an equal amount of vinegar, a teaspoon or two of salt, a tablespoon or three of sugar, and a spoonful or two of peppercorns and garlic. Boiling it is optional.
  5. Pack the wilty onions into jars.
  6. Pour the brine over the onions and put them in the fridge.
  7. If you haven’t eaten them all after a month or two, question your life choices, and throw them out and make some more.
20

Pretty much this.