Another 'Can I can this' question

15 years ago

Not sure if it would be safe and retain the flavors I'm wanting but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask, other than maybe getting some eye rolls ;) A dear friend of ours makes a delicious BBQ sauce in which he dolls up some commercial types. Up until recently, it was a big secret, LOL. Anyway, at my son's wedding in Nov he finally gave me the recipe. It makes quite a bit and other than refrigerating it, I was hoping beyond hope that it could be canned:

(3) bottles BBQ sauce of choice (he uses Bullseye)

1/4 tsp liquid hickory smoke

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup honey

(1) cup apricot and pineapple preserves

Put all ingredients in crockpot on high for 2 hrs, stir. Turn to low and simmer 3-4 hrs stirring occasionally.

I would think the addition of acids would change the flavor. Do I just deal with too much product in the fridge? Thanks, Lori

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

ruthieg__tx
15 years ago
I'm not going to advise you on the canning but why don't you just freeze it if you have too much?
ksrogers
15 years ago
I think that because your starting out with commercal BBQ sauces, and the addition of apricot or pineapple and adding an acid like cider vinegar will help prevent spoilage, it should be quite safe. Liquid smoke is also sold as a hickory smoke powder, or even a Mesquite smoke powder. Adding the amount of honey will be OK too as it isn't diluting the acidity. I do recommend adding a half cup of cider vinegar however. Then, after the crockpot simmering, start filling pint canning jars and process in a BWB for about 20 minutes. There is also a brand of BBQ sauce I love, its a bit watery as to consistncy, but has a nice acidic tang when mixed with other BBQ sauces. I use it to make my BBQ blend too, I add dried chopped onions, dried sweet green and red peppers, and dried minced garlic. These all soak up the liquids and give a thicker sauce with a little less cooking down. If you find that te acidity is a bit too much, reduce the apricot or pineapple, or add a bit more sweetener like honey or even corn syrup. In any case, you need acidity to protect this mixture from spoilage even if canned. Some moight think this is dangerous, but so many commercial items like ketchup and most store bought BBQ sauces are just fine even if left out at room temps. Another goo store bought type sauce is the ever popular Open Pit. I add that with some ground black pepper. My sauces are blended and are refrigerated in a big half gallon plasic jug that is used year after year. Great on chicken and sausages!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sauer BBQ sauces
Related Discussions
Quick 'can I WS this' question
Q
Comments (4)
Both those do fine. Oh I see Lynda beat me to it. : )
...See More
Another 'Can I Can It' Question
Q
Comments (10)
The "whys" in canning come from training, from certified classes, and can be a simple or as complex as you want to make them. But pH of the food is only one aspect that must be considered. The simple "why" is because it has never been tested and approved. The complex "why" is without that extensive lab testing you have no way of knowing the actual pH of each ingredient which can vary widely (there is a big difference between a pH of 5.37 and one of 5.85) and the final pH of the product, nor the stability of that pH as it rises during shelf storage, the % of water to be found in each food, how fast or slow the cellular structure of a particular food reacts to osmosis, the density of the finished product and the amount of time required for full heat penetration of that density, etc., etc. For example, celery contains much more water than onions and has a larger cellular structure so its pH is much less stable over time, it dilutes the pH of the mixture, and it reacts very differently under pressure than onions do. So they are not inter-changeable per the guidelines. A trained food scientist can relate to all these important variables but the rest of us lack the training to appreciate or understand their importance. Thus the 2 basic guidelines of home canning safety - (1) you cannot safely can your own made up recipes and (2) cooking and canning recipes are 2 different things and you cannot safely can cooking recipes. It is up to each individual whether they abide by those guidelines or not. Dave
...See More
New here.......another dreaded canning salsa question ; )
Q
Comments (4)
