By STEVEN KEITH
Daily Mail Food Guy
I've never really understood the appeal of pickled eggs.
Why would anyone voluntarily eat something that's been sitting in a big jar out on a counter, unrefrigerated, for months on end? What am I missing here?
Then I did a little digging and learned that what once was an essential preserved staple in olden times has since become a favorite snack popular in pubs, taverns and bars around the world.
Beer? I'm in.
Problem is, most pickled eggs are brined in beet juice and longtime readers know all about my aversion to all things beet.
So I set out on a mission to find alternative recipes for pickling an egg - and to see if the finished product was actually worth all the time and trouble it took to create it.
My results were mixed, at best, but I did learn several tips along the way that I'll share with you. Still, I'd suggest using one of the established recipes included this week or finding one on your own that works.
Or if all else fails, just run over to Capitol Market. Stores on both ends of the hall there carry beet, mustard and jalapeno pickled eggs.
See also:
Travis Hogbin: How I gave up worrying and learned to tolerate the egg
Philip Maramba: Sunnyside down after a bad breakfast eggs-perience
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For the uninitiated, pickled eggs are simply hard boiled eggs that have been peeled and cured in a brine of vinegar, salt, spices and other seasonings long enough for them to become preserved, or "pickled." In the process, eggs take on the salty flavors of the solution they're swimming in - a process that usually takes anywhere from 24 hours to a few days, depending on the strength of the liquid.
Recipes vary from a simple salty brine to others that can inject a sweet or spicy boost. I wanted to find a good basic recipe first, then look for a few off-the-wall variations for fun.
My search started on Google, which first directed me to a recipe for Emily's Pickled Eggs, touted as quick, easy and highly rated.
They had me at quick and easy, so as my eggs boiled I mixed up an elixir of water, vinegar, salt, pickling spice and onions. (Pickling spice is a blend of spices that includes peppercorns, crushed bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves, plus mustard, coriander, allspice and dill seeds.)
Next up was a recipe for Mama's Best Pickled Eggs, which sounded like a sure-fire winner. But who has white peppercorns, allspice berries and fresh ginger lying around?
I thought foodnetwork.com would be promising, but the first recipe that site offered was from Emeril (strike one), took 90 minutes to cook (strike two) and featured a whopping pound of beets. (Food Guy out!)
This wasn't going well, so I turned to my never-fail source for all things food-related - the holy grail of epicurious.com, where I was assaulted by recipes for Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs followed by Deviled Eggs with Pickled Beets.
One: what's the diff? Two: et tu, Epicurious?
Website after culinary website were all strapped on the beet bandwagon, so with frustration in full effect I decided to shut down the ol' laptop and channel my own creativity.
If pickled eggs and beer are such a great combination, I thought, why not Reese Cup them into one? (You know, two great tastes that taste great together.) So a couple of my eggs went into a whirlpool of pale ale, vinegar and pickling spice.
With my traditional and beer-brined eggs marinating, I set out a dozen more glasses to test a variety of other combinations. Some worked well; others not-so-much.
I soaked eggs in pickle juice (too salty), balsamic vinegar (too tart) and smoked habanero brine (too hot). I tried hard apple cider, which didn't really impart much flavor, and sherry, which I don't really care for in the first place, so those were lackluster as well.
I had better success with eggs brined with curry; red wine vinegar and sugar; and soy sauce with ginger, garlic and sugar. (That last creation was my proudest, I must say.)
And as much as I hate to admit it, the eggs soaked in beet juice was definitely the prettiest, and one of the better tasting, in the bunch.
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If you want to try your own batch at home, here are a few tips to help you avoid the same mistakes I made.
This seems too obvious to mention, but the final flavor you get is based solely on the solution you use. Just as you shouldn't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink, don't pickle eggs using ingredients you don't like in your food. (Don't know what I was thinking with that sherry situation.)
For an easy homemade brine, use the juice from an empty jar of pickles or olives, then just add herbs and seasonings to match your taste.
If making your own brine, use a mix of vinegar and water to prevent the finished eggs from being too salty.
If eggs stay in a strong brine too long, they can become rubbery and chewy. To prevent this from happening, remove and enjoy while they're still a nice texture or water down the solution for longer storage.
For safety reasons, you should keep your pickled eggs refrigerated. It's just common sense. If you plan to store them on the counter, be sure to use fully sanitized glass jars and keep the lid on tight.
Before placing peeled eggs in the brine, you can pierce them with a fork several times to help the flavors seep in. Experts recommend doing this only if the eggs will be refrigerated, though, since those holes make it easier for bacteria to get inside the egg where it can grow much quicker.
Even if the eggs are too salty to eat on their own - and most of mine were - they still work really well when chopped up to make homemade egg salad. After my weekend experiment in the kitchen, I still don't get pickled eggs. But I will be enjoying tasty egg salad sammiches all week.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Daily Mail. He can be reached at 304-348-1721 or by email at dailymailfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Pinterest as "DailyMail FoodGuy," on Twitter as "DMFoodGuy" or read his blog at http://blogs.charlestondailymail/foodguy.
Emily's Pickled Eggs
12 eggs
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. coarse salt
2 Tbsp. pickling spice
1 onion, sliced
5 black peppercorns
1. Place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10-12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool and peel. Place the eggs into a 1 quart wide-mouth jar.
2. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, pickling spice, most of the onion (reserve a couple of slices) and black peppercorns. Bring to a rolling boil and pour over the eggs in the jar. Place a couple of slices of onion on top and seal the jars. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 days before serving.
Recipe courtesy allrecipes.com
Debra's Pickled Eggs in Beer
24 small hard-cooked eggs
1 (12-oz.) bottle of beer
2 cups vinegar
1 Tbsp. pickling spice
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1. Place eggs in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. (Cook the eggs in batches if you do not have a pot large enough.) Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let stand in hot water for 10-12 minutes. Cool under cold running water, then peel. Pierce each egg with a knife or fork to assist in the absorption of liquid.
2. Transfer eggs to a large glass jar or other deep, sealable glass container. Place beer, vinegar, pickling spice and parsley flakes together in a bowl. Pour over eggs until fully submerged. (Be sure to select a container in which the eggs are completely covered, or add additional pickling liquid, if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days before using. Can be sealed and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in pickling liquid.
Recipe courtesy allrecipes.com
Pale Ale Brined Eggs
24 small hard-boiled eggs
1 (12-oz.) bottle of beer
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. pickling spice
2 Tbsp. parsley flakes
4 Tbsp. Kosher salt
2 hot peppers, optional
1. Place eggs in a large, deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Drain and place in fresh cold water. When the eggs are cool, peel. Stab each egg with fork so that all that tasty brine can fully penetrate the egg.
3. Divide the eggs into two quart-sized canning jars or other air-tight glass container. In each jar, place 1 tablespoon each of the pickling spice and parsley flakes, plus 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and a hot pepper.
4. Combine the beer and vinegar and pour over eggs until they are fully submerged. Add additional vinegar if you need more liquid to cover the eggs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 week before using.
Recipe courtesy brauista.com