Partly it is just due to the home canning process. Home canned ones will never be as crisp as the commercial canned ones because totally different processes are used, processes that aren't possible in the home.

But minimal roasting and adding Pickle Crisp to the jars does make them a bit more crisp.

Otherwise I'd need to know exactly which of the BBB recipes you used as there are several possibilities and the only one for Roasted Reds is a spread recipe. So did you BWB process them or use one of the pressure canned recipes?

Dave

Thank you, Michlelc for asking this question and thank you, Dave, for responding. I was wondering if Pickle Crisp could be used in roasted red peppers and this answered my question, too.

The commercial ones have the calcium chloride, aka, Pickle Crisp.

The roasted peppers caught my eye. I've been smoking my peppers in a little apple wood smoke, using grilling trays in a mini-Weber, then either freezing or drying them, and they are delicious. Drying the smoked peppers stinks up the dehydrator, but it's almost worth it. I've smoked pimientos and jalapenos, as well as roasting peppers, and they're better than anything I can buy, I do believe.

Dave,

My mistake, I looked back and I used the recipe on the National Center for Home Preservation site. I roasted the peppers, then filled the jars and added boiling water. I then pressure canned them fro 35 mins. per instructions on the site. Thanks for the advice, I'll look into pickle crisp for next year.

Michele

I then pressure canned them for 35 mins.

Think about it. Pressure Cook your peppers for 35 minutes. Do you think they will be crisp?

Any and all heat softens veggies. The higher the heat like used in pressure cooking and the longer the time like over a half hour will cook them pretty soft. How long do you boil a potato to make it fully cooked and soft? Less than 35 minutes and that is not even at high temperature in a pressure cooker.

Pickle Crisp is for NON COOKED PICKLING. It will NOT solve your problem.

You can preserve the roasted peppers by putting a few into a glass jar and filling it with vinegar. This will preserve without heat but will change the taste. You can add some sugar to sweeten the vinegar.

As a rule of thumb I would say half the jar with peppers and half the jar with vinegar. The easy way to do this is to first half fill the jar with vinegar and then add peppers.

In place of vinegar you can use hard liquor like rum or whiskey. less hard liquor is needed than vinegar. The alcohol preserves but is expensive. Alcohol even sterilizes worms on the bottom of Tequila bottles.

You might look into using lime or lemon juice as a substitute for vinegar. make sure your pH is well below 4.0

The pickle crisp might help in a vinegar lime lemon juice no heat attempt.

Pickle Crisp is for NON COOKED PICKLING. It will NOT solve your problem.

That claim is based on what? Many of us use Pickle Crisp in several different "cooked" foods and it works just great. Personally I have used in in peppers and potatoes and processed pickles and kraut it makes a great deal of difference when compared to the same foods canned without it.

Dave