Recipe: candied jalapeño

Recipe: Six Week Canned Candied Jalapeños

I'm a foodie. A cookbook addict. An amateur chef who loves to cook for friends and family. 

This is an easy recipe that I make about four or five times a year to keep my pantry stocked with these delicious sweet and somewhat spicy candied jalapeños. This is an easy recipe, but the six week wait for the jalapeños to become ready to eat is the hardest part!

The finished product: jars and jars of delicious candied jalapeños! Plus, when the jalapeños get low, I use the juice to slow-cook pork roast, cook candied jalapeño bacon, and more.

Jalepenos headed for the sink to be washed

 I started making these delicious candied jalapeños when I had a bumper crop of jalapeños coming out of my garden, and had to do something with them or else they would go to waste. These were so good that they've become a staple in my kitchen for cooking and snacking year-round.

I like to get them from the farmer's market or restaurant supply store if I don't have enough from the garden or it's off-season for my garden. They're also not expensive to get from the local grocery store if you're doing a small batch.

Start the recipe by prepping your canning jars. Wash and rinse them in very hot water, when start your water bath. Put the first batch of empty jars in the water bath to get them hot.

Next, wash four pounds (or a little more) of jalapeños in the sink and set them aside to dry a bit. 

Make the amazing syrup on the stove. In a large stock pot combine 3 cups of cider vinegar, 6 cups white sugar, 1 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoons celery seed, 2 tablespoons garlic powder,  and 2 teaspoons ground smoked chipotle pepper or cayenne pepper. Turn up the heat. The goal is to get it to a steady boil by the time you've got your peppers ready in a few minutes.

This doesn't look good right now. But it will become one of the most amazing cooking sauces you've ever used!

 While the syrup heats up, chop your peppers. First step: put on your rubber gloves. I don't de-seed the peppers. The seeds make no difference in the taste of the finished recipe, so there's no need to take the time to get rid of them.
I prefer a mandolin because it's really easy to slice evenly, just watch your fingertips near the blade. A food processor can also make quick work of four pounds of jalapeños. If you don't have either of these, you might decide to buy one or both after chopping four pounds of jalapeños with a knife. Just saying.

I like to use a simple mandolin secured on the lip of a bowl to chop the peppers.

Four plus pounds of jalapeños can look a little overwhelming at this point. Who in their right mind would eat this many jalapeños? You will. Quickly. And you'll make a lot more soon!

Once all of the peppers are chopped, pull your canning jars out of the water bath and prep them to receive the syrup and jalapeños. You'll need the jars in about four minutes and thirty seconds.

Next, take the jalapeños and drop them into the boiling syrup. Pat them down so that the jalapeños are submerged. When the liquid boils again in a few seconds, start a timer for four minutes.   

The jalapeños in the syrup bath. When it starts boiling again, set a timer for four minutes.

When the timer goes off, begin scooping the shriveled jalapeños into the jars. Pack them tightly, then fill the remaining space with the syrup. Fill up to 1/4 inch of the rim, stir out any air bubbles, then re-measure the 1/4 head space, wipe the rims, place the lids and rims on the jars finger tight, then  submerge into the water bath with at least 2 inches of water above the top of the jars. Boil with the lid on for at least ten minutes (add more time for higher elevations), then remove the boiling pot from heat and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the hot water for five more minutes, then pull the jars and set on a kitchen towel for about a day. The lids should make an audible, sealing pop within a few minutes of being removed from the water bath.

Don't throw out any extra syrup! You should have enough to fill one or more jars of just liquid. These will keep in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. I use the syrup to make candied bacon (recipe soon), I use it as a glaze in the crockpot when cooking brisket or pork roast. You'll come up with lots of uses!

The hardest part of this recipe comes next: wait six weeks. Seriously. I let the jars sit in the pantry for SIX WEEKS. They marinate in the wonderful juices, and when they're ready, they are entirely addictive. Use the candied jalapeños within a calendar year of making them. That shouldn't be an issue. I recommend starting a new batch of jalapeños about the time you open up a new batch to eat. They're just that good! 

The finished product, waiting to be transferred to the pantry for the six week prep. It's worth the wait!

Candied Jalepeño recipe:

4+ pounds fresh, crisp and firm jalepeños

3 cups cider vinegar

6 cups white sugar
1 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground smoked chipotle pepper or cayenne pepper
Approximately 20 jelly canning jars, rims, lids, and appropriate canning equipment to lower filled cans into (and raise out of) boiling water bath

Candied jalapeños on top of creme cheese, on a tray with assorted crackers and other cheeses.