I made the long drive across the entire state of North Dakota to my home town yesterday. It was me, my four-year-old and my two-year-old…in a car…for 8 1/2 hours. I made the same drive last Summer, also without Radd (who’ll be joining us later this week), and was so proud of myself for having arrived with my little kids and sanity intact that you’d have thought I split the atom. Fortunately it went well again this year, though was about as fun as you’d expect.
Since I’m heading back to my roots this week, I thought I’d share a little treasure from my childhood–pickled eggs. It seems a bit odd to follow up French-style recipes for clafoutis and galettes with ‘pickles-in-a-jar’, but there’s something to be said for comfort food. I grew up with jars of these treats sitting on our counter. While pouring over childhood pictures recently, I noticed that there was an egg jar in the background in so many photos. My Mom made the best pickled eggs– we absolutely loved ’em.
In continuing with my food philosophy, I use high-quality eggs in all of my baking and cooking. I’m talking about eggs that come from a farm where the chickens roam freely and peck at nutritious food– not the cheap, supermarket eggs that sell for $1 a dozen, as these generally come from perpetually-caged chickens that have never seen daylight. Yes, organic/cage-free eggs are a bit more expensive, but compared to your other proteins (meat) they are affordable. Free-range cage-free eggs are not only a great source of protein, but they provide healthy Omega-3’s. They’re also relatively low in calories.
Through the years, my brother and I have made adjustments to our Mom’s pickled-egg recipe. We’ve been on a quest to improve upon ‘the best’ by making it a bit spicier. This is my latest version. Now if you don’t fancy spicy food– you can skip the chili peppers and the red pepper flakes. My family prefers to eat these eggs with a basket of pretzels, a few drops of Chalupa (or a Louisiana-style) sauce, and a nice cold beer. Perfect.
The Recipe: Pickled Eggs
Roughly 2 dozen eggs, hard boiled
1 liter white vinegar
1 jar hot chili peppers and the juice (Mezzetta is my favorite brand for these)
1 white onion, thickly sliced
1 bulb garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1 tablespoon peppercorns
To boil the eggs: Gently place the eggs in a 4 quart sauce pan. Cover with cold water. Let cook over medium heat until water begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute only. Cover and remove from heat immediately. Set a timer for 12 minutes. After that, pour out the hot water and run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process. Let cool completely before peeling. (Note: older eggs peel more easily than fresh ones)
Once your eggs are cool and peeled, start layering your ingredients into your jar. This doesn’t have to be precise. Once the eggs, onions, garlic, hot chili pepper and their juice, peppercorns, and pickling spice are in the jar — you can add the white vinegar. Make sure you have enough liquid to cover the eggs. These eggs will start to taste “pickled” in about 3 days, and will keep getting better and hotter the longer they sit. They can be stored, tightly sealed on your counter. Enjoy!
Relishing It 
Looks amazing and I cant wait to try these myself!
I love pickled eggs! We had a recipe we tried that worked pretty well, however, we were concerned about the possibility of botulism setting in. Any concern with these? Do they need to be eaten within a certain number of days?? Just curious:) Thanks!
Hey Kristin! I wish I could give you a definite answer…but, the truth is that there is always a chance of botulism occuring when canning. You can take extra precautions — make sure that the boiled eggs that you use are not cracked or split and store them in your refrigerator set at 39 degrees instead of the counter. Keep in mind that the flavor may not be as intense this way — but may ease your mind a bit. Try to eat the eggs within two weeks — but, in my experience that hasn’t been a problem 😉 Good luck – hope this has helped you a bit.
I have never, ever had a pickled egg. I don’t know how I feel about them, but the spicy aspect is intriguing…My curiosity may get the best of me.
Do it, Megan. Just do it 🙂
[…] vanilla refrigerator jam, cold roast beef, homemade mustard, lemon herb turkey breast, pickled eggs, chicken skin sushi, saute of tomatoes and okra with bacon, and shortcake doughnuts. » […]
Those look fantastic. I’ve been fascinated with pickled eggs for a long time, though I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten one. The ones found in jars on bars have always kind of scared me. I may have to give these a try. What size jar of chiles do you use, and is that brand widely available?
