Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Sauce Recipe for Canning

Canning barbecue sauce can be a rewarding experience, especially when you have a delicious, homemade recipe that’s both sweet and smoky. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create a mouth-watering barbecue sauce perfect for your canning adventures. We’ll cover the essential ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and some tips to ensure your canning process is smooth and successful. Let’s dive in!

Why Can Your Own Barbecue Sauce?

Canning your barbecue sauce allows you to control the ingredients, customize the flavor to your liking, and preserve it for future use. It’s an excellent way to enjoy your favorite barbecue sauce all year round, without any preservatives or artificial additives.

Essential Ingredients

This recipe will make about 5 half-pint jars of barbecue sauce. To create the perfect sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 3 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

These ingredients combine to give your barbecue sauce a rich, layered flavor that’s perfect for grilling, dipping, or adding to your favorite dishes. You can adjust the amounts or kinds of dry seasonings in this recipe and it will still be safe for canning. Do not add fresh herbs as they are not tested with this recipe. This recipe comes from the Ball Canning Back to Basics book called Cheryl’s Perfect BBQ Sauce.

Equipment needed for Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Sauce

Here is the listing of the equipment I used to make this barbecue sauce.

• Large Stainless Steel Pot
• Water Bath Canner or Steam Canner
• 1/2 pint Canning Ladle
• 1/2 pint-sized Canning Jars
• Rings
• Lids
• Headspace Measurer/De-bubbler
• Funnel
• Jar Lifter

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare Your Jars

Clean jars and lids with warm soapy water. Ensure the jars do not have any chips or bubbles in the glass.

Prepare Your Canner

Using Water Bath Canner

Put your water bath canner on your stove. Add your canning rack to the water bath canner. Add your 1/2 pint jars to the water bath canner. They will warm as you heat the water. Add enough water to cover jars with at least 2-3 inches of water. Start to bring your water to a boil.

Using Steam Canner

Put your steam canner on your stove. Add the steam canner rack to the bottom of the steam canner. Add the recommended amount of water to the steam canner according to the manufacturer. Add your 1/2 pint jars to the steam canner. Put the lid on your steam canner and start your stove. The jars will warm as you heat your steam canner.

Combine Ingredients

Combine all the ingredients in a Large Stainless Steel Pot or enameled saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fill Jars

Once you have hot jars and hot barbecue sauce

Water Bath Canner:

Remove your jars from the water bath canner one at a time using your jar lifter. Dump the water out of the jar into your water bath canner to ensure there is still 2-3 inches of water above your jars.

Steam Canner:

Remove the steam canner lid and remove your jars one at a time using your jar lifter.

Using the ladle and funnel. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch (1 cm) headspace. Use your headspace measurer to verify space. Remove any air bubbles with your de-bubbler and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding more barbecue sauce.

Wipe the rim of the jar to ensure a good seal is made with the lid. Center the lid on the jar and add the band to fingertip tight. Put the jar back into the canner using your jar lifter.

Repeat until the remaining barbecue sauce is used.

Process Jars

Water Bath Canner

Lower the water bath canner rack into the boiling water. Ensure your jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water.

If your water is not boiling start your processing time when the water is boiling. Process 1/2 pint for 10 minutes. Make sure to adjust your time for altitude.

Set a timer, it makes it much easier to make sure you process for the correct time. When your timer goes off turn off the heat and remove the canner lid.

Leave the jars in the water for 5 minutes.

Steam Canner

Put the lid on the steam canner. Turn your stove on high until your steam canner water comes to a vigorous boil. Continue heating so the indicator is in the correct “Zone” per your altitude. 

Start your processing time when the needle reaches the maximum point you have tested your steam canner to reach in your “Zone”.

Adjust the burner so that it maintains an even rolling boil throughout the entire processing time. Usually, this will be much lower than where it was set for the vigorous boil. If the top lid is lifting and/or spitting water from the edges this is an indication that you have the heat turned up too high. Slowly reduce the heat until this stops. Watch the indicator to ensure the temperature does not decrease.

The processing times for steam canning are the same as for water bath canning. Process 1/2 pint for 10 minutes.

Make sure to adjust your time for altitude. Set a timer, it makes it much easier to make sure you process for the correct time.

When your timer goes off turn off the heat and let the canner stand for 5 minutes with the lid on before removing the jars. The lid MUST remain ON the canner during this time. This cool-down period is necessary to ensure the jar contents are properly processed.

Carefully remove the lid by tilting it away from you to avoid steam burns.

Cooling Jars

Using your jar lifer carefully move the jars onto a wire rack or kitchen towel to allow them to cool. When moving the jars try not to tilt them to the side as this could affect the seal of the jars. Allow your jars to cool for 12-24 hours before handling.

Once cool, remove the canning rings from the jars. Wash your jars off to ensure no food residue is on the outside of the jar from processing. Label your jar with the name of the recipe and date. This will help you remember what recipe you used to can and the date will allow you to use the oldest canned goods first.

Tips for Successful Canning Barbecue Sauce

• Use High-Quality Ingredients: High-quality ingredients will make a noticeable difference in the taste of your barbecue sauce.
• Adjust to Taste: You can adjust the dry spices in this recipe to your taste. Just don’t add fresh spices as this recipe has not been tested for fresh spices. Do not adjust the quantities of the other ingredients.
• Follow Safe Canning Practices: Always follow recommended canning guidelines to ensure your sauce is safe to consume. Improper canning can lead to spoilage or foodborne illness.

Canning your own sweet and smoky barbecue sauce is a rewarding project that lets you enjoy homemade, preservative-free sauce all year round. With this simple recipe and step-by-step guide, even beginners can successfully create and water bath or steam can their delicious barbecue sauce. Happy canning!

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