@Elsos Yeah, what you are describing in your initial post sounds like the vinegar from something in that can. The lowered pH is going to denature the proteins and prevent them from effectively binding together. I added some pickled jalapenos to a batch of willies once and to prevent what happened to you I laid them all out on a screen and let them air dry for 2 hours. That seems to be long enough to dry the outside of the jalapeno slices but it still maintains some of the taste.