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Smoky, Sweet, and Spicy Pickles
These homemade pickles pack a serious punch of flavor with a bold mix of chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and warm spices. The combination of brown sugar and two types of vinegar creates a perfectly balanced brine that transforms ordinary cucumbers or firm vegetables into a complex snack. They are incredibly easy to prepare for quick refrigerator storage or long-term pantry keeping. Serve them alongside rich barbecue meats, tuck them into sandwiches, or enjoy them straight from the jar for a crunchy, fiery bite.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs/1 kg pickling cucumbers or firm vegetables of your choice
- 2 cups/470 ml hot water
- 1 ¼ cups/250 g brown sugar
- ½ cup/24 g kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups/830 ml cider vinegar
- 3 ½ cups/830 ml white wine vinegar
- 5 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, sliced
- 2 tbsp/30 ml adobo sauce
- 2 tsp/5 g ground cumin
- 2 tsp/5 g paprika
Instructions
- 1Slice the cucumbers or chosen firm vegetables and pack them tightly into a large one-gallon container or divide them evenly among several pint-sized canning jars.
- 2Whisk the brown sugar and kosher salt into the hot water until fully dissolved. Stir in the cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sliced chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, ground cumin, and paprika to finish the brine.
- 3For refrigerator pickles, pour the prepared brine directly over the vegetables in the large container. Let the mixture cool completely, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours before serving.
- 4For long-term pantry storage, pour the brine into the individual pint jars over the vegetables. Seal the jars and process them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, then remove and let them cool completely.