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Red Hamburger Relish: The Perfect Topping for Hamburgers and Hotdogs

September 23, 2019

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Did anyone else’s grandma make a red hamburger relish?  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, red relish is sweet and tangy, made with tomatoes, cucumbers, celery & onions.

Despite owning all her recipe books, I could not find the recipe she used.

My initial google searches didn’t turn up many results.  However, once I searched hamburger relish things became more clear.

Red Hamburger relish is sweet sour and zesty! Tastes delicious on hamburgers and sausage, or any other meat. A delicious way to use your garden vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions. You'll come back to this easy canning recipe again and again!

Red relish isn’t very popular, so most condiment companies have stopped making it.  You can purchase something similar from Sunset Gourmet, but their version is quite sweet.

I set about to make my own.

Related: Cold Climate Gardening for the Complete Beginner

Chop, Brine, and Squeeze

Chopping up all the vegetables is a daunting process if you’re doing it by hand.  If you’re not fussy with the look of your relish, save yourself some stress and use a food processor.

Chop up the cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, & onion.  Place in a large bowl, fill with water, and mix in 1/4 cup pickling salt.  Let soak at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Side note: You can also substitute up to half the cucumbers for zucchini.  Because you don’t want to be that person who throws extra zucchini in unlocked cars.  *cough*

Grow the Best Tomatoes

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Related: Zucchini, Bacon, and Tomato Quiche

While I was making pickles, some of mine ended up soaking for 2 days.  It wasn’t a problem, and those pickles ended up being really crisp.

Once your vegetable mixture is done soaking, drain the water and squeeze out the excess.  Rinse.  Drain that water & squeeze out the excess.

Confusing enough for you?  This was my least favourite step, especially because we do not seem to own a sieve anymore.

Red Hamburger relish is sweet sour and zesty! Tastes delicious on hamburgers and sausage, or any other meat. A delicious way to use your garden vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions

Cook Up Some Flavour

Chop up your tomatoes and remove as many seeds as you can.  I like to chop my tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds.  You won’t get everything, but it is a lot quicker.

In a large saucepan, bring your tomatoes, vinegar and spices to a boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat to medium & simmer for 30 minutes.  Add in sugar & drained vegetables.  Bring to a boil again, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Crying over red hamburger relish being discontinued? Get the recipe here!Click To Tweet

Canning Red Hamburger Relish

Fill & seal jars, processing in a water bath for 10 minutes.  (Adjust your time if you live in a higher altitude.)  My favourite way to sterilize jars is to cook them in the oven at 235F for at least 10 minutes.  It is much more efficient than boiling them, and you save precious stove room & counter space.

Let your jars sit for 3 weeks (by far the hardest part!!) and enjoy!

Red relish is excellent on hamburgers and hotdogs, or any meat that could use a sweet and savoury zing. Red Hamburger Relish

Red relish is excellent on hamburgers and hotdogs, or any meat that could use a sweet and savoury zing.

Grow the Best Tomatoes

Subscribe and get your free 10 page guide to Tomatoes. I'll show you how to start them from seed, the best care practices, and how to harvest them. Plus, you'll get 4 tomato recipes delivered straight to your inbox.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

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Red Hamburger relish is sweet sour and zesty! Tastes delicious on hamburgers and sausage, or any other meat. A delicious way to use your garden vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions
Yield: 5 medium sized jars

Red Hamburger Relish

Red Hamburger Relish

A sweet tomato relish that's delicious on hamburgers, hotdogs, and sausage.

Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 50 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped cucumbers (unpeeled),
  • 2 cups chopped sweet red, yellow, orange, or green pepper,
  • 2 cups chopped zucchini,
  • 1 cup chopped onion,
  • 1/4 cup pickling salt,
  • 4 cups chopped seeded peeled tomatoes,
  • 3 cups white vinegar,
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds,
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric,
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon,
  • 1 teaspoon allspice,
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves,
  • 2 cups granulated sugar.

