I live in rural Alberta on an acreage. I was born and raised in the country and I like to live off the land as much as possible. I grow and harvest a garden for fresh vegetables, pick berries from the trees that grow in my yard to make delicious jellies, and keep laying hens for delicious farm fresh eggs. It is the time of year, when backyard chicken farmers find themselves with an abundance of  pullet eggs. Spring hatch chicks are maturing to egg laying stage, and begin to lay small eggs. The eggs are delicious for eating fresh and many people prefer them. I have found that the small sized eggs are perfect for pickling. A dozen eggs will fit nicely in a jar. My family enjoys spicy food, and pickled eggs. So, I found a basic recipe for Cajun style pickled eggs online. Sometimes they are called Alligator Eggs. I wish I could give credit to the source, but I have long forgotten it. I worked on perfecting the recipe over time. First of all, the recipe didn’t call for garlic. If you are of Ukrainian ancestry like me, you can’t make anything without garlic.  So I added that with a few other tweaks. The brine looks like it creates a extremely hot product, however the eggs are not spicy at all.  They have a smoky flavor like a deviled egg. I have been asked to figure out how to make them hotter, by the men in my family who love spicy food. After the eggs are pickled, they also make a delicious egg salad when mashed and mixed with onion, and miracle whip.

Homegrown and homemade items make great gifts! I like to make these in nice jars at Christmas time and gift them.  People love them. This sentiment was reinforced when my brother opened his gift one Christmas. He pulled the jar of eggs out of the gift bag, and pumped it into the air exclaiming “YES! YES! YES!”

This recipe will make one jar of pickled eggs. I often make several dozen at a time. One Christmas I made 7 dozen. I peeled so many boiled eggs I wore the finish off of my thumb nail! Anyway, doubling and tripling the brine works fine.

 

Boiling Eggs

I find this method works the best for me. I have read many alternative ways to boil eggs including adding baking powder to the water for easy shell removal. It just doesn’t work for me.  This is the process I use. It makes peeling the eggs easier and also reduces the grey ring that forms around the yolk when an egg is boiled.

Use aged eggs! Use eggs that are 10 – 21 days old. Then:

Put the eggs in a pot with cold water. With the lid on the pot bring the eggs to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Shut the heat off on the stove and keep the lid on the pot for 10 – 15 minutes depending on the size of the eggs. For small eggs 10 – 12 minutes is plenty. Drain the hot water off the eggs and put cold water into the pot to cover the eggs. I peel them right away and put them right into prepared jars.

Jar Prep

I do this while the eggs are boiling. I want the jars ready so as I peel the eggs I can just put them in the jar. Start with a clean, wide mouth, quart jar. I like to recycle jars when possible. When I was teaching, I asked people to save the empty Cheese Whiz jars from the school breakfast program for me. They work great for pickled eggs! When I have had to buy jars, Peavy Mart and Dollarama usually have great prices. A wide mouth jar is easiest to get eggs in and out of.

Add the following ingredients into the bottom of the jar:

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 cloves of garlic (adjust as you like)

dash of garlic powder

a few rings of purple onion.

Brine:

1 1/2 cups of vinegar

1 c water

A few pieces of purple onion

1/3 c of Sriracha   I think Sky Valley produces a good result, but any brand will work.

1 tsp of sea salt

Dash of garlic powder

Combine the ingredients into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Gently boil for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for a minute, and then spoon the brine over the eggs in the prepared jars. Wipe the rim of the jar clean and put the top on jar. The eggs will be ready in about 5 days. Refrigeration is required as these are unprocessed. The brine will separate a bit as it sits. This is normal.

If you make these please let me know how they turn out for you!! Enjoy!