Friday, February 3, 2012

Quick Pickled Jalapeno Rings – I Hear These are Great on Nachos!

Unlike nacho cheese sauce, the nutritional label on a jar of pickled jalapenos isn’t very scary at all, so you can’t use that as an excuse when your non-foodie friends start making fun of you for having too much time on your hands. Nope, you’ll just have to fess up to making these pickled jalapeno rings for the simple reason that you knew how.

While these are a no-brainer topping for your nachos, the fun doesn’t stop there. These make any sandwich more special, and any salad less snoozy. It would be faster to list things that this wouldn’t make more delicious.

As I mention in the video, these are intended to be used relatively soon after making, but they will last for a while in the fridge. You don’t have to be too worried about getting sick, as not much bad happens in a brine, but eventually they start to break down, especially if you slice them thin. Having said that, if you enjoy these as much as I do, they won’t be around very long anyway. Enjoy!


Please note: recipe below makes enough for two (8-oz) jars of peppers. I only pickled enough peppers for one jar, and saved the rest of the brine for something else.

Ingredients:
10 large jalapeno peppers, sliced
3 tbsp sugar (I like these kind of sweet, so use less or no sugar if you don’t)
3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks geat!
btw, i just saw your wifes sfq video.
just out of curiosity,what is that dot she has on her chin?

Mary F said...

what do you call quick pickled jalapeno rings that aren't yours? nacho cheese.

anaileliana said...

Thank you for posting this right away! I'm dying to see if this is the same way my mom makes hers. Would this work with the normal veggies (carrots and onion) that come in the Mexican canned jalapeños?

anaileliana said...

Nice! You got your wife to hold the finished product just so it would be that much better. I'm just kidding. Nothing wrong with your hands Chef John. Are you 2 going to have any videos where you both cook and speak? I know there's 1 video where she makes chilli cookies.

Stefan said...

Chef, I always have trouble cutting Jalapenos because the heat in the oil/juices causes my skin to burn a few minutes afterwards. Any advice? Thanks!

Looks delicious, as always!

Anonymous said...

This has sort of been on my list of things to do for a while. Unfortunately, jalapenos don't agree with me. It's not the heat, because I'm fine with scotch bonnet/habeneros, etc. I love the pickled heat flavor though. So my project was going to be pickled Serrano rings, or some other tasty pepper in a brine. Thanks for the quick fridge pickle recipe to spur me on!
-Pyrofish

Al Moynee said...

Hello Chef John
Those look great, how about you make dill pickles, sour pickles etc. (canning) a project for the summer. everything you do, you make it simple for us regular folks.
Bless you

Chef John said...

Wear plastic gloves!

Jenny said...

Neat! Never would have thought to make this myself.

LDM said...

I actually pickled a bunch last fall using a water bath method.

I used cider vinegar to give them a bit more flavor than the white vinegar, and they've turned out marvelous. I'll look to this next fall though when I need to make more (probably combine the recipes so I can shelf-store them for a while)

M in Mex. said...

Chef: I use Sherry (DrySack medium) Vinegar; have you tried it?

Stan Starsky said...

I would never think to make these, which is exactly why I met actually do it...What a great novelty item...I might add more garlic - just to have the pickled garlic as well.

Louise said...

Chef John,

Great post. I canned up sliced jalapenos, whole jalapenos and also made jalapeno jam last fall. Had some last night over cream cheese on crackers. The Patriots will win the Super Bowl this year. Sorry you read the chicken bones incorrectly. Have a great weekend. Cheers

S/V Blondie-Dog said...

I'll be sure to try this out sometime...especially 'cause I happen to like jalapenos on my corn-flakes in the morning and also 'cause I heard that eating jalapenos can ward off potential shark attacks.

Apparently sharks can sense those of us who regularly eat jalapenos and hence know better than to risk having their rear-end burning for days on end...

Cassidy said...

Super yummy! Just made these for tomorrow and threw some on my sammich. Very good. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Made this using Serrano peppers this morning, very tasty. I lowered the sugar to make up for the lesser heat of the Serrano. We've had it in salad so far, nachos next :-)

Jim said...

Made these this weekend & brought them to a Superbowl party...HUGE hit!! I sent half the party to your website for the recipe. BTW...just found the YouTube app on the Xbox, & your videos look great on the big screen! Congrats!

Enzo said...

Yep, Chef John was right by saying that this goes along with anything. Thank you once again for a wonderful yet simple recipe!

TxasGriffLovers said...

Dear Chef John, I just made a batch of these and they are so good...serving them tonight over stuffed baked potatoes with bacon, onion and andouille sausagel Thanks so much for your recipe(s).

HowardTaft said...

My dearest Chef John, I've had a jar of these in my fridge since you posted this recipe (not the same jar). I like mine extra mild and fruity so I use equal parts distilled white, apple cider and white wine vinegars (1/4 cup each) I also core the jalapenos and use rounded tablespoons of sugar. There is literally no sandwich, that exists, that cannot be improved by adding a few of these. Also, if you chop 'em up, they are a head-explodingly delicious hotdog relish. In conclusion, Peter Piper ain't got nothin on you, Chef John.

Murana said...

I've got two questions - what should I do to marinate them? Just boil the jars?
And second one - what is distilled vinegar? Is it normal, 10% vinegar?

Chef John said...

Yes, just regular vinegar! Sorry, don't understand the other question.

Murana said...

It's said that 'they will last for a while in the fridge' - for how long can i keep them closed or how to make them be good a little longer? :) I mean - I want to make them now, but use them for example in December - should i put them in jars an put those jars in boiling water?

Chef John said...

They will last a REALLY long time as is, but if you want to "Can" them, then google canning sites for "pickled peppers" for specific directions.

Eric said...

Chef John! If I were super lazy (BIG IF), could I just throw some sliced jalapenos into a jar of dill pickles and achieve relatively the same thing? Or is that too much of a lazy bachelor move?

Chef John said...

I like how you're thinking, but not sure if that would work or not!

Unknown said...

Hi, love your videos! But I sometimes get snagged on some of the ingredients and qualities of some of your ingredients. As a Swede I have two basic vinegars 12 and 24 percentage of pure distilled vinegar to choose from, other than white/red vine or the myriad of balsamic types. Also our Swedish salt makers still think kosher salt is religious (Just saying).

Jane said...

Are Jalapenos ok when turning red?

kknechtel52 said...

Hello Chef John,
I watched this video and immediately made these pickled peppers. They are super good. My niece was here and
was going straight home to make them. I like that they
aren't too hot and she will not rinse them, so they are
spicier. Love your videos. Thanks

kknechtel52 said...

Hi Chef John, You mention in one of your comments, that these will last a long time, in the fridge. However, on your video, you mentioned, they would last, about 4 days.
So will they last longer than 4 days?
I made these and then turned them upside down, in the jar, for 15 minutes, and they sealed. Just a tip, for anyone who might like to try this.

ScienceSusan said...

Dear Jane, red jalapeños are called Fresnos, and cost six times as much if you can find them. They are so pretty!

I just made these, one green one red, less sugar. I am not a sweet person. After cutting up the peppers, I rinsed them in a salad spinner. Seeds out, peppers in.

Also, pickling preserves food. Over time, quality may deteriorate, crunch, heat. But not safety. Eat the food. The food won't hurt you.

CA ROPPEL said...

I find that if I let the brine cool first, then pour over the peppers, they stay really crunchy and really retain the flavor of the pepper (not just the heat). I'd love it if you'd do a comparison of hot to cool prep. I do this with my refrigerator pickles and they, too, stay really crunchy!
-Christine (fellow "upstate NY" friend!)