This is my third attempt at canning pickled peppers and the second time this has happened to me. I am loosing brine somewhere. I chopped up the peppers, let the boiling brine sit in the peppers for a little bit, smashed them down below the head space, released the bubbles, and made sure they were covered with the brine with the proper amount of head space. After processing, peppers are sticking out of the brine. When I flip them over, it looks like it's only half full of brine. What gives? What am I doing wrong? Are they safe to eat ? How do I avoid this?

Thanks,
Scott