A Manly Recipe: Pear/Jalapeno Jam

A lot of guys like to cook.  I like to cook.  There is nothing wrong with a guy cooking, especially when he cooks something that ROCKS!  I like cooking with heat… and I don’t mean on the stove.  I like peppers.  Hot peppers of all kinds; jalapenos, habaneros, serranos, green chilies, red chilies, yellow chilies.  I usually grow peppers over the summer to can or dehydrate to have on hand for cooking spicy food.

My love of spicy has been passed on to my two sons.  I guess my constant talk of, “real men like it hot,” and “only wimps don’t like spicy food” has probably helped develop this taste.  I think they are afraid to not like things a little spicy.  They will try about anything, and hardly ever admit that something is too much (although they aren’t afraid to ask for milk while testing.)

My wife has even developed, to a lesser degree, a tolerance for my cooking.  She, however, isn’t afraid to tell me something is too much.  She’s such a girl.

I’m always trying new recipes and new takes on old recipes to spice them up.  I decided that I need to document some of them here to share with fellow lovers of all things spicy.  I’ll throw an occasional recipe into the Happy Stinking Joy mix from time to time, only if I think they are worthy.     Some will be pretty simple, and some will take some time and effort.  I try to make things mild enough that the wife will eat them, yet with enough heat to make it worth my while.  I hope some of you try these out, and let me know what you think!

To start it off, I’ll go with a recipe I made over this past weekend.  We went to a farmer’s market and picked up some jams made with hot peppers.  We bought some strawberry/jalapeno jam and some peach/habanero jam.  $4.00 for like an 8oz jar.  Pricey!  So, I figured I’d make some on my own.  I’m guessing the overall cost is about 1/2 of buying it at the farmer’s market.  A little more work that driving to the market, and you end up with more than a bottle or two, but this stuff will last like a year if you can it properly.

Please read the whole thing through before trying this recipe.  I’m not a professional recipe writer, and things may be a little out of order.  I’d hate for anyone to start and then figure out that there was something they were supposed to do before they get to a certain point.

Good luck!

Adventurer Rich’s Pear/Jalapeno Jam

What you’re going to need:

*6 medium jalapenos (approximate)

*4 pears (approximate) [pears + jalapenos need to yield 4 cups uncooked]

*1 Tbs margarine or butter

*1/4 cup lemon juice

*7 1/2 cups sugar

*1 3oz pouch liquid Certo

*canner

*1/2 pint or 1/4 pint jars with rims and lids, sterilized

Now, the first thing you’re going to want to do is chop up pear and jalapenos.  Peel and core the pears, and chop the jalapenos.

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I cut up the pears and jalapenos with knife and then dice them.  I use one of those fancy choppers that you can get in the infomercials… you know, you stick the stuff in and then pound on the top of it to dice the contents.  You want pretty close to exactly 4 cups of diced pears and peppers.  If you want it a little hotter, add more jalapenos and less pears.  If you want it a little milder, go to a different website.  I removed the seeds and white membrane from the jalapenos (to make the wife happy), but if I were to make this again, I would leave them in to add more heat.  Once they chunks are the size you think you would like in your jam, throw them in a pot on the stove.

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Add the sugar and lemon juice and throw the slap of butter or margarine on top; the fat helps prevent the mixture from forming an undesirable foam on top… and fat just makes everything a little better.  Most hot pepper jellies and jams call for vinegar (and even pickled peppers), and many people like the certain tanginess that vinegar adds.   I like the vinegar flavored jams and jellies too, but with this recipe, I wanted the fruitiness of the pear and jalapeno to be the centerpiece of the taste… thus the lemon juice as an acid instead of vinegar.  Look at me, I’m writing like I know what in the hell I’m talking about!  Don’t be mislead… I’m as confused as ever.

Once you have everything in the pot, turn the heat up to medium on the burner and bring the works to a rolling boil.  A “rolling boil” means that the mixture’s boiling can’t be stopped by you stirring it.  Speaking of stirring, you want to stir this pretty constantly.  Sugar burns very easily.  Speaking of sugar… that crap gets very hot.  As soon as the sugar is melted, I’m pretty sure it is about temperature of the center of the earth.  Once it boils, I’m guessing it would make the surface of the sun feel like a day at the beach in Canada.  In other words, don’t touch the hot sugar.  Seriously.  You’ll be sorry (I was).

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Once you have that rolling boil, it’s time to add the fruit pectin.  For this recipe, I recommend (’cause it’s what I used… and it worked) Certo Liquid Pectin.  One three ounce pouch is just right for this recipe.  The cool thing is, I bought a box of the stuff, and there were two pouches, so I have an extra pouch to make something else.

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Once the pectin is added, bring back to a boil and boil for as close to exactly 1 minute as possible (stirring constantly).  I’m guessing that if you don’t boil it long enough, you’ll have syrup instead of jam, and if you boil it too long, it will be more like rock candy; both of which are great ideas, just not for this recipe.

