Safety of adding dried hot pepper to opened jar of pickles

I have a particular brand of jarred pickles I buy from a local supplier. They're some kind of beer pickle, and the brine has a vinegar and IPA type of taste, and it's loaded with garlic and dill. Very tasty indeed.

I also have a fondness for hot peppers. I recently bought some dried powdered hot peppers, including smoked ghost pepper (which tastes awesome) and dried Trinidad Mogura Scorpion pepper, which is mostly heat, and not too much flavor.

Would it be safe to add a teaspoon of each of these powders to a 700mL jar of pickles (yes, I love them obscenely hot) and store the result in the fridge for up to a couple weeks? My primary concern is the hot peppers causing spoilage by adding them.

Thank you.

Best Answer

This shouldn't be a safety concern. Bacteria could certainly be introduced (if you use your hands to add the pepper or a cross-contaminated utensil), however, the acidic environment of the pickling liquid should keep any possible bacterial growth in check. The other contaminant to consider would be botulism, but again, in a pickling environment (high acidity, high salt) this is not a concern. So...make your pickles as spicy as you like.

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Quick Answer about "Safety of adding dried hot pepper to opened jar of pickles"

1 Answer. Show activity on this post. This shouldn't be a safety concern. Bacteria could certainly be introduced (if you use your hands to add the pepper or a cross-contaminated utensil), however, the acidic environment of the pickling liquid should keep any possible bacterial growth in check.

Can you add hot peppers to store bought pickles?

I would stay with one main flavor or a combo of two. If you go strong with too many at once the flavor will just get muddy. Here is a list to get you going: Heat \u2013 whole dried peppers, red pepper flakes, cayenne, black pepper corns, prepared horseradish, or hot sauce.

Can you get botulism from pickling?

Making sure enough vinegar is added to the cucumbers is important to make safe pickles; Clostridium botulinum can grow in improperly canned, pickled foods with a pH higher than 4.6.

Can you use dried peppers for pickling?

Pickling Dried Chiles Chef Patricia Quintana prepares the chiles in a traditional way, simultaneously pickling and rehydrating them in a flavorful liquid, rendering a chile with an intense depth of flavor.

How long can you keep hot peppers in vinegar?

Pour in white vinegar to cover all peppers. Cover with a plastic lid if possible, as the vinegar will gradually corrode metal lids. Store the jar in the back of your refrigerator for up to 12 months. The peppers will stay crunchy for a few months but will gradually soften.

One Jar Pickled Jalapeno (Hot Pepper) Recipe

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