Jalapeno Jelly

Different cooks and chefs specialize in different disciplines.  Me?  I'm a meat guy, without a doubt!  Give me an apron, a board, a cleaver, and a carcass and I'm right at home!  But mention "Pastry" or "Canning" to me?  You may see my left eye twitch a bit, and my grip tighten on my cleaver...

Nevertheless, I will occasionally try my best to bake a pie or to pickle some veggies.  Here lately, my wife convinced me to try and make some jelly.  Sweet/Hot jalapeno pepper jelly, to be exact!  Here's the result.

Now, I'll certainly write up this recipe, but I'm going to make some assumptions:

Assumptions:

• You have all of the equipment necessary to do some proper canning
• Sterilization pot with rack
• grippers
• canning funnel 
• jars, lids, rings
• You are aware of basic canning terms and procedures
• Sterilization
• Head Space
• Air removal

If you have all of these things and you're excited about getting your kitchen dirty and sticky in the name of GREAT pepper jelly, then read on!

You will need:

• 4 Cups of finely diced mixed jalapeno chili peppers
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1.75 oz package powdered pectin
• 5 cups granulated white sugar
• 6 8 oz canning jars

"What kind of peppers," you ask?  (Yes, I heard you).  That depends.  I like my pepper jelly HOT so I use a mix of jalapenos, serranos, and a poblano or two.  This is entirely up to you!  Mix in a handful of Habeneros if you want!  I would say that my mix is 3 cups of Jalapenos and a cup of mixed banana peppers and other chilis off the vine from my wife's garden.

Instructions

Using your canning equipment, sterilize six 8oz canning jars and lids in boiling water.  Meanwhile, chop and dice your peppers into the tiniest chunks you can.  Wear gloves, or you'll regret it the next time you have to wipe your eyes or go to the bathroom!  When your cans and peppers are ready...

Place all of the peppers into a large saucepan and kick the spurs to HIGH heat.  Add the vinegar and bring to a boil.  Stir for a minute or two.  

Now, remove it from the heat just long enough to add the sugar and the pectin.  Stir to dissolve and return it to the heat.  Stir constantly over a rolling boil for two minutes, after the sugar and pectin have completely dissolved! 

Is everything sticky yet?  it will be.... 

OK, things get fairly "time sensitive" at this point... Quickly (but carefully) ladle the jelly into your jars.  Leave about 1/4" of "head space" at the top.  If necessary, wipe the rim of the jar clean and drop on a flat lid, then screw on the ring/band tightly.  Set it aside and repeat with the rest of the jars.

Now, place jars back into the canner with the hot water. Submerge the jars so that the water completely covers the lids.  Bring the water up to a boil and "process" the jars for a period of 5 minutes PLUS your high-altitude adjustment value.  So, for example, if you live at 6,800 feet of elevation like I do, you'll boil the jars for a total of 25 minutes.. If you're at sea level, 5 minutes of boiling should set you right.

Remove the jars and set them on a towel on the counter.  As they cool, the lids will POP down and seal them!  They should be set and ready for storage, distribution, and/or consumption by the next morning!

NOTE!  You may be tempted to "Double" this recipe.  DON'T DO IT!!  As nice as it would be to only have to bring out your canning hardware once for a double batch, science and chemistry are against you!  It is extremely difficult to get 3.5oz of pectin to heat/distribute properly and there's a 99% chance that your jelly won't set.  If you want Pepper Syrup, go for it.... but the smart money is on the one batch at a time!