I’m normally not a spicy food lover, but I had pickled jalapenos on a short rib sandwich a few years back and really loved the slightly spicy addition to the savory, fatty meat. I’ve been wanting to do a pickled jalapeno for a while now and finally got around to doing so this year. Since its my first attempt at pickling jalapenos, I’m looking forward to the result and figuring out what to pair them with. These will also make great gifts for heat-loving friends.

I slightly adapted the recipe for Unfancy Pickled Jalapeno Peppers from Food in Jars, by slicing the jalapeno peppers in to rings, as I wanted the jalapenos in a smaller size. Do make sure you wear gloves when handling jalapenos, or any spicy pepper. And as I can share from experience when making this recipe, use care when taking the gloves off to make sure the jalapeno juice doesn’t go flying in your eye. Ouch.

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

Yield: 5-6 half pints

• 1 pound of jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups filtered water
• 2 tablespoons pickling salt

Set 6 half pint jars in a water bath canning pot and boil them for 10 minutes.

Put the vinegar, distilled water and pickling salt in a medium sauce pan and heat just to a boil, then reduce the pan to a simmer.

Wearing kitchen or cleaning gloves, slice the peppers horizontally across, creating rings.

Remove the jars from the water bath and add the jalapeno slices, packing them in the jars as tightly as possible.

Ladle the brine over the jalapenos, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Carefully tap the jars on the countertop and use a wooden chopstick to dislodge any bubbles.

Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel and add the lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes then turn the heat off and let sit for another 10 minutes to ensure a proper seal. Allow the peppers to sit for at least a week before opening a jar to allow the pickling to kick in.

Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.