5 Day Sampling

Last Saturday I decided to can up some 'Spicy Pickled Eggs'. This time I decided to make them from scratch, as opposed to my usual method of using pickle juice. I just sampled one after 5 days...for "progress report" purposes, of course.

Delicious!

So what's in them?

Well, here's a list:

White vinegar
Hard boiled eggs (steamed)
Habanero peppers sliced
Serrano peppers sliced
Jalapeno peppers sliced
Onion sliced
Garlic crushed
Orange bell pepper sliced
Pickling spices
Sugar

The trick is to combine all the ingredients except for the eggs and simmer it for about 20 minutes. Then put a couple eggs in a canning jar, dump some of the hot brine over it, add some more eggs and repeat until the jar is full. Then refrigerate. These are not room temperature shelf stable pickled eggs, so they do require refrigeration, but boy are they dee-licious!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


How long will they last in the fridge?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Should be stable for quite a while.... Even uncooked there are preservation methods that I've heard are almost indefinite though that's quite the claim.

Flyingclay disk, those sound good man, props on the pepper selection... Nothing like a little (lot) of spice to remind you that you're alive.

Edit: Looks like 3-4 months shelf life in the fridge.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Gosh, a long time really. Once the eggs have been pickled (about 5+ days) they'll last as long as pickles do.

Well, you'll gobble them all up long before then though!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

they'll last as long as pickles do.

Garlic dills last about a day. ;0 at our house anyway.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

That sounds really good. The majority of the ingredient list is completely kosher even. If you had to guess, what elements are in the pickling spices? Would you be able to make that from raw ingredients for substitution?

a reply to: ClovenSky

Sure! I don't think the pickling spices have any artificial ingredients, but you could always look up the ingredients o the web and mix yourself. Otherwise everything else is just raw ingredients.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I also add beets to mine sometimes with some pearl onions, really lends a unique flavor

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Hmmm... that sounds awesome!

Could you do an approximation of ingredients? Especially the vinegar and sugar. And by canning jar is that the same as a mason jar? Also, you really pour the hot brine over the cooked eggs? Seems like cooking them twice if they are steamed ahead of time.

Thanks.

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I also add beets to mine sometimes with some pearl onions, really lends a unique flavor

That's the way I remember them when my mom made them. Pickled Beets in the mix, Gave them good coloring too.

Don't really like them too much now...But As I kid I loved them!

originally posted by: spacedoubt

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I also add beets to mine sometimes with some pearl onions, really lends a unique flavor

That's the way I remember them when my mom made them. Pickled Beets in the mix, Gave them good coloring too.

Don't really like them too much now...But As I kid I loved them!

Yeah thats how my grandma and great grandma made em too, in those BIG ol jars, plus the beets are a nice treat on the side

a reply to: TheSpanishArcher

Well, I kind of did it the back-ass-wards way. I started with (12) eggs and some 1 qt Kerr/Mason jars. Then I made a batch of the pickling brine which was basically as follows:

4 cups white vinegar
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
4-5 habaneros
4-5 jalapenos
2-3 serranos
2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
1/2 sliced onion
6 cloves of garlic
2 tsp of salt
1 red bell pepper
1 cinnamon stick

I wasn't sure how far that would get me, but that was were I started. Turned out that batch did about 2 jars and a little more. So then I halved the ingredients and made another batch which came out just about right. I put 4 eggs in each jar in layers with the brine. I actually used a bit less sugar and water than what I listed, but I've upped the ingredients above because I added a little more afterwards just to adjust for taste.

It was kind of a mad scientist approach, but it worked and it was pretty fun.

ETA - Yes, I poured the hot brine over the cooked eggs. It didn't overcook them.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Cool, thanks. I've never pickled anything before so was kinda clueless about this process.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I'm gonna get a bit off topic and ask you a question since you seem to be quite the cook.

I'm going to do my first dry brine today for sunday... Have you done this before? And if you have, do you have any tips? I've read some conflicting things online...

