How to Can Ball® Barbecue Sauce
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*
I love canning tomatoes, which I think directly correlates to my love of growing tomatoes. It may be cliche for a gardener to love this particular plant, but I do have a lot of pride bringing in gorgeous heirloom varieties after an evening spent harvesting. Now that tomato season has finally arrived after a long, long spring and summer waiting, I am taking advantage of my bountiful harvest and turning them into delicious preserves for us to enjoy when it is too cold for tomatoes to grow outdoors.
One of the first tomato recipes I put into my canner this year was the Ball® Barbecue Sauce, and it is so yummy. Thin and full of flavor, this sauce is perfect for flavoring rice, slow cooking a roast, or mixing into your chili.
ingredients & recipe:
MAKES ABOUT 3 (16 OZ) PINT JARS
20 cups chopped, cored, and peeled tomatoes
2 cups finely chopped onions (about 2 large onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp celery seeds
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp ground mace or nutmeg
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
In a large stockpot, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and celery seeds. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently. Cover the pot and continue cooking until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a food mill or sieve and extract the liquid and pulp. Discard solids.
Return liquid and pulp to the stockpot. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, dry mustard, ginger, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently until the mixture is thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial barbecue sauce, about 30-45 minutes.
Prepare boiling water bath canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
Lade hot sauce into a hot jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim, apply lid and band until fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat process until all jars are filled.
Process jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner and check seals after 12-24 hours.
I just love the look of bright red tomatoes in jars! This recipe makes about 3 Ball® Regular Mouth Pint Jars after cooking the tomatoes down into a sauce. I am ready to thaw out a beef roast and get to barbecuing! How about you?
Happy Canning! xoxo Kayla
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by the makers of Ball® home canning products that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
