A quality BBQ sauce is essential for perfecting a meal. Creating your own BBQ sauce lets you tailor the flavor to your liking, whether you prefer a touch of heat or a spicy kick—it's entirely customizable.
INGREDIENTS
- 20 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (about 21 medium)
- 2 cups finely chopped onions (about 3 to 4 medium)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp hot pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp celery seeds
- 1-1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1/3 cup bottled 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
- Combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, hot pepper flakes and celery seeds in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer mixture, working in batches, to a food mill to extract liquid and pulp. This can also be done using a sieve placed over a bowl, press with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid and pulp. Discard solids.
- Return liquid and pulp to saucepan. Add brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, mace, mustard, ginger and cinnamon. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial barbecue sauce, about 30-45 minutes.
- Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
- Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
Recipe from Ball Blue Book of Canning
.jpg)