The recipe is probably ok with the 1 cup of vinegar but your processing isn't, sorry. You need to either freeze, refrigerate and use shortly, or totally reprocess. If you choose to reprocess, then that means you dump it all back into the pan, reheat, new hot jars and lids, leave 1/2 to 1" headspace (fill to the lowest jar thread is a good general guide) and reprocess as dafy said. Jars should be covered by 1 1/2 to 2" of water and process pints for 15-20 minutes. Hope this helps. Dave PS: But yes, for future reference approved and tested recipes only, ok? Check out the Annie's Salsa discussions here. Everyone loves it.
...See More
another 'can I can this' question
Q
Comments (5)
Thanks for replying. Sorry to be so confusing. Let me try again. :) Here's an updated one- with volume only (I did measure it). The Sombrero recipe calls for 20 cups of chopped tomatoes. I always end up with 3 1/2 cups of tomato juice from 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, so I would need 17 1/2 cups of tomato juice. To "equal" the Sombrero tomato volume, I used- 14 cups tomato juice 4 1/2 cups of tomato puree 1/2 cup of tomato paste So I ended up with 1 cup more of tomatoes. The Sombrero sauce calls for 2 cups celery, 2 cups chopped onions, 1 1/2 cups green peppers, and 2 jalepeno peppers. It also calls for 2 garlic cloves. I counted this as 5 1/2- 5 3/4 cups of low acid vegetables. To "equal" the 5 1/2- 5 3/4 cups of low acid vegetables volume, I used: 12 habaneros (1/2 cup finely chopped) 2 1/2 cups onions 3/4 cups carrots 1 cup parsley 1/2 c. tamarind paste (I think tamarind is a bit higher acid, but wasn't sure) 5 garlic cloves 2 T. fresh thyme So I ended up with 5 1/4 cups of low acid vegetables plus the 1/2 cup of tamarind. The Sombrero recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. I actually had to double the sugar, so I was wondering how that would affect the acidity and if I would need to increase the amount of "acid." Here's what I used: 3 cups sugars- I used mostly brown sugar, with a little white sugar, and 1/4 cup corn syrup The Sombrero recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of white vinegar. For my "acid," I used: 3/4 cup cider vinegar 1 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup lime juice 1/2 cup lemon juice I used just a bit short of 2 1/2 cups, although I did keep adding a bit more lemon juice for taste, but I didn't measure it (no more than 1/2 cup). The Sombrero sauce calls for 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp hot pepper sauce, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. For my "dry" ingredients, I used: 4 T. ground allspice 2 T. ground ginger 2 t. ground nutmeg 4 T. freshly ground black pepper 2 t. salt (or to taste) (I used canning salt) 4 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. cloves So I guess my main question is whether I used enough acid for the recipe. Also, whether my reasoning was correct in trying to balance out the tomatoes, low acid vegetables, and the acid. Taste wise I think I could add some more lemon or lime juice (I used the bottled kind), but it definitely wouldn't stand up to any more vinegar. Any help would be appreciate. Thanks.
...See More
digdirt2
15 years ago
Yep, recipes like this are meant to be refrigerated or frozen, not canned. It would just be a guess as to how much vinegar to add, how to process and for how long, and the consistency/taste changes that would result - especially given the unknown ingredients in the bottled sauces.

Dave
Linda_Lou
15 years ago
No commercial products should be recanned. Freeze the extra sauce.
dgkritch
15 years ago
I think I would just make it as needed! Seems pretty easy to mix up. Sometimes the time, energy and supplies just aren't worth it...at least for me.

Deanna
gardengalrn
Original Author
15 years ago
I meant to thank everyone for their input. I used the last of the BBQ sauce today on crock pot chicken so I will be trying out his recipe on my own here soon. I think I will freeze the excess as suggested. We use quite a bit of sauce here as my son uses it as the condiment of choice on EVERYTHING. Lori

Another 'Can I can this' question

Comments (6)

ruthieg__tx

ksrogers

Related Discussions

digdirt2

Linda_Lou

dgkritch

gardengalrn
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Another 'Can I can this' question

Comments (6)

ruthieg__tx

ksrogers

Related Discussions

digdirt2

Linda_Lou

dgkritch

gardengalrnOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

gardengalrn
Original Author