Hot Pepper Jelly
Friends, as we head into summer, I wanted to share my Hot Pepper Jelly recipe with you. It is the perfect addition to any grilled meat, cheese appetizer, or it also makes the perfect gift!
Now if you have never done any canning before, this recipe is a perfect starter recipe. You just need to keep a few things in mind. Below you will find a list of the tools you will need, a few links to these tools, and a complete recipe. Watch my long video (IGTV version) to get more info on how to do this. It is not hard. Just know you will have to stir a boiling caldron of pepper/sugar stuff for a few minutes. That is the only hard part.
Tools Needed
Dry measuring cups
6-quart or larger Dutch oven
Canner or 2nd large Dutch oven Amazon has a Graniteware 21.5 qt canner for $28.50. This is a great starter canner. (It would be great for those summer low country boils too!)
Small saucepan
12 jelly jars with 2-piece lids
1 large bowl
Jar lifter, lid magnet and wide mouth funnel (these help but are not necessary) Amazon has a 3-piece Canning Essentials kit that contains all three pieces for $12.49. And I use mine every time I can any type of food.
Foods to Pair Hot Pepper Jelly with
Use it as a glaze for grilled/baked wings
Use it as a glaze for hamburgers
Pour over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers
Pour over a Pork Loin and cook in a slow cooker
Use in place of mustard or mayo on a turkey sandwich
As you consider making this Hot Pepper Jelly, keep a few things in mind. This pepper mixture cooks for a while, so it is not as hot as you might think. If you want it hotter in the end you might want to consider adding more habanero pepper or adding the habanero closer to the end of the cooking process. Also, the peppers in this recipe create a “hot” vapor in your home as it cooks. So, it is a good idea to run your vent over your stove, open a window, or run a fan as you cook it. As you prepare you peppers WEAR GLOVES, REMOVE THEM CAREFULLY, AND DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE! I cannot stress this enough. Trust me when I tell you, you do not want jalapeno in your eye.
Hot Pepper Jelly
Equipment
- Canner
Ingredients
- 2 ½ bell peppers yellow or orange, equaling 2 cups chopped
- 1 lb. jalapeno peppers equaling 2 cups chopped
- 2 habanero peppers
- 1 c apple cider vinegar
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 box Sure Jell Original not low sugar
- 12 jelly jars washed and sanitized
Instructions
- Wear rubber gloves when preparing peppers. Be careful to wash your hands and utensils before touching your face. Add water to fill your canner ½ way and start to heat it. Place your lids in a small saucepan with water and bring them to a simmer as well.
- Remove outer part of peppers, discarding the seeds and stems. Chop peppers and measure using dry measuring cup to reach 2 cups bell peppers, 2 cups jalapeno peppers. Habanero peppers will be a very small amount so just toss it in after chopping.
- Measure 5 cups of sugar into a large bowl.
- Add chopped peppers and apple cider vinegar to your large saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil.
- When mixture cannot be stirred down from a boil add sugar. Bring back to a boil stirring constantly.
- When mixture returns to a full, rolling boil stir constantly for one minute. Remove from heat.
- Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling each to within ¼’ of top. Wipe rims with clean, wet cloth or paper towel. Cover with prepared two-piece lids. Add to canner and process for 10 minutes.
- Remove jars from boiling water with jar lifter or tongs and allow to cool on towel.
- Any jars that do not seal, store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Sealed Hot Pepper jelly will last up to 1 year in a cool, dark place like a pantry.
Notes
*One dozen jelly jars with new lids and rings
*Jars and lids must be sterilized. To sterilize, simmer them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes while your jelly is cooking.
*Dry measuring cup, 6-quart saucepan or larger (or two if you do not have a canner), ladle, large mouth funnel, food processor (makes job easier), canner and canning rack.
