Pickled Peppers or Chilies
Submitted by Dorie630
Pickled peppers and chilies preserved in a vinegar brine with an optional olive oil layer. Water bath canned for shelf-stable storage year round.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis is a straightforward pickling recipe that works for sweet bell peppers, hot chilies, or a mix of both. A simple brine of equal parts vinegar and water with salt gets heated to a simmer (never a boil, which would turn the peppers mushy), then poured over tightly packed jars of prepared peppers.
The optional olive oil layer on top is a clever touch. As you pull peppers out of the jar, they pass through the oil and pick up a slick, rich coating that makes them ready to eat straight from the jar on sandwiches, antipasto platters, or pizza.
Slitting whole peppers before packing lets the brine penetrate inside. Without those cuts, you’d end up with pickled outsides and raw-tasting centers.
Pro Tips
- Keep the vinegar mixture below a boil. Overheated brine breaks down the peppers and you lose that satisfying snap
- Pack the jars tightly. Peppers float, and loose packing means peppers above the brine line won’t pickle properly
- Slit whole peppers twice with a small knife to let brine flow through the interior
- Use canning salt, not table salt. Table salt contains anti-caking agents that can cloud the brine
Variations
- Add garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, or a bay leaf to each jar for extra flavor
- Use apple cider vinegar instead of white for a mellower, slightly fruity brine
- Mix sweet and hot peppers in the same jar for a variety pack with different heat levels
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the peppers or chilies thoroughly.
Cut around the stem of each large pepper and pull out the stem with attached core and seeds.
Leave the peppers whole of cut them into sections or strips, as desired.
Hot chilies may be stemmed and seeded, of left whole with stems intact.
Make two small slits in whole peppers or chilies.
Mix the vinegar and water; heat to a simmer - 150 F to 160F.
The vinegar should NOT be allowed to boil.
Add the salt Pack the peppers of chilies rather tightly into jars.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the peppers to within ½ inch of the jar rims.
Or, if you wish to add olive oil, pour the vinegar to within ¾ inch of the rim and pour oil to within ½ inch of the rims.
The peppers or chilies will be coated with oil when they pass through the oil layer as you use them.
Cover jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
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