Here are some questions that may help us determine what went wrong.

1) Some jellies can take a while to gel. How long ago did you make it?

2) When you dumped the Sure-jell in, did you bring it back to a full rolling boil before you started timing the 1 minute?

3) Basically same as #2, did you bring it back to a rolling boil for a full minute after adding the sugar?

Here is how I did mine

Mix everything but the sugar, bring to a full boil (can't be stirred down). dump in sugar and bring back to full boil, and boil for 1 minute.

Then take off burner and jar up.

I have found Peper Jelly usually takse a week or two to set, not always but more often than not, especially when the powdered pectin instead of the liquid pectin.

I've not seen a recipe that did not call for boiling after adding the pectin, and again after adding the sugar. Is that something particular with that type of pectin?

Freezer jam is sort of made the way you describe - and that does say you need to wait several weeks for it to set. Put it on the shelf and see what it's like two weeks from now, and let us know.

Macy, you're right, the recipes don't usually require a one minute full rolling boil before adding the sugar when using a powdered pectin. I was just trying to establish that it had actually reached the full rolling boil stage, since the original poster just stated, "I then dumped 1 package of Sure-jell in and stirred for 1 minute."

Just happened to note this posting -

I was about to make some pepper jelly this a.m., a la Blue Book recipe (old version), but then noted it called for liquid pectin. I searched the pantry for some - but all that I could find was Sure Gel. Decided not to go ahead, cuz it seems I recall not to switch in the recipe.

If there is a recipe for the Sure Gel, I would like one, because I had good luck with the last batch of liquid, and prefer not to tamper otherwise.

Did the use of Sure jell instead of liquid cause the above problem ?

Bejay

7 bhuts is what, maybe 1/2C max (maybe even only 1/4C?) after seeding and chopping? Sounds like you were trying to use the Surejell pepper jelly recipe from Kraft website, but that calls for 4C total of bell and hot peppers.

Next time add bell peppers to get to total volume called for, or try a different recipe - I've used the NCHFP Mayhaw Pepper Jelly recipe with apple juice in place of the mayhaw juice (I don't even know what a mayhaw is!) with success - though this still calls for 1/2C of peppers.

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Pepper Jelly with powdered pectin

I realize this posting may be "old news" by now, but happened to be searching for that pepper jelly recipe that I mentioned above.

Anyway - I think it was on "Allrecipes" that a lady remarked that she had trouble with her pepper jelly setting up. It called for powdered pectin, instead of liquid. A "tweeter" remarked that she felt the recipe was in error - and that she used 2 pkgs of powdered pectin to get her pepper jelly to set.

Just thought this might be of interest.

My 2 c's.

Bejay

Bejay - can you post the BBB recipe you're thinking of so we can figure out how to modify it for powdered pectin? As I tried to point out above, you need a certain volume of peppers and/or liquid and since I don't know which you're using (mostly peppers or mostly liquid) I don't know how to help. Also remember instead of adding more pectin, it may set up better if you make a smaller batch (4 half pints instead of 8, though I've had luck with as many as 6).

I have made a few different versions of pepper jelly using powdered pectin and Surejell recipe, Ball online recipe (both of which I've linked to on threads in this forum - if I knew how to do multiple links I'd give them to you now), as well as the NCHFP recipe I linked above. All of them set up too stiff for me. I've also experimented with the Ball no-sugar pectin and the NCHFP recipe (using apple juice instead of mayhaw juice) and that was a little better.

In the end, it's personal preference how stiff you like your jelly - I like mine a bit runnier and commented that I was having trouble getting my no-pectin jellies to set up quite enough, they were too runny but now after 2 weeks the Red Pepper Jelly from Linda Z using quince pectin looks about perfect to me, the UC Davis Apricot Pepper Jelly (that I omitted the pectin from) is still a little runny but would be great over cream cheese, by Xmas it may have set up enough even for those who don't like to be able to pour it out of the jar.

ajsmama - thank you for answering my posting.

For some reason - a lemon pepper jelly recipe that suits my search wasn't forthcoming. I finally decided to squeeze those lemons and make some lemon wine.

It just became so frustrating trying to find out why I couldn't use my lemons with powdered pectin, that I decided to just stick to the recipe.

Apparently the acidity in lemons is a big problem - even in wine making I find.

Bejay

Oh, that was a lemon pepper jelly? Didn't see that in the post. Linda Z has a Pepper Lime Jelly in her Joy of Jams book, doesn't use any pectin. I think you could sub lemons. But I never got that to set up - of course, now I have a year's more experience. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Does Linda Z's recipe call for boiling the juice until it forms a single drop when poured from a spoon? I think I saw something along that line - but to me - those older recipes seem to lack a fresh fruit taste when cooked so long.

I'll continue my search - as I do have quite a few books that I can dig out of storage.

My citrus trees are so productive, it is a bit challenging to find recipes to fill their supply.

B.

Yes, all no-pectin recipes require cooking til the gel point. If you don't want to do that, use pectin instead, maybe adding some peppers to the Lemon Ginger Marmalade in the Ball Complete book would appeal to you? That recipe uses pectin - but it's a marmalade, not a clear jelly.

When Bejay said Lemon Pepper Jelly - I was envisioning Lemon Jelly with Black Pepper sprinkled in. Like that Lemon Pepper you buy in the spice aisle at the grocery store. Sounds yummy to me! Maybe I'll experiment in the New Year.