Balsamic Pickled Beets

Balsamic Pickled Beets. In a brown sugar and spice brine for a sweet, almost nutty flavour that's beautifully fragrant and uniquely delicious!

Here's another recipe that I've been meaning to post for a while. We first made these Balsamic Pickled Beets a couple of years ago and have been perfecting the recipe with small changes since.

The recipe was in part inspired by a favourite side dish of ours. Roasted beets often make an appearance, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Our favourite way to serve them is our Balsamic and Honey Roasted Beets. Folks always love these when we serve them, so balsamic and beets have become a natural pairing at our house.

You'll note that the picked beets in some photos are actually several months old and really do take on an almost black appearance. Some people did not even recognize them as beets when we first served them! 

These pickled beets have a bit of a Mediterranean twist, with the addition of balsamic vinegar and oregano to the mix. I should note that these are sweet pickles and the use of brown sugar heightens the flavour, as it pairs very well with the balsamic vinegar.

New additions to Balsamic Pickled Beets.

Over on our Facebook Page, many people have noted that in their own family recipe, their mothers and grandmothers would add a few whole cloves to each jar.

That is something I began doing this year myself in our standard Newfoundland Pickled Beets recipe.. Spouse and I are both very fond of the flavour of cloves and often add extra to recipes like Gingerbread or Christmas Fruitcake.

Adding cloves to the bottles was a no brainer for us. It does add a warm fragrant hint to the pickles, which is very enjoyable.

The final addition was some dried oregano added to each bottle as an additional nod to Mediterranean cuisine. We sometimes use that in a simple dressing for a roasted Beet and Feta salad. I must post that soon too!

Another suggestion is to add them to a charcuterie board, as a tasty item of interest. With the Holidays coming up, they are sure to get  noticed by guests! 

So, give these delicious pickled beets a go and see what you think. We always make the standard version each year as well, but these are even more flavourful.

Serve them next time guests are over and you'll definitely be asked for the recipe for those "black beets"!

Love great pickle recipes. 

We have a growing number this season, with more to be added in the coming weeks. You may want to try our new and very popular Sweet Yum Yum Pickles as well! 

Like this Balsamic Pickled Beets recipe?

You'll find many more traditional and Newfoundland inspired recipes in our Newfoundland section and even more great dishes in our Fish & Seafood Category

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Yield: 4 pints

Balsamic Pickled Beets

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Balsamic Pickled Beets. In a brown sugar and spice brine for a sweet, almost nutty flavour that's beautifully fragrant and uniquely delicious!

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds beets
• 1 ½ cups balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon Kosher salt (or pickling salt. DO NOT use iodized table salt.)
• 12 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

1. Boil the beets, with their skins on in a large pot filled with salted boiling water.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the beets until they are fork tender.
3. Alternatively you can roast them in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. (Time depends on the size if the beets being used.)
4. Let them cool enough to be handled.
5. While the beets are cooking, prepare the balsamic brine.
6. Add the balsamic vinegar, water, brown sugar and salt to a saucepan and bring just to the boil until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
7. When the beets are cooled peel away the skins with paper towels. If the skin doesn’t peel away easily, feel free to use a vegetable peeler or pairing knife.
8. Chop or slice the beets in whatever size or shape you like, there is no right or wrong here.
9. Sterilize 4 pint sized mason jars along with their seals and rings.
10. To the bottom of each bottle, add 3 whole cloves and ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
11. Add the beets to the bottles, pushing them down firmly to fully fill the jars.
12. Pour the hot brine over the beets to the bottom line of the neck of the jar.
13. Add the seals and rings to the bottles. The rings should only be finger tight; just enough to ensure the seals have a little bit of pressure on them so that they do not slip out of place in the water bath.
14. Process in a hot water bath as directed by the bottle manufacturer for 15 minutes. The bottles MUST be fully submerged in gently boiling water to seal properly.
15. Turn off the burner after 15 minutes and allow the bottles to sit for an additional 5 minutes submerged in the water.
16. Finally remove the sealed bottles from the water.
17. Let them cool completely before tightening the ring fasters and storing in a cool, and preferably dark place for up to a year.

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

⅓ cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 100Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 516mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 22gProtein 1g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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