Mom’s Pickled Beets

Back from Midland Monday. The house felt different. Three grandchildren now. The math has changed. I sat on the back porch and made a list of things to send to Jessica — freezer meals, primarily. Newborn-proof comfort food that can be reheated one-handed while a small human screams. I made twelve gallon-bag portions of pho broth (concentrated, frozen flat for easy thawing), six containers of beef stew, four trays of lasagna, eight bricks of frozen jollof rice (my version, not as good as James's but close), and a stack of frozen banh mi components — the meat sliced, the pickled vegetables, the pâté — which Tyler can assemble in four minutes. The cooler will arrive at their door Friday by FedEx.

This is grandfatherhood at distance. You can't be in Midland holding the baby every day. But you can fill a freezer. The food does the holding. The food says, "I'm here, just compressed into ice." Jessica called Wednesday. She said, "Bobby, you don't have to do this." I said, "Yes I do." She said, "Why?" I said, "Because my mother fed your husband when he was a baby and I am paying it forward through the freezer." She laughed. She kept the food.

Made a kho thịt Sunday — a different version of thịt kho, more peasant-style, less of the egg, more of the caramelized pork fat. Ate it with white rice and a small dish of pickled mustard greens (dưa cải chua). The most ordinary Vietnamese dinner. The thing I would eat on a Tuesday in 1985. The thing my children grew up eating. The thing I will pass to grandkids. Some recipes don't need updating.

Sat on the back porch at sunset. The cicadas. The locusts. The faint smell of brisket from Mr. Washington's yard — he's started smoking again himself, smaller cuts, mostly chicken, which I take as a sign that the wave-and-no-words protocol has begun to influence him in the right direction. The neighborhood. The slow chain. The way these things carry without anybody saying anything.

The dưa cải chua I had alongside that Sunday kho thịt reminded me why I keep a jar of something pickled in the fridge at all times — the sharp, bright contrast is what makes the fatty, caramelized pork taste like itself. When I packed the cooler for Jessica, I tucked in two jars of pickled vegetables because that’s the part people forget to send. Mom’s Pickled Beets aren’t Vietnamese, but the logic is the same: you make a brine, you put something good in it, and it keeps — in the fridge, in the freezer, across a thousand miles. Some preservation is literal, and some of it is something else entirely.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min + cooling | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 lbs fresh beets, scrubbed and trimmed (greens removed, 1 inch of stem left on)
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings

Instructions

Cook the beets. Place whole beets in a large pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 30—35 minutes, until a paring knife slides in with little resistance. Drain and let cool until you can handle them.
Peel and slice. Rub the skins off the cooled beets using your hands or a paper towel — they should slip off easily. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds and set aside. Wear gloves or expect stained fingers for the next day.
Make the brine. Combine both vinegars, sugar, water, salt, peppercorns, and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
Layer the jars. Pack sliced beets and onion rings in alternating layers into clean glass jars or a large non-reactive container. Pour the hot brine over the top, making sure the beets are fully submerged. Press down gently if needed.
Cool and refrigerate. Let the jars cool to room temperature uncovered, then seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving. They improve significantly after 24 hours. Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mom’s Pickled Beets — The Side Dish That Keeps the Chain Going