Over the summer my husband and I visited The Orchard at
Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse in Pinetop. During the summer months, The Orchard –
several acres of grass and trees and an outdoor dance floor and bar – hosts
arts and crafts festivals as well as other events. We bought some canned goods
from a company called Made by Bees, from Gilbert, AZ and absolutely fell in
love with their sweet hot jalapenos.
This recipe is my attempt to recreate that one; I think I
came pretty darn close!
Warning: These jalapenos are addictive!
Sweet Hot Pickled Jalapenos
1 pound fresh jalapeno peppers
2 cups vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup olive oil
3/4 cup honey
½ t. smoke flavoring
2 t. pickling spices
About 2 t. chili pequin (or Japanese hot chilis)
Wash jalapenos peppers and cut off stems. Slice the peppers
on the diagonal. Remove excess seeds (that’s what makes them hot so remove as
many as you wish depending on how hot you like them). Pack slices into clean
canning jars (I used 5 half pints and four 4-ounce jars).
In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, water, oil, honey, smoke
flavoring and pickling spices to boiling. Remove from heat and pour into jars,
leaving about ½ inch head space. Add 2 chili pequin to each jar. Fasten lids
and screw bands on jars.
Process in boiling water for 15 minutes (low elevations) to
25 minutes (high elevations). Time them from the moment the water starts
boiling. Remember that the jars should be completely covered in water. When
time is up, remove them from the boiling water bath with a jar vise. Let sit,
undisturbed, for at least 12 hours. For best flavor, let the jalapenos sit for
3 weeks before eating.
