Gabe Gordon of Beachwood BBQ, Part Three

For our final installment of On The Line with Gabe Gordon of Beachwood BBQ, our subject shares a recipe.

If you missed the first or second part of our Q&A, click here and here.

Otherwise click onward.

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Pickled Smoked Peppers

Brine
4 cups distilled vinegar
8 cups white wine vinegar
4 cups water
½ oz (by weight) whole garlic
5 oz (by weight) roughly chopped shallots
½ cup whole black peppercorn
2 tbl whole white peppercorn
1 tbl whole green peppercorn
2 tbl whole mustard seed
2 tsp whole coriander seed
10 whole bay leaves
3 tbl Kosher salt
3 tbl granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients into a pan. Bring to boil. Simmer liquid until reduced by 2 cups. This should yield approximately 14 cups of brine.

Let cool and strain. Reserve liquid.

This is enough brine for approximately 20 lbs of smoked peppers.

Pepper Preparation
10-20 lbs of your favorite peppers (I like Pasilla, Anaheim, Red Fresno and Jalapenos)
Rinse peppers.

Prepare smoker with selection of wood. For wood choices, I like fruit woods mixed with a little bit of oak. Hickory and Mesquite are generally too distinct of a flavor.

Place in smoker.

Smoke the peppers for three hours at 250-275 degrees.

Remove peppers from smoker and while hot place in bowl. Immediately cover in plastic wrap. This sweats the peppers and helps remove the skin.

Once cool, peel skin from peppers and remove seeds. If you want the peppers to be spicy leave some seeds in.

Julienne peppers.

Mix together.

Place peppers in flip top sterilized pickling jars, approximately 2/3 full.

Fill remaining jar with brine. Be sure to mix around the brine, making sure that the brine is evenly distributed amongst the peppers.

Close lid. Place jars in large pot. Cover with cold water, at least 1 inch above top of jar.

Bring to boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes.

Turn off heat. Allow the pot of water, with jars remaining in the pot, until room temperature.

Remove jars from water.

Store in your pantry for at least 1 week.

Enjoy.