Rhino’s Ace Kickstart® Sweet Pickle Relish

Rhino’s Ace Kickstart® Sweet Pickle Relish

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SWEET RELISH

• 3 cups pickling cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cups green Hatch/Anaheim Chiles, stemmed, seeded, diced
• 3 red jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, diced (optional)
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, diced (optional)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided 1:1
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1-1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Ace Kickstart®
• 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co® Jerked Chain®

LET’S GET COOKING

1. Dice everything up.
2. Add the diced vegetables to a large, thick-bottomed, non-reactive pot and add 1/2 of the vinegar.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
3. Stir every five (5) minutes or so for about 30 minutes.
4. During this time, add the second 1/2 of the vinegar to the sugar and spices.  Mix well.
5. This is going to seem counterintuitive, but pour into a colander and discard the liquid.  Skipping this step will yield a weakly acidic relish, lacking the high notes.
6. Add the veggies back to the pot and the second half of the vinegar, sugar, and spices.  Bring it back to a boil and let it simmer for ~5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and pack into canning jars.  Fill jars, wipe rims, apply lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (starting timing when pot reaches a boil.)
8. Remove jars from pot and let cool on a towel-lined countertop.
9. The relish is ready to eat and can be kept in its sealed jar unrefrigerated for up to a year.  Refrigerate immediately after opening.  It’s good in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks.
10. Pro Tip!   Make ahead and refrigerate 24 hours for flavor to develop.