I haven't started yet but right now our local store is doing buy one get one free chuck roasts (they look like really big steaks).... My plan is to dry brine both (for 2 days) then put them on the smoker.... One I will pull off around 115-125 f and reverse sear it... The other I will get to about 185 and shred it.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Need some more info to be of assistance. Brining meat can be a very complicated process depending on what you're trying to do.

First of all, what are you using for brine? Specifically, are you using any sodium nitrite (commonly known as 'Prague #1' or 'Insta Cure'). If so, what mixture do you intend to use?

Next, are you wanting to 'cure' the meat, or just brine it (like in salt)? In other words, what is your goal for the finished product? For example, a "corned beef" (cured) brisket will have the taste and texture of, well, corned beef. A straight brisket will have the taste and texture of smoked or grilled beef. So, a corned beef will retain the pink color whereas with a straight brisket the color is a function of the how done the beef is.

If you're wanting to 'cure' the meat then we have to get into methodology, like 'dry curing' versus 'wet curing'. And, if you're shooting for shelf-life, then we have to get into even more detailed curing methods using Prague #2 and longer times.

In any case, realize that anything you're going to cure of any size is going to require days, possibly even weeks, curing before you cook it.

Bottom line, if you just took a piece of chuck roast (in your case) and put it in straight salt water and some spices for a day or so what you're likely just going to wind up with is a really salty piece of smoked meat. If that's what you're shooting for then you can go that way. If you're wanting something else, let me know what you're trying to do and we'll get you fixed up.

ETA - Cure penetration is about 1" per 7 days, so depending on how thick the meat is to start with this will give you an idea of curing times. Also, pure salt (not iodized mind you) will eventually cure meat, but it will wind up very salty (think: country ham) which is why some of the other curing methods were developed. However, just be aware, curing methods are very exacting (very) and using the wrong amounts can be toxic and/or deadly. (not because of spoilage either, that's another discussion altogether).

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The brine won't be too intense... And while the salinity will be an added benefit within, the magic of brine I feel is that they make uber juicy cuts, especially with a smoke. However, wet brines and beef (IMO) aren't the way to go...

So a chef came up with the dry brine.... You just sprinkle whatever amount of salt you would have intended on seasoning with anyways and put in the fridge for 12-48 hours depending on size.

This reaction, known as “pull-push”, enhances the meat with the flavour of salt and spices, but without diluting its natural juices. And that's not all: the dry brining technique enables any damage to be limited in the case of over-cooking. What actually happens is that a moisture reserve is created which comes in useful if we forget to remove the food from the heat when done. With dry brining, it is sufficient to prepare the meat a couple of hours, or even a few minutes before cooking and you are all set to go, even though the extra hour or so will certainly improve the final result.

linky

Either way, many of my friends will be out of town and the two cuts together are going to be 15 dollars... So I'm not afraid to try the new technique out.

In fact, now that I think of it... I may dry brine one and salt the other an hour or two while I get it to room temp and compare the two..... Worse comes to worse if one is way better than the other.... Chili.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Okay, well, two things...

1. The method you cited isn't really considered "brining", it's really just 'seasoning prior to cooking'.

2. This subject has long been debated in the cooking world. It's almost like a Ford vs. Chevy discussion, or a discussion on religion. There are two camps. I've studied both sides, and there are no clear winners. Each have their merits and detractors. It comes down to personal preference. I thought I was going to find a winner one day when I talked with a chemist about the subject. He started in about how sodium can penetrate the cellular wall of water through osmosis and which actually makes less room for moisture in the meat by pushing water out. It sounded credible anyway. Then I tried meat from both camps and they were both great, but each had different attributes.

I usually salt meat after, or only immediately before cooking (FWIW).

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I'll do one for two days and do the other eight before cooking and I'll start a thread on it and give my honest take after

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I messed up and took the picture and HDR, I'm on my phone and can't change quality so I had to crop it down a lot. Maybe tomorrow I can reduce quality for a bigger pic.... But there is something to it. Ones a control seasoned one hour before (salt and pepper), the other "dry brined" for lack of better terms (on my part).