Nell Wilson’s simple pickled hot peppers
It’s now recommended to process these peppers in a water bath for 15 minutes.
But I still just sterilize the jars in the dishwasher, pack the peppers into hot jars, pour boiling brine over, seal and store in the pantry, just like Nell has been doing for years.
I’ll leave it up to you to process the pickles in a canner or not.
Use gloves when handling hot peppers. Don’t touch lips, eyes, etc.
Ingredients
Peppers
Clean hot peppers, enough to fill 10 pints or up to 6 quarts
Brine
6 cups clear vinegar, 5% acidity
2 cups water
1/4 to 2 cups sugar (optional but takes some of the “bite” out)
Bring brine to a boil and keep hot as you fill the jars.
Instructions
Wash jars in dishwasher and leave them hot.
Peppers: Leave whole with a slit down the center, or cut into slices as desired.
Remove seeds and membranes, or not. Seeds and membranes make the peppers hotter.
Place peppers in hot jars, packing very tightly. Otherwise, they’ll tend to float.
Pour boiling brine over, covering peppers, leaving 1/4” headspace.
Wipe rims with clean wet cloth and seal with lids and bands.
Cool and store in pantry up to 1 year.
Good add ins: Sweet peppers, bay leaves, garlic, dill.
Tip: Hot Mouth!
The capsaicin in peppers causes the burn