hot pepper garlic jelly

Peppers and garlic are a perfect combo in this jelly. Photo courtsey of Food.com

This might seem an odd combo for a jelly at first glance — as opposed to a hot sauce — but hot pepper garlic jelly is an amazing creation that goes great with cheeses and can be used as a terrific glaze for chicken and othet meats.

This recipe produces a thinner, easily spreadable jelly; if you prefer a thicker jelly use 2 packets of liquid Certo instead.

Ingredients (yields 6 half pint jars):
1 cup of chopped red bell peppers
1 cup of chopped hot peppers (either habaneros, chilis, jalapenos or a mix of all three)
1/2 cup of minced garlic
1 1/2 cups of white vinegar
6 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of pepper
1 packet of liquid Certo

Hot Pepper Garlic Jelly Cooking Directions:

Chop up your peppers and mince your garlic and add all the ingredients except for the Certo into a large pot or saucepan.

Be careful when working with hot peppers, for all the obvious reasons. There’s no shame in wearing rubber gloves, especially if you’re going to make large batches of this.

As you bring the ingredients in the pot to a boil (stirring often), also have your canning jars and rings on a low boil in their own large pot of water. Have your jar flats on hand and ready to go.

Boil your ingredients for about five minutes then remove from heat and stir as you add the packet of Certo. Be sure to use the liquid Certo and not the powder that comes in a pack.

There are other brands of liquid pectin like Certo and they’re pretty much interchangeable. If you can’t find liquid pectin at your supermarket either order online or check at a hardware store, as some sell more canning supplies than smaller supermarkets do.

Fill up your jars, leaving about 1/4″ at the top. As you fill each jar wipe the rim clean and add a flat and ring and twist onto jar. Don’t completely tighten the ring down at this stage.

Leave the jars upside down on a towel, with the ring facing down. This should help them seal tightly.

Let them sit for about 15 minutes then turn upright and tighten the rings down. Enjoy!