Sweet and heat are a beautiful and flavorful combination and that is exactly what you get when you make a batch of sweet pickled jalapeno and serrano peppers. When you break open a jar and the first pepper slice hits your tongue, the first thing that you will notice is the sweetness from the sugar and vinegar combination in the pickling liquid. Next comes that pleasant, not too over the top heat that a jalapeno brings and then finally when you least expect it, you'll get the kick of heat from that little guy, the serrano. If you like the combination of sweet and heat, you'll like this recipe.
Once you have made your first batch of pickled jalapenos and serrano peppers, you'll find so many enjoyable uses for them. They are great eaten just as they are for a snack. Add a few slices onto a cracker that has been covered in cream cheese and be ready for a really great tasting surprise. Use them in salsa or to top a few scrambled eggs in the morning. The possibilities are endless and the flavor combinations can be simply amazing.
I have included instructions for making these with or without finishing them in a water bath canner. After the first batch, you may find that you don't need to finish them by canning because if your house is anything like mine, they won't last long enough to require longer storage.
What You Will Need
- 2 pounds jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 pound serrano chilies
- 4 1/2 cups of water
- 4 1/2 cups white vinegar, 5% acidity
- 5 1/2 Tablespoons of white sugar
- 12 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons of peppercorns or freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
How Long Does it Take?
Prep time: about 45 minutes Cook time: about 20 minutes Yields: 6, 1/2 pints or 3 quarts
How to Put it Together
Slice your jalapenos and serrano peppers. You can slice them any thickness that you want, even diced or just cutting them in half will work. Discard the top piece that has the stem attached because no one will want to eat that piece!
Wash your jars and check them for any chips or cracks. Have the lids and rings out and ready to go. If you are water bath canning your batch, you will want to have the canner out, filled and heating on the stove with your jars inside. If you are not water bath canning the batch, you will want to make sure that your jars are hot before adding the pickling liquid. Pouring hot liquid into cold jars can cause them to break. You can warm up the jars by keeping them in the sink that is filled with water as hot as you can make it.
Peel and slice the garlic cloves and roughly chop your onion.
I used a 5quart pan for heating my pickling liquid mixture. Add the water, vinegar, salt and sugar to the pan and heat until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
Add the peppercorns, garlic and onion. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes.
Remove your jars from the sink or the canner and fill them with the sliced jalapenos and serrano peppers leaving about 3/4" headspace at the top of the jar. Your pickling liquid has sliced garlic and onion so you will want to leave enough room for those in the jar.
Using a ladle, start filling the jars with the pickling liquid leaving a headspace of approximately 1/2". You want all of the pepper slices to be submerged in the pickling liquid.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon (never use metal inside of a glass canning jar), remove any of the air bubbles that may be inside the jars.
Taking a clean, wet paper towel or clean cloth, wipe around the edges of the jar to remove any liquid that may have gotten onto the lip of the jar. This helps ensure a good seal when you put the lid on.
Put the lid on the top of the jar and screw on the outer ring of the lid.
If you are not water bath canning your jars, you will want to allow them to cool to room temperature before putting them into the fridge and you are done. The peppers will be infused with the pickling liquid flavors and ready to eat in 7 days.
If you are water bath canning your jars, you will want to gently place them into your canner of boiling water, making sure that the water level is at least 1 inch above the top of the jars, and allow them to process for 15 minutes.
After the processing time, carefully remove them from the canner and set them on a towel on your counter or another area where they will not be disturbed while they are cooling and sealing. You will start to hear the "pinging" noise of the lids sealing. Once the jars have cooled, check the seals and refrigerate any that aren't sealed. Remove the rings, wash the jars and store them for future use.
Sweet and heat. You can't beat that with a stick!
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