The Subtly Spicy Brine That Easily Replaces Pickle Juice In Any Recipe

Not all food trends are for everyone, and I confess I've been feeling a bit left out during the extra-long moment that dill pickles have been enjoying ever since the 20-teens. I don't exactly hate them, but I've never been fond of cucumbers, and I also don't care for dill. Needless to say, I'm not on board with all of those clever uses for leftover pickle juice, but what I do sometimes use instead is a briny, tangy liquid with no dill flavor: The juice from a jar of banana peppers or pepperoncini. 

While pedants will point out that these products are slightly different, they taste pretty darn similar to me, and the juice in both cases is a nearly identical, slightly spicy vinegar. Though technically made from different peppers, the most relevant distinction between the two is that banana peppers are usually sold sliced into rings, while pepperoncini are generally left whole.

Banana pepper (or pepperoncini) juice can be mixed with oil to make a salad dressing, and I like to add a splash to my tuna salad along with some chopped peppers. It can also be incorporated into a marinade as it brings the acid component that helps tenderize meat as well as flavor it. Yet another way I like to use it is in a tomato juice cocktail (which is basically a bloody Mary without the booze) — people do this with pickle juice, too, so once again, this pepper brine steps in as a workable substitute for those of us who don't care for cucumbers and dill.

These days it seems like every new recipe or food trend starts on social media, but back in ancient times (meaning the '90s), recipes spread via church cookbooks or early food blogs. Such is the case with Mississippi pot roast, a dish that actually did originate in Mississippi and does contain pot roast. When it's made with poultry instead, it's called Mississippi chicken. I'd actually never heard of either recipe until a few years ago, but the first thing about them that caught my eye was that they're both made with either banana peppers or pepperoncini, plus some of the juice from the jar.

What's so different about Mississippi pot roast (or chicken)? For one thing, it doesn't taste like dill pickles, although no doubt pickle fans aware of the recipe have been subbing in their preferred brine. The other elements in each recipe are pretty standard stuff — packaged gravy and ranch dressing mixes, butter, and maybe onions — but the peppers and especially the brine help to give the dish a spicy, vinegary zing. You don't need all of the juice in the jar, but if you come across a recipe that tells you to discard the unused brine, ignore that instruction. Instead, save it to use in any recipes that call for pickle juice, up to and including our sweet pickle salad dressing and pickle tickler cocktail made with gin.