Carolina Reaper Pickles

Some like their pickles hot and spicy, I’m one of those people.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to make the ultimate sweet and spicy pickle.  This was my first time to make this pickle and it turned out well.  I may make adjustments to the recipe later, but feel free to make it your own.

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Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1/4-1/2 of a Carolina Reaper
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4-1/2 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Notes:
If you want a sweeter pickle, then I’d suggest bumping up the sugar, which I think I am going to do next time.  And if you want a hotter pickle go with 1/2 a reaper or more, go crazy with it!  I used a 1/4 pepper for this recipe, and it was hot enough!

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Steps:

1. Cut up your cucumber into spears or chips, and then place them in the jar. 

2. Put the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and water into a pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Turn the heat down to medium, then add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.

4. Prepare the Carolina Reaper... see How to Prepare a Carolina Reaper. Then add the Reaper to the brine.

5. Cook in medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to put your head over the pot, you do not want the steam to get in your eyes. 

6. Use gloves to pour brine into jar.  Let the jar cool down before putting lid on and refrigerating.  Next let them sit in the brine overnight.  The longer they sit in the brine the better they taste. 

Note: if you didn’t sterilize your jar, you should refrigerate immediately and enjoy your pickles for 3-4 weeks (5 weeks if you are thrifty like me). Beyond that they may start to mold.