Sriracha Pickles: Oh, yeah... I went there.

Like Sriracha? Like pickles? Do you want them to get married and have babies? 

Be forewarned: There's no going back to a regular pickle after this. It took me a few tries to get them right, but, make no mistake my friends. You will eat these bad boys like orange Tic-Tacs on a middle school field trip.  




If there is anyone who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold their boring-ass pickle. PS: I served a few batches of this stuff to paying customers at my friend's restaurant, The Ball Joint. He's got a Sriracha Slam sauce that's outrageously good and a sub that requires a pickle to go with it. Let's just say that the customers liked them... A LOT! 


Easy Cold Pack Sriracha Pickles
Makes 4-5 pint jars  
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Rest time: 2-3 weeks

• 2-3lbs cucumbers, sliced
• Fresh Cilantro
• Fresh Dill
• Fresh red, skinny chiles (whole)
• White Vinegar
• 1/2 Red onion, THINLY sliced 
• 1/2 cup Sriracha 
• 10 large Garlic Cloves
• Pickle Crisp (Calcium Chloride) *optional, but worth it
• Water
• Pickling Salt
• Sugar

1) Sterilize your mason jars! Botulism is bad!

2) Add 2 sprigs of dill, a few slices of red onion, 2 sprigs of cilantro,  1 chile pepper, clove or two of garlic and 1/4 tsp of calcium bottom of your jars

4) Make a LARGE bowl of ice water  Slice your cucumbers and add them to the ice bath. Let them sit for 30 minutes to chill!

5) In a large sauce pot, on medium heat, add 1 cup of pickling salt and 1/2 cup sugar to 3 1/2 cups of white, distilled vinegar. Next add the Sriracha. Stir it up until the brine is warm and the salt is fully dissolved.

6) Pack your icy cukes into the mason jars with the skin facing outward, toward the glass. I've found that it's easier to pack them that way. ***Now... TASTE THE BRINE! Is it TOO salty? TOO sweet? Too hot? Not spicy enough? Cucumbers harbor a TON of water which helps to dissolve the spicy tang. If the brine is too much for your tastebuds, add some water to it. If you think you went too light on the heat, add another chile or 1/4 cup of Sriracha*** 

"Pickles have been around for a looong time. Cleopatra got her good looks from eating a healthy diet of pickles. And come to think of it, Christopher Columbus was the first to introduce pickles to the New World... along with smallpox... and slavery."



7) Pour your hot liquid over the packed cucumbers and fill until the brine just covers the top of the spears. Put a lid on it and immediately put those bad boys in the fridge. They should be ready to eat in one week, but wait until week three. (They taste better the longer they rest) I know, I know... "I have to wait three friggin' weeks for these." Yes. Babies need time to incubate before they can be born... and eaten. Wanna jar them and store them, check out my jarring page.