Instructions

    1. The night or at least 8 hours before you plan on canning the relish, dice the cucumbers, zucchini, onion, and peppers. Put them in a large bowl filled with water, and add 1/4 cup pickling salt.

    2. The next day, drain the water and rinse the vegetables. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can.

    3. Chop up your tomatoes and remove as many seeds as you can. I like to chop my tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. You won't get everything, but it is a lot quicker.

    4. In a large saucepan, bring your tomatoes, vinegar and spices to a boil, stirring often.

    5. Reduce heat to medium & simmer for 30 minutes.

    6. Add in sugar & drained vegetables. Bring to a boil again, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

    7. Fill & seal jars, processing in a water bath for 15 minutes. (Adjust your time if you live in a higher altitude.) My favourite way to sterilize jars is to cook them in the oven at 235F for at least 10 minutes. It is much more efficient than boiling them, and you save precious stove room & counter space.

Have you tried red relish?  Do you like your relish salty or sweet?

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

34 Comments
Filed Under: Harvest, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged: Canning, Cucumbers, Onions, Peppers, Preserving, recipe, Red relish, relish, Tomatoes, Zucchini

About Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

Comments

  1. jess says

    August 3, 2017 at 6:52 am

    Wow this looks amazing! Will definitely have to try it out :)
    Reply
  2. Jenna Urben says

    August 3, 2017 at 11:28 am

    Oh wow, this would be great on a hot dog! I've gotta try it
    Reply
  3. Lydia says

    August 3, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    Mmmm! This looks delicious! I love all sorts of relishes and chutneys! I bet I'd love this!
    Reply
  4. Kelsey says

    August 3, 2017 at 2:44 pm

    Yum! Looks delicious! I never remember to try relish on my burgers.
    Reply
  5. Jillian says

    August 3, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    OH MY GOODNESS. This looks AMAZING!!!!!
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      August 3, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      Thank you!
      Reply
  6. Patty says

    July 24, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Do I store them in the fridge for 3 wks?
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      July 25, 2018 at 10:36 am

      If you're not canning them, then yes. If you can them in jars, they should be good for up to a year.
      Reply
  7. Jan says

    August 17, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    Your relish looks delish, only I would like to print it for future use, u do not have a print recipe icon, therefore I had to print the whole thing including comments:(
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      August 18, 2018 at 7:45 am

      Sorry! I'll have to look into getting a recipe plugin.
      Reply
  8. Teresa says

    September 7, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    When you soak the veggies in salt water, is that on the counter or in the frig?
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      September 8, 2018 at 10:14 am

      I do it on the counter, but if you feel uncomfortable with doing that, you can do it in the fridge too.
      Reply
  9. Maryanne says

    September 16, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    What do you mean by medium jars? Pints?
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      September 17, 2018 at 11:58 am

      Yes, a pint jar for Imperial, a 500ml jar for metric.
      Reply
  10. Tony McMills says

    January 19, 2019 at 11:42 am

    you don't need print icon take screen shot put in email to self & print. How do you cook red hamburger relish?
    Reply
  11. Jimmy Lee Gravitt says

    September 24, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    Isn't it also called chow maw or something like that? I see it in grocery store's in Tennessee.
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      September 25, 2019 at 1:04 pm

      I wish I lived in Tennessee then!! We don't have anything like it in Canada that I know of.
      Reply
  12. Steven W Guilliams says

    September 25, 2019 at 7:23 am

    Sounds great but just buy Chow chow pretty close to this.
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      September 25, 2019 at 1:03 pm

      I've never heard of Chow Chow. I'm from Canada and we don't have anything like it here. But thanks for letting me know that something like it exists somewhere!
      Reply
      • Kid Mack says

        September 30, 2019 at 9:59 am

        First time I heard of chow chow, was in a episode of The Honeymooners. Art Carney's character "Ed Norton" asks "Don't ya have any chow chow or'a picklelilly?"
        Reply
  13. Kid Mack says

