I don't care much for vinegar pickles. Actually that's an understatement. I prefer instead to ferment all my peppers. These fermented peppers make much better hot sauce too. A whole lot of flavor develops during fermentation. Vinegar pickles taste mostly like vinegar.

If you want the peppers whole with stems (pepperoncini etc..), stab each one through once. In this case it will take a little more time to get the brine to fill the pepper seed cavities, so put the brine on and let sit for a day or so adding more brine as needed and agitating occasionally.

If you don't mind them in pieces (pimentos, hot sauce etc...) cut them into sections to let the brine in. Leave seeds in for hot sauce.

Pack into a canning jar. Any size will do, but fill it up.

cover with a brine of these proportions. 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, and two tablespoons of vinegar. (the vinegar is barely detectable and just helps shift the brine to a little lower ph encouraging desirable bacteria and discouraging bad ones. I've left it out before or sometimes just splash a little in without measuring)

Knock the jar around a bit to get air bubbles out.

Fill all the way to the rim before sealing with a regular canning seal and ring lid so that it overflows when you put the lid on. If you decide you like this recipe, and hot sauce people will, buy some plastic canning jar lids. They aren't rings, but they come in narrow and widemouth sizes and you can still put a seal underneath them. You can buy them online. They are better because they don't rust.

Put in a warmish place to ferment for a few weeks. Store away in a cool area till needed. No, the jars won't explode. As long as you don't crank it down super tight, the lid lets pressure out, but doesn't let air in.

If you open the jar, either refrigerate, use right away, or top back up to the rim with brine and reseal putting back in a cool area. It's all about exclusion of oxygen.

The finished peppers should have a good acid bite to them and smell and taste good. I say this, but have actually never had a batch spoil by this method.

For hot sauce, I'm still working out the perfect proportions, but right now I grind the peppers in a blender with equal amounts of mother brine and vinegar. I like rice vinegar the best so far. I don't like apple cider vinegar. Whatever you do, use quality vinegar. The vinegar keeps the sauce from spoiling when the jar is left on the kitchen table or near the stove or whatever, which is where I keep mine, and also gives it a little more cutting flavor. You can leave the seeds in, or run the sauce through a sieve to get them and the skin pulp out.

Try it, it's so easy it's ridiculous, tastes way better and you don't have to buy so much vinegar.

Also, try drinking the extra juice. It's very healthy and refreshing being full of beneficial bacteria.

enjoy! I do. Gallons of them every year.

P.s. Italian Pepperoncini are better than greek types in my trials. I have used cayenne and serrano's for hot sauce. Both great. Cayenne is maybe a little better. Trying to grow tabasco and another hot sauce variety this year.