Released this March, Georgia chef Hugh Acheson’s “cookbooklet” Pick a Pickle packs in more than 50 creative recipes, from Southern pickled peaches to Korean cabbage kimchi. But sometimes, it’s best not to mess with tradition. To us, the cool, crisp crunch of a plain old dill pickle will always taste the most like summer. Luckily, the Top Chef judge has our back. Here’s his take on the cookout classic. Down to DIY? Check Groupon’s market and grocery deals in your city. Icebox Dill Pickles Makes 2 quarts or 4 pints What you need: 8 cups small Kirby pickling cucumbers (4–5 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter) 8 sprigs fresh dill 4 garlic cloves 3 tbsp. pickling salt 1 tsp. mustard seeds 4 black peppercorns 1/2 tsp. dill seeds 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 2 1/2 cups water Pack the cucumbers, dill, and garlic into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top, and set aside. Combine the salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, dill seeds, vinegar, and water in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully ladle the hot pickling liquid into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Cap with lids and bands, and cool to room temperature. Then place the pickles in the refrigerator and let them mature for a week before digging in. The pickles can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks; if processed, they will keep for up to 10 months. Excerpted from Pick a Pickle by Hugh Acheson (Potter Style). Copyright 2014. Photographs by Rinne Allen. Summer's not over yet. Which fun-in-the-sun merit badge will you help Roy Scout earn next?