    September 30, 2019 at 8:17 am

    It looks terrific! I used to buy the Del Monte Hamburger Relish, which is a red relish and fold in chopped green or semi ripened tomatoes just before serving, but I cannot find it anymore. I did find a generic brand of "Homade Chili Sauce" by Allied Old English Inc. Of Port Reading, N.J. at my local Safeway...not bad, but I tweak it a little. And then of course we probably all have a recipe for a doctored up version. Mine is both Vlasic Sweet and Valsic Dill relishes and ketchup, A-1 Sauce thoroughly mixed together. Glad to see someone else loves red relish on hamburgers! You can further encourage your passion for The Red by reading the story of Bob's Big Boy a.k.a. Shoney's they were famous for it.
    Reply
  14. Erin R says

    May 24, 2020 at 9:59 am

    Out in BC we can get Strub's Hamburger Relish but its not easy to find. Its made in Ontario. Looking forward to trying this recipe this year!
    Reply
    • Gail says

      August 30, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      I find Strubs in the IGA OR SAFTEY MART STORES. GOING TO TRY THIS RECIPE THOUGH SOUNDS GOOD.
      Reply
  15. Margot says

    June 24, 2020 at 12:15 pm

    Looks great will be doing this one for sure . When you say sterilization in the oven for 15 min at 235* is it filled or just the Masson jars and then you fill them thanks
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      October 9, 2020 at 11:45 am

      It's just the mason jars with no water in them.
      Reply
  16. Susanne Kennedy says

    August 4, 2020 at 10:38 pm

    I very much miss Bick's red hamburger relish (they don't make it anymore), so had to try this. This spicing is great the clove and allspice really make it. I couldn't find nice homegrown tomatoes so used some hothouse Romanos, and a can of tomato paste. It worked very well. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe!
    Reply
  17. Karen says

    August 7, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    I can not thank you enough for this recipe! Honestly! My grandmother made this for us as kids and I thought for sure I would never have it again. I am over the moon about coming across this recipe and trying it! It’s by far the best relish I’ve ever had and is exactly like I remember! Thank you so much Kristen, I am so appreciative!
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      September 2, 2020 at 9:13 am

      Oh I'm so glad!! Thank you for your kind comment.
      Reply
  18. Cheryl B says

    August 24, 2020 at 8:12 pm

    I am in the process of making this relish and it smells amazing Cannot wait to try on hamburgers. I live ion BC and have a hard time finding it. Great recipe !! Thank you ! 😁
    Reply
  19. Marin says

    August 26, 2020 at 10:37 am

    I remember "hamburger relish " and loved it, and it's true, it is hard to find as such. Vlasic and Heinz both made it years ago. My childhood household always had it stocked. Thanks you for looking into this yummy condiment. I took an inspiration from this and now have a crock pot batch going.
    Reply
  20. Mary Johnson says

    September 2, 2020 at 10:43 am

    Just finished making my first batch with a few tweaks I thought I'd share. I added a few hot peppers, red pepper flakes and white pepper to give it a little kick. For the sweeter side I added about half cup chopped pineapple and did a mix of both white and brown sugar. After I simmered all ingredients at the end, I used an immersion blender to get it to consistency I wanted. The final product is pretty darn good, could even be used as a salsa. Thank you for posting this recipe, I love relishes and never had a red one, will definitely be adding this one to my list of recipes for canning.
    Reply
  21. Kathryn A. Hogue says

    September 22, 2020 at 10:22 am

    I live in Washington state and found Nalley’s hamburger relish at Walmart. But it is just not as good as grandma’s. Like a lot of you, the red hamburger relish was a staple in our house growing up. I can’t wait to get a batch of this going, the only thing I will add is one or two chopped, seeded jalapeños. We like a little zing to relishes. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
    Reply
  22. Sherylann Bonner says

    January 3, 2021 at 10:28 am

    Just made my first batch. It has more liquid than I thought. Does this thicken over time? I did drain the vegetables and take liquid out of the tomatoes. Smells delicious, though!
    Reply
    • Kristen Raney says

      January 3, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      No, it doesn't, unfortunately.
      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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