Thanks~ Brett
p.s.~ I’m glad you changed the title of the blog. I’d wondered if the previous title was a snarky inside joke, but it didn’t fit the sincere tone of your writing!
Brett, I’m assuming the brand is nation-wide. I apologize that I neglected to take note of the ounces — 15-18 ounce jar (maybe?) If you can’t find that one, a different brand would work just fine.
Glad you like the new blog name. I think it was a good decision to switch it up 😉
I’ve only had pickled eggs once and while the flavor was good, I found the texture to be a bit off putting. This may have been due to whatever pickling process was used or the amount of time they had been pickled. Both my husband and I agreed they were a bit firm/rubbery however there must have been some beets in the pickling mix as they were a beautiful pink color. Have you found a textural change over time? Also curious about the answer to Brett’s question.
Kris
Kris, I have found that if the egg is hard-boiled properly — the pickled egg is fantastic, texture and all! However, I’ve noticed that if they sit too long (over 2 weeks), then they start to get a bit mushy. We usually have them eaten by then because of this reason 🙂
as i type this i’m hollering to my husband in the kitchen, asking if he’s ever had a pickled egg…neither of us have, but i think we might give this a shot. maybe like half a dozen though to start. uh, what’s ‘pickling spice’…?
[…] Pickled Eggs. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. […]
ive always done mine with a couple of cans of sliced beets and all the juice and onions and just vinegar lasts along time and color is amazing
We raise chickens and have an abundance of fresh eggs daily. I still haven’t found a trick for peeling them without leaving a good portion of the white in the shell. I know if I let them sit for several weeks they will peel easier, Any hints. Tried the baking soda trick. Still left much behind!
Hi Patty — thanks for stopping by. I have found a nice little trick that I learned from Jacques Pepin. Gently crack the egg on a countertop, and then begin running it under cold water as you peel it. Make sure to get water underneath the membrane. When that happens, the egg will peel easily. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh eggs daily, eat them right away! There’s no need to let them “age”. This technique works wonderfully, so much so that my 4 year-old daughter helps peel them.
We also have our own chickens and had problems in the past peeling them, I found that if I steam them 12 minutes and put them directly into a dish of cold water and ice bath they peel like a dream. I use a stainless steel pot and stainless colander I put about an inch of water in bottom cover bring to a boil put colander in pot cover and set time too 12 minutes. Keep an eye on ur water level so it don’t run low.
Add a little baking soda to the boiling water and eggs for easy peeling.
For all of you who have not eaten pickled eggs……….they are delicious!!
For easier peeling of fresh eggs, add a little bit of vinegar to the water. Makes them much easier to peel!
Looked through my old recipes from the local community cookbook and they all said same thing boil the vinegar with the spices in a bag then cool and pour over the eggs. I am trying your recipes with a few substitutions such as crushed red peppers for the peppers that you use and I didn’t have any peppercorns so I just used a bit more crushed red peppers. Will let you know in a couple of days what the jury has to say about this recipe… have a great day. p.s. Particia Hoffman I will try adding vinegar to the water next time I boil eggs because mine are always very fresh eggs.
Lauri, when you make a new batch of these eggs, do you start all over with a new batch of brine? I would suppose so, but thought I would ask. These look wonderful!
Hi, Donna. Yes, I do start with a new brine. However, my Mom doesn’t always. Hope you enjoy the eggs!
THANK YOU! This is one if my most FAVORITE recipes!!! My entire family has grown up eating pickled eggs…this tastes like the ones I’ve had growing up. I make them so often because I end up giving them away!!! I cannot thank you enough!!! BTW, I never comment…but I just had to with this fabulous recipe! I am thrilled!!! CHEERS!!!
I LOVE to hear this, Tammy! Thank you– I’m so glad you are enjoying them. Out of curiosity, where did you grow up? The midwest?
Southern California! LOL
You write bulb of garlic. Not just clove? Right? I am getting ready too make and praying you get this message.
Hi there! Yes…bulb! The entire thing– you’ll probably get 7-8 cloves out of it. The more garlic, the better! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 🙂
So you do not boil the vinegar and spices just pour it all in loose and cold ?
That is correct…loose and cold.
