How to Pickle Pepperoncini Peppers
- 1). Sterilize eight 1-pint or 1/2-pint glass canning jars. (Most hot water bath canners can accommodate 8 jars.) Place the jars in a large kettle filled with boiling water. You can also sterilize the jars in your dishwasher on the "hot" setting. Keep the jars hot until you're ready to fill them with peppers. Wash the lids and rings, then keep the lids and rings hot in a saucepan filled with simmering water.
- 2). Wash the peppers thoroughly. Place the peppers on a cutting board and use a paring knife to make 2 to 3 small slashes in each pepper. The peppers can also be pricked with a fork. Slitting the pepperoncini will allow the peppers to fill with vinegar. Otherwise, the peppers may float.
- 3). Make the pickling brine for the pepperoncini peppers. Combine three parts distilled vinegar with one part water, then simmer the brine for 10 minutes. Make enough brine to fill your jars. (For example, if you have eight 1/2-pint jars, you will need 4 pints of brine.) Pack the peppers into the hot jars, then cover the peppers with the hot pickling brine.
- 4). Wipe the top of the jars with a clean, damp cloth, then attach the lids and rings. Place the filled jars in a hot water bath canner. As soon as the water returns to a full boil, set your timer for 15 minutes.
- 5). Remove the jars from the hot water as soon as the timer rings. Set the jars on a wooden board or a thick layer of towels and allow the jars to cool completely before storing.
