Pickled eggs

[Nick]

Rather than turning the timing cooking thread into a boiled egg free-for-all. Anybody got any recipes for pickled eggs?

[Matt Seeber]

click here for no less than 9 pickled egg recipes!

WORLD FAMOUS PICKLED EGG HOME PAGE

[Nick]

Thanks, Matt! That'll get me going. Around here (midcoast maine) it's easy to come by good fresh (a day or two old) eggs from free range chickens - though they're not ranging too far right now in two feet of snow.

Just for the hell of it I just did a google search on pickled eggs and found this site at cooks.com. 658 recipes for pickled eggs and a pop-up for each one. Annoying. The few recipes I looked at weren't as good as some of the ones at the link you gave. But, I did come across a recipe for pickled eggs or knackwurst and thought, why not the both together? Which leads to what else could one put in the jar that would go with them?

A note of caution: Some of the recipes call for adding the just boiled vinegar, etc. to the glass jar. I'm not sure one gallon glass jars can take that kind of heat. I'd let the vinegar cool some.

[Matt Seeber]

and be sure to get your face over that pot of boiling vinegar and take a deeeeeeeeep breath!

*i'm kidding! kids don't try this at home - it'll get you high...

[Nick]

ever tried chopping up fresh whole horseradish in a blender?

[Suzanne F]

Or grinding toasted chipotles to make chili powder?

[stagis]

Best pickled eggs I ever made were with castoff habanero-pickling vinegar.....and could never replicate the taste :(

[sparrowgrass]

Nickn, don't hardboil really fresh eggs--you will never get the shells off. Keep fresh eggs in the fridge for at least a week, and even then they will peel better if you leave them out overnight before you boil them. Has to do with air space between the membrane and the shell.

[Nick]

Thanks, Sparrow. I always bring the eggs up to room temp before boiling and haven't had much trouble peeling. But I've heard before that older eggs peel better. I'll do a trial. I've got some eggs that have been in the fridge for a couple of weeks and some I just bought today that were probably laid a couple days ago. Got any suggestions for marking the shells? Pencil maybe?

[sparrowgrass]

if you boiled them in 2 pans, you could put some food coloring in with one batch.

How bout I mail you some brown ones I just got out of the henhouse this am, and you match them with your old eggs?

Suppose I could just put a stamp on each egg?

[Nick]

I just got done finishing off the pickled eggs and they're sitting in the wood shed cooling off.

First of all, I found out there is no truth to old eggs peel easier than fresh eggs. I took 6 really fresh eggs and 8 two week old eggs and before I knew it I had them all mixed up so there was no hope of differentiating them before boiling. So I cooked them all together figuring if 6 peeled hard and 8 peeled easy, there we'd have it.

I took the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time so they were warmed to room temp all the way through before cooking (as I usually do.) Then, I brought water to a light boil and lowered all the eggs into the water, turned down the heat, and gently cooked them for 10-12 minutes. (I don't have a timer, but do have an old [Roman numerals] French mantle clock on top of a bookcase which works pretty well.)

When they were done I drained the water out of the pot (All-Clad 4 qt.) and immediately covered the eggs with cold water (fresh out of the hand pump at 45F). Drained that water out (residual heat in the All-Clad) and recovered the eggs with fresh water. Then I "shucked" them. The first egg peeled as nice as could be. Second the same, and then the third. By now I figured I was home free. I couldn't have gotten three "old" eggs in a row. Sure enough, every one of them peeled perfectly. So, I think the main thing is, as soon as your eggs are done, cool them down and peel immediately.

Now, I'm exhausted from writing so much and will leave the actual pickling of the eggs for later. Jinmyo asked a question about corn chowder over on the "dinner" thread so I'll try to do that. Nick

Edited January 15, 2003 by Nickn (log)

[ned]

I am quite fond of pickles and adore eggs, however until two nights ago when I ate one that tasted strongly of red wine vinegar at a fine new NYC restaurant called Stand, I'd never eaten a pickled egg. The eating of it has motivated me to pickle some of my own.

What I know so far:

the base for the cure is salt, sugar, vinegar

the duration is 2 days to 3 weeks

I'd love to hear how people pickles theirs and in addition of experiences people have had in eating them in midwest bars or elsewhere.

[annecros]

Beet juice.

Hubby loves them, but I have to sleep on the couch after an afternoon of his eating pickled eggs and drinking beer - due to the aroma.

The ceiling fan has yet to be invented to overcome that particular challenge.

Edited January 8, 2007 by annecros (log)

[Jack Fisher]

I am quite fond of pickles and adore eggs, however until two nights ago when I ate one that tasted strongly of red wine vinegar at a fine new NYC restaurant called Stand, I'd never eaten a pickled egg.  The eating of it has motivated me to pickle some of my own. 

What I know so far:

the base for the cure is salt, sugar, vinegar

the duration is 2 days to 3 weeks

I'd love to hear how people pickles theirs and in addition of experiences people have had in eating them in midwest bars or elsewhere.

←

Wow, what timing, I am doing a batch today.

Here is my recipe and a couple of others I have tried.

Pickled Eggs 1

This recipe comes from the

‘Texas Rangers Cookbook” I have tried it and it is good.

