Pickled Chili Peppers

[kirra]

Pickled Chili Peppers

Ingredients:

Brine:

2 lbs. (1 gallon) fresh, ripe, chili peppers
1 gallon water
2 cups of sea or kosher salt

Marinade:

1 cup water
5 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried thyme
10 whole allspice
1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
12 black peppercorns
12 white peppercorns
1 tsp. whole mustard seeds
2 juniper berries
6 whole cloves


Herb Oil Garnish:

4 dried bay leaves
12 whole, unpeeled, garlic cloves, parboiled for 2 minutes
2 carrots, par boiled for 2 minutes and sliced into 1/8-inch coins
6 peeled shallots
12 Tbsp. virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Wash the peppers, trim the stems to a stub and prick each pepper twice with a fork on opposite sides.

Bring the water to a boil, immediately remove it from the heat, and dissolve the salt in it to make a brine. Let it cool.

Combine the washed peppers and the cooled brine in a glass, plastic, stainless steel, or other non reactive container. Place a china plate on top of the peppers to hold them down in the brine. Use 2 if necessary. Soak the peppers in the brine for a minimum of 12 hours.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a heavy bottom stainless steel sauce pan. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Wash and sterilize 8-12 pint-size canning jars and lids. In each sanitized, hot jar place 1/4 of a dried bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, several carrot slices, 1/2 of a shallot and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then pack the peppers into the jars. Pour marinading liquid into each jar leaving at least 1/2-inch of head space from the top of the liquid to the rim.

Use a boiling water bath method to seal the jars and process the peppers for 5 minutes. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks before using.

Refrigerate unused portions after you’ve opened a jar.



Fire Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pint homemade pickled chili peppers (See recipe under canning.)
1 12 oz. bottle chili sauce
1/2 cup pickling marinade strained from the chili peppers
1/2 cup Lairds Applejack or brandy
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. liquid smoke
1/8 tsp. ground cumin

Preparation:

Strain peppers, saving pickling liquid, garlic clove, shallot, and carrot slices. Discard spices.

Remove stems and seeds from each of the peppers, and process peppers, garlic clove, shallot and carrot slices into a paste, using a food processor or blender.

Combine chili pepper paste, chili sauce, pickling liquid, applejack and Worcestershire sauce in a stainless steel saucepan. Simmer mixture over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in black pepper and coriander and simmer for another minute.

Remove sauce from heat and stir in liquid smoke and cumin. Let sauce cool in refrigerator.

You may prefer a thinner sauce, so before bottling, adjust the thickness of the sauce to suit your preference by adding a little more pickling liquid or applejack. Store in refrigerator in a sanitized pint canning jar or other sanitized container of your choice.