Original “Texas Marmalade” recipe can be found at mrswheelbarrow.com.
Ingredients:
2 lbs mixed citrus (I used 1 pomelo, 1 red grapefruit, 2 lemons, 2 navel oranges, 2 blood oranges)
4-1/2 c raw sugar
Extra juice of 2 lemons
3 dried hot chiles
8 c water
Instructions:
Step 1 – 30 minutes + 8 hour minimum resting time
Wash citrus well in warm water. Zest citrus in wide strips using a vegetable peeler, then evenly julienne into thin shreds. Juice the zested citrus. You want at least 2 cups of juice or more. Combine zest, juice, chile peppers and 1 cup of water in a container and refrigerate.
Take the leftover juiced pith halves, roughly chop them and combine them with 7 cups of water. Put in a container and refrigerate.
Let the two containers sit at least 8 hours, or as long as a week, until you’re ready for the next step.
Step 2 – 1 hour
In separate pans, bring each mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 6o minutes. After an hour, strain the water from the chopped piths into the zest and juice. Discard the piths. At this point you can continue with the last step if you have time or once again refrigerate for up to a week until you’re ready to proceed.
Step 3 – 1 1/4 hour
Bring the zest mixture to a boil. Add sugar and lemon juice to the pot and clip on your candy thermometer. On medium to medium high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, cook the marmalade until it reaches 225 degrees. It may take up to an hour.
While the mixture cooks, sterilize 6 half pint jars in boiling water for 10 minutes and set aside. Save the water in the pot for the final processing.
Once your marmalade reaches 225 degrees, turn the heat off and let sit for 20 minutes.
Remove the chiles. Ladle the marmalade into the sterilized jars. Wipe the rims, top with lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars and let cool complete. Marmalade may take 24 hours to gel.