ACE KICKSTART® SWEET PICKLE RELISH
★ Issue CMSC·25–019 · Published 22 Jun 2025
Sauce/Condiment

ACE KICKSTART® SWEET PICKLE RELISH.

Boil cucumbers and chiles soft, then hit them twice with vinegar and spice to build a relish that won't back down

PREP 20 min
COOK 45 min
TOTAL 1:5h h
SERVES 32 people
HEAT mild
BLEND RATING 4.9 55 reviews · Jerked Chain®
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You'll need
Chef knifeCutting boardLarge potColanderMixing bowlCanning jarsWater bath cannerJar lifterStirring spoon

Boil cucumbers and chiles soft, then hit them twice with vinegar and spice to build a relish that won't back down

Ingredients

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®

Method

  1. 01

    Dice cucumbers, chiles, and onion

    12 min

    Get your knife work clean and consistent — uniform dice means everything cooks at the same rate, no mushy cucumbers next to crunchy ones.

  2. 02

    Boil diced vegetables with half the vinegar

    5 min

    Use large thick-bottomed non-reactive pot.

  3. 03

    Simmer vegetables, stirring every 5 minutes

    30 min

    You're looking for the vegetables to soften and start releasing their juice, and the vinegar smell should mellow out a bit — that's when the flavors are starting to marry up.

  4. 04

    Mix remaining vinegar with sugar and spices

    3 min

    Do this while vegetables simmer.

  5. 05

    Drain vegetables and discard liquid

    2 min

    Critical step for proper acidity.

  6. 06

    Combine vegetables with vinegar-spice mix and boil

    5 min

    Bring to boil then simmer 5 minutes.

  7. 07

    Pack hot relish into canning jars

    8 min

    Fill jars, wipe rims, apply lids and rings.

  8. 08

    Process jars in boiling water bath

    10 min

    Time starts when pot reaches full boil.

  9. 09

    Cool jars on towel-lined counter

    2h m

    Relish ready to eat but best after 24 hours refrigerated.

From Mike's Notebook

01

Drain the first vinegar completely — keeping it dilutes the second wave of acid and spice.

02

Mix your vinegar-sugar-spice while vegetables simmer so it's ready when you need it.

03

Don't skip the 24-hour chill; flavors sharpen and marry overnight, not in the jar.

Nutrition

10 Calories / serving
0 gProtein
0 gTotal Fat
0 gSat. Fat
2 gCarbs
0 gFiber
2 gSugars
70 mgSodium

Estimated · 1 serving · calculated from the ingredient list, not lab-tested.

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