Classic Sweet Hot Dog Relish
Cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and spices are all you need to make homemade sweet hot dog relish.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 24 persons
Ingredients
- 4to 5 cucumbers
- 1medium onion
- 1small red bell pepper
- 2tablespoons kosher salt (or another non-iodized salt)
- 1 ½teaspoons cornstarch (or ClearJel)
- ½cup apple cider (or white wine vinegar)
- ¾cup sugar
- ½teaspoon celery seed
- ¼teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1dash black pepper
Instructions
Step 1
Gather the ingredients.Step 2
In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onion, bell pepper, and salt. Mix well. If this seems like a lot of salt, don't worry: Most of it is rinsed off later. The salt is there to draw water out of the vegetables, a step that results in better texture and flavor in the finished relish.Step 3
Cover the bowl of vegetables and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours.Step 4
Transfer vegetables to a finely meshed sieve or strainer and let drain for a couple of minutes. Rinse well with cool water and drain again. Get out even more of the liquid by squeezing hard with clean hands or by pressing vegetables against sieve with the back of a wooden spoon.Step 5
Whisk cornstarch into cool or room temperature vinegar in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugar, celery seed, mustard seeds, mustard, turmeric, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to help dissolve sugar and prevent lumps.Step 6
Once syrup is boiling and becoming translucent, add vegetables. Simmer relish for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.Step 7
Scoop hot dog relish into clean, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Screw on the lids. If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Regardless, the flavor will be even better a week later.