1 cup beet juice

1 cup vinegar

4 cups water

1 – 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 tsp pickling spice

½ tsp salt

1 med onion, chopped

Pour all ingredients over peeled hard boiled eggs and let stand for 3 – 4 days

Pickled Eggs 2

This recipe is similar to the Texas Rangers recipe but it uses more vinegar and more spices and the recipe calls for simmering everything together for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

1 Can / bottle pickled beet juice

3 cups vinegar

1 cup water

3 – 4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Bay leaf

3 – 4 tbl pickling spice

½ tsp salt

1 med onion, chopped

3 tbl sugar

Cracked pepper to taste

1 tbl mustard seed

1 tbl dill seed

1 tbl mixed whole spices

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, simmer for 8 -10 minutes.

Pour over peeled hard boiled eggs. Let stand in refrigerator for at least two days, preferably longer.

Alton Browns pickled eggs

This recipe comes from Alton Brown, one of the Food Network chefs. I haven’t tried it yet but the liquid smoke seems interesting.

Dark and Lovely eggs

21/2-C cider vinegar

¾-C water

11/2-tbl dark brown sugar

1 tbl-granulated sugar

11/2-t pickling spice

¼-t liquid smoke

1-tbl salt

¾-t pepper flakes

Hard cooked eggs

Place everything in a saucepan, cook until sugar is dissolved. In a jar pour solution over the eggs. Refrigerate 4 weeks. Keeps in refrigerator for 2 months

Classic Pickled eggs

I did try this recipe and it is a very mild recipe. The cider is something different and it isn’t bad but I prefer more vinegar taste.

21/2-C apple cider

¾-C champagne vinegar

1-tbl salt

2-t pickling spice

6- whole cloves garlic

Hard cooked eggs

In a jar pour solution over the eggs. Refrigerate 4 weeks. Keeps in refrigerator for 2 months

Things you can do to personalize the recipe.

Vinegar – White vinegar is pure manufactured chemistry. Use white vinegar for cleaning countertops and floors.

Apple cider vinegar is good. It has a nice apple flavor and is one of the strongest tasting vinegars. White wine vinegar is also very good to use. Slightly milder flavor, so if you want to soften the taste try this.

Sugar – White or brown sugars are both good. Try them separately and see if you can tell the difference.

Vinegar to water ratio. More water for a lighter taste. More vinegar for a tart taste. You decide.

[jackal10]

In the UK they are traditionally pickled in white (clear) strong vinegar and sold at fish and chip shops and in pubs. Very acid!

Pickled quail eggs make nice amuse or cocktail snacks

Edited January 8, 2007 by jackal10 (log)

[ned]

Thanks everybody!!

In the meantime I've started with a base formula (which seems strong to me but I did it anyway):

3 cups vinegar (I did 1.5 cups of L'Estornell, 1.5 white)

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar (refined)

1/3 cup salt (kosher)

To this I added

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled

3 medium shallots, peeled

2 small fennel bulbs, quartered

black pepper seeds

anise seed

mustard seed

cumin

[Peter the eater]

Hah! I knew there would be a thread - one just has to look.

I have pickled my first batch of eggs. These are the providers:

And these are the eggs, plus a few jars of hot peppers:

Won't taste them for a few weeks. Two issues so far:

1. Peeling the superfresh hard boiled eggs was a mess, chunks of white came off with the shell. Any suggestions?

2. My whole garlic has turned blue. WTF?

[Jack Fisher]

I never use fresh eggs. Its to much trouble to peel them. I always let the eggs set in the refrigerator for at least 5 days, 7 days is even better.

[Toliver]

I never use fresh eggs. Its to much trouble to peel them. I always let the eggs set in the refrigerator for at least 5 days, 7 days is even better.

←

What Jack said is correct. When boiling eggs, it's the one time where fresh eggs are not the best thing to use.

As for the blue garlic, it's still edible.

Here's a previous discussion on the phenomenon:

My Garlic turned blue!

[JimH]

I've done it. They make for a quick breakfast before fishing. Don't be afraid of adding some hot peppers to your mix. I've gotten recipes off a few different websites but have not yet found one to personalize. I also was told to pierce the white with a thin tined fork before adding the pickling solution but I keep forgeting that step.

Edited October 11, 2007 by JimH (log)

[Peter the eater]

I never use fresh eggs. Its to much trouble to peel them. I always let the eggs set in the refrigerator for at least 5 days, 7 days is even better.

←

What Jack said is correct. When boiling eggs, it's the one time where fresh eggs are not the best thing to use.

As for the blue garlic, it's still edible.

Here's a previous discussion on the phenomenon:

My Garlic turned blue!

←

Thanks for that.

Now I'm dreaming up some creepy Halloween food featuring blue garlic.

[infernooo]

I find the biggest problem with pickled eggs is my lack of will power to resist eating them before they are ready. I think even if they are peeled when submerged in the pickling liquid, they still take way more than a few days for the flavour to penetrate - I would say a couple of weeks is ideal.

[Peter the eater]

I find the biggest problem with pickled eggs is my lack of will power to resist eating them before they are ready. I think even if they are peeled when submerged in the pickling liquid, they still take way more than a few days for the flavour to penetrate - I would say a couple of weeks is ideal.

←

Now that is interesting. I maintain that most pickled eggs are only pickly-tasting on the outside. I'll bet the albumen pin-prick technique mentioned earlier would help quite a lot.

I have always associated pickled eggs with English pubs. I wonder what the story there is . . . how they came to be on a rack at the bar . . . anybody?

[Jack Fisher]

I also have trouble waiting. I like to add the juice from a jar of pickeled beets to my eggs. It turns them a nice purple color and adds a little flavor. It takes about a week for the color to completely turn all of the white to purple. So I believe they are still curing for the first 6-7 days.

[infernooo]

Jack - me too :-) when I can't wait for the pickle to penetrate, I eat them with a spoonful of pickling liquid with each bite !