Horseradish Pickled Beets

This recipe appears in the article "Sidekicks: Three Fun Barbecue Side Dishes from Mike
Stines" on the Burn! Blog. Read the story here.

For this recipe, you could use fresh beets and prepared horseradish, but by making your own horseradish you can control the heat level. Canned beets make this a breeze to prepare.

Ingredients

For the horseradish:
1 (7- to 10-inch) horseradish root
White vinegar

For the relish:
2 (16-ounce) cans whole beets
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup well-drained horseradish

Instructions

Peel the horseradish and cut it into chunks. Use a food processor to grate the horseradish, being careful not to inhale the fumes. Allow the grated horseradish to rest. The longer it rests, the hotter it will become. When the horseradish reaches the desired heat level, cover it with white vinegar and pulse to combine. Drain the horseradish and transfer it to a resealable container. The horseradish will keep, refrigerated, for two weeks or frozen up to six months.

Drain the beets, reserving the liquid. Quarter them or leave them whole. In a medium saucepan combine the beet liquid, sugar, vinegar, onion, lemon juice and salt. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove the liquid from the heat and cool; when cooled pour it over the beets. Add the horseradish and stir to combine. Allow the beets to marinate for at least eight hours or up to three days.