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Now it’s time to fill your sterilized canning jars.  Remember, this crap is HOT!  Be careful.  If you get it on your hand, you will cry like a little girl (I did), and the pain will last FOREVER!  Fill the jars to about 1/4 inch of the top.  If you get some of the mixture on the lip of the lid (which you will), wipe it away.  You want the lip clean to ensure a proper seal and prevent icky stuff from getting in.

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Alrighty, now it’s time to put the lids and rims on.  Again, make sure the lips and threads of the jars are clean.  Keeping the lids in hot warrm until you are ready to place them on the jars is a good idea.  Why?  Who knows.  It’s just a good idea.

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Now the jars are ready to go into the canner (which should be filled with boiling water).  Make sure there is enough water to completely cover all of your jars.

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Lower the jars into the water, place the lid on the canner, and boil those bad boys for 10 minutes.

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Remove the jars from the canner and set them on a dishtowel on a counter to let them cool.  If they are canned properly, the lids should pop down and not pop back up when you push on them.  It jam may have to cool quite awhile before the lids don’t pop back up.  If you have a jar or two that the lids refuse to seal on, that’s ok; those just need to go in the fridge and be the first ones you eat.

Once the jars are sealed, place them in a cool, dark place and you can store them for up-to about a year (but I doubt they will last that long… ’cause you’re gonna eat this slop up way before a year).

Once of my families favorite way to eat this stuff is on cracker with cream cheese.

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You know what’s really cool?  Not only do the flavors of the pears and jalapenos compliment each other nicely, and the mild heat of the jalapenos make this a solid spread for pepper-heads… but the jam looks kind of like something you might clear from the back of your throat!  Now, that’s a jam a any real man would be proud to eat!

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44 thoughts on “A Manly Recipe: Pear/Jalapeno Jam”

  1. Dude, it took like a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. Hardly any work at all. I think it took me longer to take the pictures and write the blog than it did to actually make it 🙂

  2. I love your since of humor this receipe sound so good> I’m on my way to the store to but the things I need. A friend has a pear tree that was full of pears. A cook myself don’t like to waste so I ran thru your receipe and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks I’ll let you know how it came out.

  3. I hope it turns out good for you, Monica. It really is a good jam. My wife doesn’t usually like spicy stuff too much, but she loves this mild jam 🙂

  4. This recipe sounds great and I will try it tomorrow, I have an abundance of pears this year. The best thing of all was your writing, I had the best time reading your site and it made me laugh. Thanks for your insight into cooking

  5. Basketcase, let me know what you think of it if you try it! I just made another batch, but this time I used white peaches and left the seeds/membranes in a couple of the jalapenos. It was considerably hotter, which I liked. I know the way I laid out the recipe doesn’t exactly make it easy to print out and put in your recipe box… but I’m glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂

  6. Well, I just finished my first batch, Oh my gosh is it good. I doubled the jalapenos and left in the seeds because we like it hot. It was’ nt too hot, just right, I guess because my peppers were small. I like your idea of trying different fruit. I have lots of tame gooseberries in the freezer, I may try that later. Thanks again. Keep up the entertaining work.

  7. Tony and I bought some apple jalapeno jam when we were in the mountains last year. Neither of us can take too much heat, but that blend had tons of flavor without making us scream for antacids.

  8. Basketcase… glad you liked it! Messing around with the kind of fruit (and peppers) makes this fun. I just made a blackberry/habanero jam that ROCKED 🙂

    Nancy… the recipe as I have it above is really mild and I think you and Tony would like it. It doesn’t have the pickled-jalapeno taste of most pepper jams (although I recently made a traditional “pepper jam” with some green, red, and tabasco peppers that I grew this year and it is out-of-sight… although on the spicy side 🙂 )

  9. Just got a 5 gallon bucket of green peppers, do you have any unusual recipes to help use these up. I have already made a pepper relish. Thanks

  10. Basketcase,

    I wish I had a cool recipe for green peppers, but I do not. I usually cut the greens into slices and freeze them for when I need them (they freeze extremely well, and work great out of the freezer for fajitas, casseroles, and other recipes that call for diced or sliced peppers). I did make a recent pepper jam, but I pretty much followed the recipe from inside a box of Certo pectin. I believe it’s under the “jam” section, and it calls for like a green pepper and a red pepper and some jalapenos. I used a couple of small green peppers and a large blush pepper from my garden… and I made up the rest of the 3 or 4 cups of dices peppers with tabasco peppers (again, from my garden) instead of the jalapenos. It ROCKS… but it is one of the vinegar-tainted pepper jams. I prefer the mild taste of the pepper jams without the vinegar or too much lemon/lime juice. If I were you, I’d cut and freeze most of the peppers for later use and make my own pepper jam with the remaining green peppers and a vast array of hot peppers, and follow close to the “pear/jalapeno” recipe that is listed above. I bet it would be peppery-goodness 🙂 Please let me know what you end up doing!