I have been looking for a recipe for pickled eggs that are no refrigerated. Because my memory is of the eggs on the counter. We used to make deviled eggs with the pickled eggs and everyone thought grandmas’ eggs were the best of the best. thank you for sharing your recipe. I am looking forward to trying it!
It was hard for me to find hot chili peppers, but I did. Have you ever trie hot banana peppers?
I am so excited to try these. I made my first batch on Tuesday and they are currently pickling. I noticed this morning [Thursday] that my garlic cloves have started turning a blue color. Is this normal? Thanks so much for the awesome recipe btw. Can not wait to share these mouth watering eggs with my family and friends!
Totally normal for the garlic to turn blue. Mine does, too. Hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Thanks so much! They turned out fantastic and everyone who had doubts ended up loving them!
So happy to hear it! 🙂
These look awesome! I did a version here – http://theweeklypickle.com/week-12-pickled-eggs/ – but they didn’t turn out as spicy as I would have liked. Would definitely like to try with hot peppers!
I have made pickled eggs with vinegar, onion, clove, beets (my grandmother’s recipe) and like them. I would love to try these since I like spicy food. Thank you for sharing!
When boiling eggs add One Aspirin. They peel like a charm. WHY? I do not know. Chauncey “BUDDY” Freeman, Senior Chief, United States Navy Retired
Talking about Vinegar. In my early years of my Thirty Year Naval Career (1961-1991) in the 60ties the Filipinos were only allowed to be Officer’s Mess Stewart’s. Ninety-Nine percent of the newly enlisted Filipinos could speak no English. One day while in port at Long Beach, California the Chief Filipino over all the Filipino Stewart’s sent a young Filipino Boy to town to purchase some needed items for The Officers Kitchen (Galley). When later the Filipino Boy returned leading a Six Foot 300 pound black man by the hand the Filipino Chief became furious, jumping up and down he said; “You Idiot, I told you to bring back VINEGAR”.
I got the ingredients today to make your recipe! Super excited to try!
What brand of pickling spice do you use the most? Thanks for any help 🙂
Always Penzeys 🙂
If your eggs do not pickle enough even after 12 days, what can you add to help them pickle more?
They should be pickled after 12 days of sitting in that much vinegar. Have you made them and had issues?
Before and had no issues this is the first time I have ever had issues
Well, the only thing I can think of would be temperature. Perhaps it has been colder in your home? Just leave them a bit longer, or put them in the fridge and wait a bit before you eat them so they can pickle more.
Thank you for sharing! This recipe sounds amazing and I’m looking forward to trying it out with a twist… I’m putting sliced red beets in it to really bring me back to my childhood when my Nana & Popeye pickled their own eggs! My mouth is watering already!
To make perfect hard boiled eggs; Place eggs, fresh or some with age on them into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil using medium high heat. When simmering start a timer for 10 minutes. Allow to slowly simmer all this time. Get a large bowl ready with ice and water enough to submirge the eggs. When the 10 minutes are up pour off the hot water and run cold tap water over the eggs to cool them enough for you to handle. Take each egg out of the cool tap water and smash the blunt end against the sink wall a couple times firmly to crack it very well. Drop the broken-shell egg into the ice water. Allow the eggs to sit in the ice water for 15 minutes. Now peel.
What size jar do you use for the eggs ?
Hi! A quart jar will be too small. I’m not even sure what size my pickled egg jar is, to be honest. Try the bigger 1 1/2 quart size– that should work. Too big is just fine, in this case.
[…] White Pickled Eggs: I grew up with beet pickled eggs as a special treat on Easter, Laurie from Relishing It, makes these white pickled eggs (no beets) regularly, she also adds a hint of spice. This is one pickled egg recipe that I’m going to have to try. Yooper Fire Eggs: If you’re from Michigan then you are most likely familiar with the term Yooper, if not, the word refers to those who are from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Brian, an alumni of Michigan Tech (up in the UP), really cranks up the heat with his pickled eggs by adding three different kinds of hot peppers as well as hot pickled mixed vegetables into his pickling mix. He even has an ongoing bet to see if anyone can beat his record of eating 12 fire pickled eggs in one sitting. (Photo via Alumni Boards Blog) […]
Can you half the recipe and use one dozen eggs?