Hot Pepper Jelly

This entry is filed under Preserves & Chutneys.

Hot Stuff! Approach with caution

A little jar with a big kick!

Don’t let the beautiful, jewel colour fool you. Pepper jelly is made from Scotch bonnet chillies – little bombs of fiery heat guaranteed to wake up your taste buds and give them a kick! Not surprising when you consider they’re related to the habenero family (one of the hottest chillies around).

Scotch bonnets have a distinctive taste that’s unlike all other chillies. Any chilli head worth their salt will love having a jar of this to hand. A taste of the Caribbean guaranteed to brighten up the dullest of foods.   

Makes:
800ml
Preparation & Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Effort Level: easy
Shelf Life: Long life. Store in cupboard

Ingredients:
225g Scotch Bonnet peppers
350ml cider vinegar
150ml Certo liquid apple pectin
800g granulated sugar

Equipment:
Medium sized saucepan
Measuring jug
Sterilised jam jars
Sugar thermometer (optional)

N.B: Wear protective gloves when handling them and make sure the room is ventilated!

Here’s What You Do:
Remove any stalks, then roughly chop the peppers including the seeds and blitz in the processor until finely minced. Tip into a  medium sized saucepan. Slosh the vinegar around the processor collecting any remaining chilli and add to the pan along with the sugar.

Place a sugar thermometer in the pan (if using) and bring up to the boil on a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and boil rapidly for ten minutes.

Next take the pan off the heat (or when thermometer reaches 220C) and stir in the apple pectin. Strain through a sieve into a wide measuring jug before pouring into sterilized glass jars.

Leave to cool before closing the lids and refrigerate overnight allowing the jelly to set.

To sterilize the jars run them through the dishwasher, then place on a baking tray and into a warm low oven for 10 minutes to dry out.

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9 Responses to “Hot Pepper Jelly”

  1. Peter Johnson says:

    Hi Uma, many thanks for your response. Sorry if I have confused you, I should have said I boiled it for 10 minutes and my comment regarding the hour was once it was in the jar. It set overnight in the fridge. Brilliant stuff so keep up the good work Uma.
    Best Regards, Peter

  2. Uma says:

    Hi Peter,
    Yep it’s fiery alright! Maybe my gas jets are higher so reach 220c quicker, but 20 minutes should definitely do it. Are you boiling it hard beforehand? I’d have thought an hour of boiling would make the texture thick as glue and taste bitter.

  3. Peter Johnson says:

    Hi Uma, just made your hot pepper jelly, the first time I have attempted anything like this. Can I say that it has gone really well so thank you for writing your recipes that even I can follow. Can I ask if you have the temperature correct ? I purchased a Jam thermometer and it says 220 degrees F. After an hour it appears to be setting well but I did boil it for the time suggested but could not reach 220 degrees C. Would appreciate your advice. Tried a tiny bit and can only agree with the comment on your web site, Napalm.
    Peter Johnson. Wolverhampton.

  4. Peter Johnson says:

    Hi Uma, just made your hot pepper jelly, the first time I have attempted anything like this. Can I say that it has gone really well so thank you for writing your recipes that even I can follow. Can I ask if you have the temperature correct ? I purchased a Jam thermometer and it says 220 degrees F. After an hour it appears to be setting well but I did boil it for the time suggested but could not reach 220 degrees C. Would appreciate your advice. Tried a tiny bit and can only agree with the comment on your web site, Napalm.
    Peter Johnson. Wolverhampton.

  5. Uma says:

    If you made my hot pepper jelly it shouldn’t have separated due to the sugar and pectin which keep it set. Commercial brands normally use stabilisers as additives.

  6. hot wings says:

    Hello there just wondering. I made some hot sauce recently, and after a few weeks the other ingredients separated from the vinegar. I have to shake it to get it to come back together which is annoying. How do commercial brands prevent the sauce from separating? I doubt it went bad because things in vinegar keep practically forever..

  7. Kirstie says:

    Loved this recipe!!! Gives me the hiccups everytime I eat it, its like napalm.

  8. Ellen Jackson says:

    We got hold of some scotch bonnets the other day and made your pepper jelly. Wowza! Hot stuff…

  9. Thank you for your content. and i like thai chili

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