  11. I made a type of bruchetta topping last night. I roasted some of the red and green peppers and then added chopped onion, garlic, jalapeno chopped fine, sea salt, olive oil and a good splash of balsamic vinegar then let it chill over night. I served in on rosemary/lemon toast squares. It was a hit. I thought I could find a recipe on maybe canning something like that but so far have not found one. You can buy jarred roasted red peppers so why couldn’t you just can them with out the seasonings and use the oil and vinegar? Any ideas other wise I will just freeze them for later.

  12. Roasted peppers… oh yes. I forgot. Thanks for reminding me 🙂 I LOVE roasted peppers. Roasted pepper between two slices of toast with a little olive oil and garlic is the bomb… especially if you throw some grilled portabella mushroom on there. One of my favorite non-meat sandwiches… well, that and a grilled eggplant sandwich. I always roast and freeze the Anaheim and Hungarian peppers (diced in small bags to use in place of canned “green chili”… hotter, and just better). I’m guessing the reason for no canning recipes is the lack of acid content. If there isn’t enough acid in the canned product, there s always a chance of botulism. You can usually remedy this by adding some lemon or lime juice, but that may take away from the flavor of the peppers. Freezing doesn’t give you as long of a shelf life… but it usually gives you enough 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Basketcase!

  13. Loved your blog! Going to try this pear and jalopeno recipe but would like you to consider writing more of your “manly” recipes!

  14. Thanks, Learner9! With the harvest of my extremely small garden approaching, I will definitely keep more recipes in mind 🙂

  15. This Jelly is THE BOMB! Just finished a batch after finding your site while searching recipes for Japapeno’s and Pears. This is definitely a winner. Not to sound like wimp or anything…I know this is a manly site….but might want to warn the ladies, at least, to wear gloves when handling the Jalapenos–I cried like a baby quite a few years ago on that learning curve!!

    Thanks for posting this!

  16. Holly, thanks for reading… and for the warning on the jalapenos! Yeah, that pepper juice on your skin does not so easily wash off! You will think it is washed off, until you go to take your contacts out… or go to the bathroom (guys, this particularly pertains to you). Also, be mindful when you are cooking the jalapenos. The steam coming out of the pot can make your eyes water and your skin tingle… and not necessarily tingle in a good way…

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  19. Can hardly wait to try this recipe. I am a 71 year old girl that loves spicy food. I make candied jalapenos and all my friends love them well my spicy friends.

  20. Some canning recipes I have found don’t do well by just doubling the ingredients if u want a bigger batch, have u tried that on this recipe ? Would like to do a bigger batch at one time! Thanks !

  21. Timothy, I have not tried doubling this recipe, and I have had issues when trying to double as well with the jam or jelly being runny. If I were to double it, I think I would cook it in two pots…

  22. Great recipe. I have done peach and jalapeno jam, but first try with pears. I did double the recipe (roughly). I think I did about 20 smaller jalapenos from my garden along with about 8-10 big pears (around 8 cups before I chopped it up). It made up 10 half pints and 2 pints…so 7 pints total. Can’t wait to try it on some cream cheese with crackers 🙂

  23. im making this right now…I just wanted to say, you have your rings in hot water before putting it on jar to warm up the rubber gasket thing for a better seal..

  24. Adventurer Rich, Your recipe is the first thing I ever made and canned. I picked your recipe because I had a bag of pears and a bag of jalapeños sitting there staring at me! I had googled for a recipe of pear jalapeño jam and found your humorous, practical and delicious recipe and the rest is history! This was the most delicious jam tasting both of pear and jalapeño. Who would think pears would hold up to jalapeños for such a fabulous combination?!? I’m gonna make more and I am now a confident canner with this delicious experiment under my belt.. Thank you so much for sharing this gem and encouraging others to try it! You’re an inspiration in your stinking, manly way 🙂 – The good wife

  25. I’m glad you liked it, Jo Ann. Works well with papaya and mango as well, and substituting other peppers (habanero, serrano, etc) can add a little more spice 🙂

  26. I have had an abundance of jalapenos this Summer and have been on a jelly and jam kick as a result. I’ve been trying out new recipes, ran across yours and gave it a try. I followed your recipe but added crushed red pepper flakes and a package of chopped bacon (after the cooking process but before the canning). Must I say, OMG,it’s the best that I’ve made so far! Thanks for sharing!

