Every year we grow hot peppers, jalapeños and fresnos. Occasionally we have a particularly large crop, and after putting up our usual jars of pickled nacho rings, jalapeño hot sauce and Maui cowboy candy, we still have peppers left over. After a little research, John discovered a jalapeño jam recipe on the Serious Eats website. He tweaked it a bit and this terrific, sweet, spicy jam is the result.
These particular jalapeños are a hybrid known as Mucho Nacho. They are particularly hot!
Prepare the peppers by cutting off the stems, slicing them lengthwise and removing the seeds with your fingers (disposable gloves are essential). Contrary to popular myth, the seeds do not contain capsaician. If you want a milder jam, remove the pith and ribs from the interior of the pepper as seen above.
Once the stems and seeds are removed, place the peppers in a bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until the peppers are finely chopped.
Late in the season your peppers may start ripening to red. You can use them to make a beautiful red version of the jam. Do not mix the two colors of peppers or you will end up with brown jam!
- 28-30 medium-sized jalapeños (28 ounces after removing stems and seeds)
- 1¼ cups cider vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)
- 6 tablespoons dry pectin (we use Ball brand Real Fruit Classic Pectin)
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- Special equipment: Food processor, boiling water canning equipment, (7) 8 ounce canning jars with rings and 2-piece lids.
- Wash jars, place in water filled canner. Bring water to a simmer.
- Wash peppers and remove stems. Slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with your fingers (gloves are essential). Place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer peppers to a deep saucepan. Stir in the cider vinegar, lime juice, salt and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar and return to a rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from heat.
- Remove jars from canner and ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving ¼-inch headspace. Secure lids and rings just to finger tight. Cover and process jars in boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, leave jars in hot water for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and let cool for 24 hours. Serve on crackers with cream cheese, use as a spicy barbecue glaze, or a spicy PBJ.
