Prepare the pickling liquid by boiling water, white vinegar, sugar, and whole garlic cloves in a medium saucepan.

While the pickling liquid heats, thinly slice the cucumber, carrot, and jalapeno.

Place the sliced vegetables in a bowl.

Pour the boiling pickling liquid over the vegetables in the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to pickle.

Before serving, strain the pickling liquid from the vegetables and remove the garlic cloves.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain any excess fat.

Add soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, minced garlic, and cornstarch to the browned beef.

Stir the mixture and let it simmer for several minutes until thickened.

Season the beef mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

While the beef is simmering, prepare the chipotle sauce by combining mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in a small bowl.

Stir the sauce well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the lettuce wraps, take a lettuce leaf and add a spoonful of the beef mixture.

Top with pickled vegetables and a small dollop of chipotle sauce.

Garnish with a few slices of red onion and chopped cilantro.

Serve immediately, offering extra chipotle sauce for dipping if desired.