Billie and my friend the saint
You're perfect in so many ways
But you never looked hard at a foetus in a jar
You never saw your mama change

Billie Pavement

I have to admit that, for more of my life than not, I have found pickled eggs repulsive. They always appeared to me as a grotesque foetus foetus in a jar of bar snacks. Weird translucent brine swirling around stinking unfertilised chickens, gathering dust in the forgotten end of the shelf behind the crusty Drambuie and even lesser liquors.

That all changed, mostly thanks to Chris Hendon and The Old Green Tree, where Hendon force-introduced me to the pickled egg. Now I rate it as probably the best bar snack possible, the rubbery white giving way to the crumbly yoke and the tangy taste of the vinegar combine in a mix of sensations to make this (undoubtably the healthiest bar snack) one of the most delicious accompaniments to a pint. By the way, if you are ever in Bath the Old Green Tree, The Star and The Pulteney Arms have the best pickled eggs.

Drawing

Now the first time I made pickled eggs at home I found two things (i) they hadn’t taken on much of the flavour of the pickle, (ii) they were super sour compared to vegetable pickles made in the same juice. The answer to the second is easy, add more sugar. Unlike the veg, eggs don’t being their own sugars to the mix, so we need to add a bit more. The answer to the first part is more complex, I think that it probably arises from the fact that many of the flavours that will be soluble in water/vinegar will not be very soluble in the egg itself. However, the recipe below manages to produce an egg with flavour, I think that this may have to do with the use of porter, the alcohol could assist in conveying flavour to the egg. I need to research this more, but anyway, it works, it works well.

20 medium free range eggs (better eggs give better pickled eggs ...)
2 cups of white spirit vinegar
1 1/2 cups of porter
3 tablespoons of demerera sugar
2 tablespoons of salt
3 teaspoons of chipotle chilli flakes
2 tablespoons of pickle spice mix
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
  • Sterilise the large jar (link how to).
  • Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, rinse and peel.
  • Mix the porter and vinegar in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
  • Add in the sugar, salt, chipotle and spices.
  • Transfer the eggs and juice to the pickling jar.
  • Add the rosemary and thyme.
  • The eggs are ready after about 1 week and get better with time.