  27. I use this receipt for pork loin roast, i glaze it when it is almost done and cook on top for 30 minutes it is amazing

  28. Had two gallons of a golden pepper that was supposed to be cayenne (wasn’t). My husband says that they are very hot (not a fan of raw peppers myself, it is a texture thing) having already made batch of regular hot pepper jelly, pepper flakes and cowboy candy I was still staring at a bunch of peppers with just about as much still in the garden. Had a few pears I needed to use so Google sent me to you. Thank you for the recipe. Just finished canning the jelly and cannot wait to try it!

  29. I just stumbled on this recipe looking for something to do with all these freaking pears… omg. This stuff is 🔥! Rave reviews. Making more today. Better than the peach jalapeño I did a few weeks ago. AMAZING.

  30. My best friends have 2 old pear trees, we’re in his Grandmother’s yard. Can hardly wait to make your pepper pear jam again. Also going to do some for a friend who does not want jam. It is not a good idea to double any canning recipe. Too much hot food that could lose temp. and be in the danger zone.

  31. Devine and loved by everyone! We discovered your recipe in 2019 and modified it to make it lower sugar. We picked over 100 pounds of pears from two mature trees a couple of days ago and will be making multiple batches in a canning marathon to use for ourselves and to give as gifts throughout the year. We may experiment a bit with proportions and different pepper combinations to make batches with varying degrees of heat, but as is this recipe is perfect!

    LOW SUGAR JALAPENO PEAR JAM
    1 cup shredded / diced jalapenos (I process in the food processor until desired size)
    4 cups pear pieces (peeled, cored, cut)
    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    3 cups sugar
    3 Tablespoons low/no sugar pectin
    1/2 teaspoon butter

    Add fruit and lemon juice to stockpot.
    Mix 1/4 cup sugar and pectin in small bowl and add to stockpot
    Add butter to stockpot.
    Bring to full rolling boil (doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
    Add remaining sugar
    Return to full boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly
    Remove from heat
    Skim off foam with metal spoon
    Fill jars 1/4″ from top
    Process in boiling water canner 10 minutes

  32. Hi, I’m really glad I found your recipe and hope you can answer a question for me. I want to make pear/jalapeño jam but want to know if I could substitute dry pectin for the liquid (any type of pectin has been difficult to find since the virus 😡 as with many other canning items) and can I use the bottled lemon juice? I’m going out to buy my pears now since my local farm is out of pears so I thought I better ask the question. I have made plenty of jalapeño cranberry, peach, etc. and was going to adjust the recipe but thought you might be able to help me with your recipe.
    Thank you so much if you can help me; I appreciate it.

  33. I just finished making this and my husband said it’s spot on! Thank you for the awesome recipe and the awesome read.

  34. Oh my is this TASTY! My friend had Asian pears falling off her tree and offered me as many as I wanted. They are firmer and a different taste. I followed the recipe and turned down the heat some by scraping the inside of the peppers. And I zested the lemon. So good on cornbread! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  35. I’m so sorry it took so long for me to respond to this. I really don’t check my comments as I haven’t been as active on this blog for quite some time. I have tried dry pectin for this recipe and I didn’t get nearly as good of results with the gelling. Liquid pectin seems to work much better, in my experience.

  36. Combined total 4 cups. You can adjust the amounts of each to make it as hot as you want. I like about 3 cups of pears and one cup of Jalapenos because I like it hot, but I like it fruity too.

  37. This jam is outstanding as a glaze for meat, I have used it on a pork loin and also on chicken

  38. I’m a man and your manly crap about real men sucks so I think I’ll find a different recipe and blog. Step up, dude. Your boys don’t need to think that disliking spicy food makes them “girly”.

  39. Here it is a craptastic Covid social distancing 2021 in Idaho and we had a hard freeze this week. My sweet husband is out picking jalapenos by the bucket and I’m making your pear jalapeno jam. By the way I’m charging $5 a decade later at the local Farmers Market. I offer wheat thins with a dab of jam and the flavor sells those jars almost faster than I keep up.

    Lest you despair for my career in highway robbery — the jam pays my husband’s cancer bills, and he’s in remission. It’s a great day to make your decade old jam recipe. Thanks! The Kolz Kidz Pies and Jams, Idaho.

  40. This is too cool! I’m really happy if this recipe is helping you in a bigger purpose than just making a tasty jam 🙂

  41. It was meant to be satirically funny, which most people get and you apparently didn’t. I don’t know what kind of childhood trauma led to your comment, but I apologize that my attempt at humor triggered someone making fun of you for something spicy-related in your past. I really need you to keep reading my blog and use my recipe or I’m out… oh wait… nothing?!? I make nothing off of this blog, in fact, it costs me money to have it hosted. Nevermind… feel free to leave 🙂

  42. I’m wondering if you calculated the cost of making it yourself because four dollars seems pretty darn cheap! You have to add in the cost of the jar as well as the lead and lid and cap And the pectin unless you use Apple. So curious! Needless to say I always make my own jam no matter what the cost and I never sell it

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