COWBOY CANDY

A recipe from COLD CANNING, copyright Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough (Voracious, 2025). If you’d like a copy, click here.

Makes about 4 cups (960 ml)

IYKYK. And if not, then just wait! Candied jalapeño rings are irresistible all summer on hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers, as well as alongside cheese and crackers or just about any dip you bring outside on the patio to enjoy the evening light. Try them with French onion dip and thick-cut ruffled potato chips!

3 cups (600 g) granulated white sugar
2 cups (480 ml) distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound 7 ounces (650 g) fresh jalapeño chilis, stemmed and cut into ¼-inch-thick (½-cm-thick) rounds

1. Put the sugar, vinegar, and salt in a large saucepan. Set it over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the jalapeños. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes from the time the liquids come back to a boil. The chilis should morph from bright green to a dull, dark, olive green.

3. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the jalapeños into four clean ½ pint (236 ml) jars, two clean 1 pint (472 ml) jars, or one clean 1 quart (1 l) jar. Pour the syrup from the pan into the jars to cover the jalapeños and come within ½ inch (a little less than 1 cm) from the top of the jar. (There may be excess syrup, depending on the jars or containers you’ve used. See the more section of this recipe) Cover and seal, then cool at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating.