Video:How to Pickle Beets

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Transcript:How to Pickle Beets

Hi. This is Richard Ruben, Chef Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. We’re here with About.com.

Sterilizing Your Equipment

Today we’re going to pickle some beets. But before you do any kind of canning or preserving you need to think about safety. Everything needs to be sterilized. I can put my jar and my lids in boiling water and boil them for about six minutes. Or, alternatively, you can take a quart of water, to 1 tbsp. of bleach and create a sterilizing solution. I’m just going to fill up my jar, take my lid into a pot or a bowl, cover it, and let them both sit for about 5 minutes. I’m going to drain them and let them air dry. Then, I’m ready to pickle.

Cooking the Beets

So, we want to cut off both ends of the beet. We’re going to put it in a pot. Cover it with water. Bring it to the boil and then let it cook for about 30 minutes or so. We’ll know it’s done because we’ll take a knife and when it’s tender we’ll take it off and then we’ll remove the skin. And, all I need to do at this point is give the beat a rub and the skin should fall right off. It’s so much easier then peeling it when they’re raw.

Cut the Beets

For the beets I also like to add a little bit of lemon into the brine. And I mean just the lemon zest. Zest, on a citrus, is just the very outer colored spot. So, I’m just going to take the piece of lemon zest and put it in the bottom of my pickling jar. Them I’m just going to take the beets and I’m going to slice em. And they go into my jar as well. You don’t have to slice them, you can cube them, chunk 'em, you can leave 'em whole.

Add the Brine

To one pint of beets I’m going to add, one, two, three, four whole cloves. Then, I’m going to add one whole teaspoon of whole coriander. Now that we have our beats, the spices, and a little bit of lemon sitting in the jar, it’s time to pour over the brine. Now remember the brine is a slty sour pickling medium. One quart white distilled vinegar. Two cups water. And ¾’s of a cup of salt and you kind of have a good use all brine. Fragrance it any way you want, but you need to maintain those three items in order to maintain the brine.

Cover and Refrigerate Beets

Just take it and cover it. If you find you have not made enough brine you can always just cap off the very top of all your pickle jars with a little bit of distilled vinegar. But, when I mean cap off I mean if it’s a quarter inch or less, let’s not make it too sour. Let’s secure the lid tightly. Put em in the refrigerator for two weeks and they’ll be ready.

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