Trying lots of different jalapeños over the years has left me with some strong opinions. Some were too mushy or too hot. The key to the best ever jalapeños is (as with all pickles) to cut them yourself from fresh. The quicker you do it after harvesting, or buying, the crunchier and the better the flavor. Don’t worry though! If you want to use your jalapeños in other dishes, like baked into corn cookies (yeah that’s a thing) or corn bread, you’ll still get the right consistency. That is, a jalapeño doesn’t have to start out mushy to be soft when baked into a bread. So when you make these, set your mind at ease that they will be the right choice for everything you want to use them in.

A couple of notes about jalapeños first. Pickled jalapeños will end up tasting like jalapeños, not the spices you are putting into the jar as in pickle recipes. Just like if you were to roast them, the flavor changes. And the way to get that distinct taste is to make sure they get cooked the right amount in the hot brine as they sit.

You can add these as a spice into burritos, on top of nachos, hot dogs, on eggs and salsas, or even eat them plain….. whatever your heart desires. Now that I have your attention, here is the recipe!

Ingredients

About 4 large jalapeños

1 cup filtered water

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 clove garlic (or more, I’m not the boss of you)

5-8 black peppercorns

Process

Dice up your garlic (or slice thinly) and add that to the jar along with the pepper.

Slice your jalapeños thinly, and fill the jar with those. Spicier products include more seeds, less spicy they get omitted. This isn’t a super sound rule, sometimes the pepper is just out of this world spicy!

Add water, vinegar, and salt to your cook pot and bring to a boil.

When boiling, add in sugar and boil for a few minutes longer.

Fill your jar and screw the lid on tight. Allow to sit on the counter until the jar reaches room temperature.

What’s that? Someone you love likes jalapenos? Make these with or for them. Show them that you care. Food brings us closer together and you need to honor that in your life.