I'm looking for a good brine, please.

SL3

SL3

I need a good Brine for some peppers. Every year I try and every year I fail and end up with a nasty strong taste of straight vinegar. I love store bought pickles and I especially love Mezzetta Hot Chili’s in their brine. I can drink that stuff.
 
All have vinegar, but don’t taste awful like my homemade vinegar brine's I’ve tried. What is the secret to a good tasting brine? If you don’t want to share publicly please send me a PM.  :shh:
 
Here is a simple brine recipe I use for pickling cukes, peppers, carrots, beans and cauliflower: 
 
8 oz white wine vinegar
6 oz kosher salt (or sea salt)
About 120-ish ounces water
 
Mix the vinegar with the salt and add the water - make sure the salt is dissolved.  Makes 1 gallon.  Recipe can be easily scaled up or down.
 
Then add any/all of the following, to taste:
 
1-2 tbsp dill seed, or 4-5 flower heads of dill
2-12 cloves of garlic
1-2 tbsp hot pepper flake 
1-2 tbsp black peppercorns
1-2 tbsp mustard seed
1-2 tbsp all spice berries
Sometimes I add a few capers or maybe a little fennel or bayleaf.  My go to is simple; 1 tbsp of all the above plus 2 bay leaves.  
 
I will mix the brine and then pour into smaller jars to pickle different things.  Cukes are fast - only a week or so and it's in the fridge (they stay crisp that way).  Peppers and most everything else will sit for 2-3 weeks or so before they start getting real good.  Check the fermenting 101 thread for information on best practices.   :)
 
When I make escabeche I usually do almost two cups of water to every one of white vinegar. I started with 1 to 1 ratio and kept making batches with less vinegar till I and friends/family liked it and it tasted somewhat like the canned stuff. I boil the stuff for maybe 5ish minutes rolling then let it sit in the fridge for a day or so. My girlfriends Dad can eat a mason jar full in one sitting. He had neve heard of escabeche till I made it now he asks me every time I'm over if I have more. There's some other seasonings I add too but that's my approximate vinegar to water ratio.
 
El Angeleno said:
When I make escabeche I usually do almost two cups of water to every one of white vinegar. I started with 1 to 1 ratio and kept making batches with less vinegar till I and friends/family liked it and it tasted somewhat like the canned stuff. I boil the stuff for maybe 5ish minutes rolling then let it sit in the fridge for a day or so. My girlfriends Dad can eat a mason jar full in one sitting. He had neve heard of escabeche till I made it now he asks me every time I'm over if I have more. There's some other seasonings I add too but that's my approximate vinegar to water ratio.
Click to expand...
Sure Angeleno, first I love love love escabeche. And now yer holding out on your recipe! :) that hurts. Hahaha
But seriously if it's not a secret we'd love to hear it.
Cheers
 
SmokenFire said:
Here is a simple brine recipe I use for pickling cukes, peppers, carrots, beans and cauliflower: 
 
8 oz white wine vinegar
6 oz kosher salt (or sea salt)
About 120-ish ounces water
 
Mix the vinegar with the salt and add the water - make sure the salt is dissolved.  Makes 1 gallon.  Recipe can be easily scaled up or down.
 
Then add any/all of the following, to taste:
 
1-2 tbsp dill seed, or 4-5 flower heads of dill
2-12 cloves of garlic
1-2 tbsp hot pepper flake 
1-2 tbsp black peppercorns
1-2 tbsp mustard seed
1-2 tbsp all spice berries
Sometimes I add a few capers or maybe a little fennel or bayleaf.  My go to is simple; 1 tbsp of all the above plus 2 bay leaves.  
 
I will mix the brine and then pour into smaller jars to pickle different things.  Cukes are fast - only a week or so and it's in the fridge (they stay crisp that way).  Peppers and most everything else will sit for 2-3 weeks or so before they start getting real good.  Check the fermenting 101 thread for information on best practices.   :)
Click to expand...
Thanks Smoken Fire. Sounds like a good one to try. Much appreciated. 
 
oldsalty said:
Sure Angeleno, first I love love love escabeche. And now yer holding out on your recipe! :) that hurts. Hahaha
But seriously if it's not a secret we'd love to hear it.
Cheers
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing. Sometimes it's just so hard to let go of those little secrets!  :D
 
oldsalty said:
Sure Angeleno, first I love love love escabeche. And now yer holding out on your recipe! :) that hurts. Hahaha
But seriously if it's not a secret we'd love to hear it.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Hahahahaha no, no big secrete. Unfortunately I just kinda eyeball things so if I give it out may not be perfect but I'll give it a shot.
7ish Sliced Jalapeños, I like to slice strips and rounds
1 smallish onion
4 Garlic cloves
A small carrot sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1.75 cup water
Mexican oregano 1 tbsp(ish)
Salt & pepper
A couple bay leaves
Tsp coriander
Tsp cumin
4 or 5 whole cloves
Tbsp or so olive oil

I fry the ingredients for just a few minutes then drop in the liquid, let it come to boil for maybe 3-4 minutes. I make sure it's still kind of "under done" cus it'll cook more after it's turned off. That's it, wish I could be more exacting with the recipe but I always just kinda eye ball things.
Disfruta!
 
El Angeleno said:
Hahahahaha no, no big secrete. Unfortunately I just kinda eyeball things so if I give it out may not be perfect but I'll give it a shot.
7ish Sliced Jalapeños, I like to slice strips and rounds
1 smallish onion
4 Garlic cloves
A small carrot sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1.75 cup water
Mexican oregano 1 tbsp(ish)
Salt & pepper
A couple bay leaves
Tsp coriander
Tsp cumin
4 or 5 whole cloves
Tbsp or so olive oil
I fry the ingredients for just a few minutes then drop in the liquid, let it come to boil for maybe 3-4 minutes. I make sure it's still kind of "under done" cus it'll cook more after it's turned off. That's it, wish I could be more exacting with the recipe but I always just kinda eye ball things.
Disfruta!
Click to expand...
Hahaha right on brother lots of members will love this!! Thank You !!! :) Will be making a batch today!!!
Making some fish today will be using this recipe from Rick Bayless. Then chow time.
Barriga llena, corazón contento.
 
Made it this weekend and realized its whole allspice cloves not actual clove! My bad, though clove may not be bad.
This weekend I did several types of pepper and I think it added to the flavor a lot. Jalapeño, Serrano, Manzano, Habanero, Chilaca
 
El Angeleno said:
Made it this weekend and realized its whole allspice cloves not actual clove! My bad, though clove may not be bad.
This weekend I did several types of pepper and I think it added to the flavor a lot. Jalapeño, Serrano, Manzano, Habanero, Chilaca
Click to expand...
Dammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm sending you Bill for ingredients!!!! :) LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top