Sport Pepper

Bright, clean peppery heat with grassy notes when fresh; develops a sharp, tangy, vinegary character when pickled that cuts through rich meats.

Sport Peppers are small, slender, pointed pods typically 1 to 2.25 inches (3–6 cm) long that mature from green to red. They offer 10,000–23,000 SHU of clean heat and are most commonly encountered pickled whole in a seasoned vinegar brine. The sturdy plants grow 2–3 feet tall and produce high yields of upright fruit with medium-thin walls ideal for pickling while retaining crunch. Distinct from but similar to serranos and Tabascos, seeds are sold as a specific open-pollinated variety originating in the United States.

This open-pollinated Capsicum annuum cultivar, also known as the Mississippi Sport Pepper, rose to prominence in the American South before the 1970s as a sturdy, high-yielding alternative to the more temperamental Tabasco pepper. It became inseparable from Chicago cuisine when pickled sport peppers were added to Vienna Beef hot dogs in the classic “dragged through the garden” style around 1957. Vienna Beef, the largest buyer of the variety, sources them primarily from Mexico today while the seeds remain available for home growers. The name is thought to reference its popularity at sporting events and ballparks.