Bick’s quit making red hamburger relish and I have been unable to find any other provider. Do you know of one? If not, do you have a recipe similar to the Bick’s?
Vivian
Now that Smucker Foods of Canada has discontinued Bick’s hamburger relish, I’ve been looking for another product to purchase, with no luck. Green relish just doesn’t cut it on a burger for our family. Would you have a recipe for a red relish? I see a few on the Internet, but they vary wildly.
Michelle
Bick’s Pickle Co. was once based in Ontario, but that changed after being bought by U.S. food giant J.M. Smucker. In 2010, that company closed all of Bick’s Canadian operations and moved production south of the border.
Another change the company made was to stop retail sales of Bick’s hamburger relish in Canada, apparently due to a lack of consumer demand. However, that relish is still sold in large containers to wholesale buyers, such as restaurants.
Of course, that does not help folks such as Vivian and Michelle and many other Canadians who want to have a small jar of that relish at home.
They both asked if I had a recipe for this type of relish. I didn’t and I also hesitated trying to come up with one. It’s not easy trying to replicate a product made in a factory where food scientists roam.
That said, I’m always up for a challenge, and decided to try to make a relish similar to the Bick’s product. I started by learning what it contains.
The list of ingredients is on the company website: smuckerfoodservice.ca/bicks/s-rhr4l.html. The relish is made with cucumbers, glucose-fructose and/or sugar, water, tomato paste, white vinegar, cauliflower, salt, dehydrated peppers, spices, modified corn starch, sodium benzoate, xanthan gum, polysorbate 80, sulphite, and may contain calcium chloride and potassium sorbate.
Quite a witch’s brew, so when making mine, with no food additives in my cupboard, I just used cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh peppers, cauliflower, vinegar, sugar and spices.
My relish was wonderful, sweet and tangy and great on burgers and anything else you like relish on. I can’t say it tastes exactly like the Bick’s product —but probably better!
There’s fair bit of prep involved in making the relish. If you don’t have the time or the will, you could try buying some locally made relishes instead. My favourites are made by a small operation called Maison Preserves Co. They sell their wonderful relishes, pickles and other preserves at Victoria’s Moss Street Market on Saturdays. Bring a bag, because you’ll want to buy more than one jar.
Eric’s Hamburger Relish
Spoon this sweet and tangy red-hued relish on burgers and anything else you like relish on or with.
Preparation time: 90 minutes, plus vegetable soaking time
Cooking time: About 75 minutes
Makes: Seven (250 ml) jars
2 cups finely diced (peeled and seeded) field cucumber (about 1 very large or two medium cucumbers; see Note)
2 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets
1 cup finely diced, red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 cup finely diced, green bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1/4 cup pickling salt
6 cups boiling water
4 cups peeled, seeded and chopped ripe tomato (about 7 to 8 ripe, medium tomatoes; see Note)
3 cups cider vinegar
1 Tbsp whole mustard seeds
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
Place the cucumbers, cauliflower, bell peppers and salt in a deep, medium to large bowl (mine was eight inches wide). Pour in and cover vegetables with the boiling water. Let vegetables stand one hour, and then drain through a fine sieve. Rinse vegetables under cold water, and drain then well again, pushing out excess water.
Place chopped tomatoes, vinegar and spices in heavy bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then reduce heat until the mixture gently simmers (small bubbles should just break on the surface). Simmer the tomato mixture for 30 minutes.
Add the sugar and drained vegetables to the pot and mix to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high again and bring mixture to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat again until the mixture gently simmers. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste and simmer 10 to 20 minutes more, or until relish has thickened and you have about seven cups. Meanwhile, fill your boiling-water canner with water and bring to a boil.
When the relish has finished cooking, remove from the heat. Sterilize seven (250 ml) canning jars in simmering water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and set their snap-top lids and screw bands in the water for five minutes.
Fill each sterilized canning jar with relish, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Wipe rims clean, and then top with the snap-top lids. Apply screw bands until fingertip-tight.
Heat-process the jars of relish in boiling-water canner 15 minutes, then remove and set on a cooling rack. Cool jars at room temperature 24 hours. Check seal. A properly sealed lid curves downward. Label, date and store the relish in a cool, dark place.
Note: Finely diced means to cut into small 1/8-inch cubes. To peel tomatoes, cut out the stem section and then mark a shallow X at the blossom end. Set tomatoes in simmering water one minute, or until the skins just to start slip off. Lift out with a slotted spoon and place tomatoes on a tray. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.
