Pickled Banana Pepper Rings
Crunchy refrigerator-pickled banana pepper rings in a garlicky vinegar brine, ready for sandwiches and pizza.

Ingredients
- 1 pound banana peppers, sliced into rings
- 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Method
- Pack the banana pepper rings and smashed garlic into a clean quart jar.
- Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mustard seed, and peppercorns in a small pot.
- Warm the brine over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the hot brine over the rings until they are fully covered.
- Let the jar cool on the counter, then seal and refrigerate.
- Wait at least a day before eating, and use within a month.
The thick, waxy walls of a banana pepper stay crunchy in brine, so these rings never turn limp the way thinner peppers can. Its mild sweetness needs no heat to be worth pickling — a plain vinegar brine is all it takes to make something you will reach for on every sandwich. Keep a jar in the door of the fridge and they only get better through the week.