I'm going to start by saying that this is my all time favorite thing to can. If you know me at all you know I love preserving and I love Spicy foods! Hotter the better! These are so packed with flavor too, the spicy isn't so over powering that you can't taste anything else. Plus there's something for everything in this big jar. 

I won't lie, there's also something a bit nostalgic for me about pickled foods. Not only did my grandmother use to can everything like I have talked about in other posts but I remember sitting around camp fires as a kid at Deer camp with my dad and all his buddies. For hours we would just hang out and pass around jars of pickled beans that the wives had made up for the hunting trip. 

Of course I was just a kid so I mostly hung out with the other kids but we usually got our hands on a jar and we would take off and eat the entire thing.

As an adult I find myself following in my father's footsteps. Whenever we have friends over, go camping or on a fishing trip... I always bring a couple jars of something pickled to share. It's funny too, there's something about men, beer and fire. That combination makes them eat the craziest, hottest pickled things you can imagine. 

Which is why I can say, these wont last long in the right settings. Not only are they delicious but they're super easy to make too. They seem to be wildly popular the further North you go as well. I noticed shortly after moving back to Vermont that Pickled Kielbasa and Pickled Eggs are on the shelves for the taking at just about every convenience store. That's likely because this is a huge hunting area and back to what I was saying before, men love beer, fires and pickles!

The most important thing to remember with these is that this is a refrigerator batch. Although I would consider myself a semi pro at canning, I don't mess around with canning eggs. Maybe back before I had kids but now that I'm a mom, I'd rather stay on the side of caution vs. getting a food Bourne illness. That's just me though. Also for those of you who don't like heat, just skip the hot stuff and add more onions or kielbasa.  

To begin the process you must start with the eggs. 

For the perfect Hardboiled, easy to peel eggs:

Start by bringing a large pot with about 3 inches of water to a boil. Once boiling, add your eggs carefully to the pot using a slotted spoon. Return to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 8 minutes. When the time is up, remove the pot from the heat and prepare a small bowl with ice and cold water. The trick to easy peeled eggs is to not put all the eggs in at once, just one at a time. Place one egg in the cold water and wait until its just cool enough to touch. Place your next egg in the cold water while you peel the cooled egg.

The issue most people deal with is leaving the eggs in the cold water too long then the membrane contracts from the cold making it difficult to peel. Another trick is wedging your finger under the membrane ( the paper like coating under the shell) and using that to pull the shell off. Continue peeling one egg while your next one is in the cold water. If you do this quick enough, they should peel no problem. 

In the past I have tried other methods to "hardboiled" eggs too. This is one of them >>here.  While this method is fun, it may not be time friendly. 

Once all your eggs are peeled, place them in a clean bowl and in the fridge until ready to assemble. 

Start making your brine by adding 1.5 cup water, 3.5 cups white vinegar, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tbs red pepper flakes, 3 bay leaves, 1.5 tbs black peppercorns, 2 tbs sea salt, 2.5 tbs pickling spice and 1 tbs sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

You can also mix together your own Pickling Spice as well. Here's my go to recipe >>here.

While your brine is simmering, prep your half gallon mason jar by either hand washing with hot water and soap or running it thru your dishwasher. For this method, the jar doesn't need to be hot because they will be going into the refrigerator once the jar is cooled to the touch and not canned then on a shelf.

Now begin cutting your Jalapenos, Onions, Garlic and Kielbasa. Next start to  assemble by placing 1/4th of your garlic and onions in the bottom of the mason jar, then 1/4th of your Jalapeños, 1/4th of the Kielbasa and 1/4th of your eggs. Continue this pattern until all of your items are in the jar. You may have leftovers, that's normal and kind of hard to calculate as peppers and eggs come in different sizes. Once everything is in, carefully pour your bring mixture in and fill to cover. If you don't have enough brine you can top it off with white vinegar, this is another one that's hard to calculate due to size of produce going in. I personally make extra brine then throw it in the fridge to use for the next batch. 

After everything is in, wipe the top of your mason jar where the top goes on with a clean paper towel that has been dipped in vinegar. This will help prevent any cross contamination of bacteria. After it's been cleaned, place the lid on and leave to cool on the counter until the bottom is warm. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. You can start eating them in as little as 3 day once they soaked in all the flavor. That's it!

 

Ingredients

Brine
1.5 cup water
3.5 cups white vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 
2 tbs red pepper flakes
1.5 tbs black peppercorns
2 tbs kosher sea salt
2.5 tbs pickling spice
1 tbs sugar

3 whole bay leaves

Goodies for Inside
12 Hard Boiled and Peeled Eggs
4 cloves of garlic peeled
5 jalapenos sliced into round pieces, about 1/4'' thick
1 package Kielbasa sausage sliced into 1/2 pieces

1 Half Gallon Mason Jar

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and simmer your eggs for 8 minutes, peel and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble.

2. Cut you Onions, Peel the Garlic, Slice the Kielbasa and Chop the Jalapeños.

3. Pour all the Brine ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling reduce to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Start to assemble a clean half gallon mason jar by placing 1/4'th each of the following ingredients in this order; Onions with Garlic, Jalapeños, Kielbasa and then the eggs. Repeat this pattern until the jar is full.

5. Fill the jar with your hot brine, clean the top of the jar around the rim with a paper towel with white vinegar on it. Close with a lid and let cool on the counter until warm to the touch. 

6. Place in the fridge and enjoy in 3 days! These will keep up to 3-4 months.

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