Pickled Eggs

Pickled eggs make a great hors d'oeuvres to serve at a party; whether they are served whole, or as deviled eggs, they make a great taste treat for your guests. Reputed to stave off hangovers, many bars and taverns put them out for free to their drinking customers. The last time I was at a bar the bar wanted $1.50 each for pickled eggs, so if you like a pickled egg with your beer these cost me $3.50 a dozen to make at home.

Peeling hard boiled eggs and garlic in mass can be tedious, I have an amazingly easy way to peel hard boiled eggs perfectly in ten seconds that will astound you. And a neat trick you have got to try, peeling a cloves of garlic with ease in seconds.

A 1 pint or 500 ml jar holds 6 small eggs or 4 large eggs.

6 Small Eggs or 4 Large Eggs for every pint; hard boil a couple extra just in case they are needed.

1 Yellow Cooking Onion the size of a medium egg.

Garlic I like 1 clove for each egg.

Apple Cider Vinegar

White Vinegar

Water

Sea Salt or Coarse Pickling Salt

Pickling Spice

Black Peppercorns

Measuring Cup

Table Spoon

Pickling Funnel

Ladle

Pot

6 x 500 ml or 1 pint canning jars

Keep the egg crates I like to use them to store the eggs overnight before peeling.

Place the eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water and add a little salt. Do not try to hard boil too many at one time. I never go any deeper than one layer of eggs, this helps prevent the shells from breaking.

Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the burner rinse the eggs in cold water.

Place the eggs into the egg crates to protect them and refrigerator over night. I find the eggs peel easier if they are very cold from sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

I started with 3 dozen and only 30 made it to the pickling jars.

Now this is a neat trick you have got to try, you can peel an egg in ten seconds this way.

The next morning peel each egg one at a time by placing the egg in a jar with just enough medium to hot water to cover the egg.

Place the lid on the jar and shake, not to hard just enough to break the shell.

Dump the egg out and the egg shell practically falls off the egg without any effort.

Peeling garlic can be tedious and time consuming, this easy way to peel garlic you must try.

Break up a bunch of garlic and place it in a jar.

Close the lid and shake the jar vigorously until you see the skins coming loose.

Poor it out onto a bowl and separate the cloves from the skins.

Sort out any wilted or soft cloves of garlic.

You can cut off any bad spots and still use the clove.

Do not over pack the jars; the eggs swell a little in the brine and they will be impossible to get out of the jar. So stick to 6 small eggs or 4 large eggs to a 1 pint jar.

Peel and slice a cooking onion about the size of a medium egg, you want 1 slice for every jar.

I like to add 1 clove of garlic per egg in the spaces between the eggs.

Sprinkle a few pepper corns on top.

Since I wanted a couple jars of spicy pickled eggs I added a Red Tie pepper to two of the jars.

Last I add a slice of onion to the top.

In a saucepan, combine two cups apple cider vinegar, one cup water, one tablespoon pickling spice and one tablespoon salt.

Bring to a rolling boil and simmer until the salt dissolves.

Using a ladle and the pickling funnel, pour the brine over the eggs in the jars.

Place the lids on the jars loosely

Place the jars in a pot.

Add water and a splash of white vinegar to the pot.The white vinegar prevents minerals from the water collecting on the pot and the jars.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so it just simmers for ten minutes.

Tighten the lids and let the jars cool to room temperature.

Once you here the lids pop the jars are sealed.

You can now store the jars in a cool dark place or the refrigerator.

Refrigerate the pickled eggs for 3 days to 1 week before serving.

When the eggs are cured you can serve them whole or as your favorite hors d'oeuvres.

They make a wicked deviled egg, I used the slice of onion and one of the pickled cloves of garlic in the yoke filling.