Special Tools
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Once your hardcooked eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and give them a good rinse to remove any small pieces of shell.
- Make the brine. Heat all of the remaining ingredients in a saucepan just until the mixture boils. Cool this mixture in an ice bath or the fridge before adding it to your eggs to prevent the hot liquid from overcooking the eggs.
- Place as many eggs as you can fit into a clean 1 quart (946.4 ml) or larger container such as a mason jar.
- Pour the cooled brine over the eggs, making sure the eggs are completely submerged. Seal the lid of your container, and refrigerate for at least a week before serving.
- Serve. These pickled eggs will last several months in the fridge, but be warned: the longer they marinate the more intense the flavor will become until the eggs have absorbed as much brine as they can physically soak up.
Notes
About the eggs. Use your favorite method to prepare the hardcooked eggs. You can even buy pre-peeled hardcooked eggs at many markets. I like to make them and usually start the eggs in room temperature water, bring the water to a boil, and as soon as the water boils, shut off the heat and let the eggs rest for 10 minutes in the water. Then, just drain the eggs, shock them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. This method results in fairly consistent hardcooked eggs with firm yolks.
About the spices. I suggest starting with the spices in this recipe as a good base line. You can also make adjustments to levels of sweet and heat by adjusting the sugar and sriracha (or chili flakes) up or down.
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.