Homemade & Home Canned Sweet & Spicy Barbeque Sauce

Boil canning jars and rims in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes prior to filling.

In a stainless steel non-reactive pot add 6 cups of tomato sauce. We grow our own tomatoes, so I roughly chop the tomatoes and then blend them on high speed in the blender, then measure out 6 cups into the pot. Heat on medium low, stirring occasionally until all ingredients are done being added.

Place jalapenos on a foil wrap baking sheet and put them in the broiler for a few minutes, just until they char on top. The char adds flecks of color and also lends a smoky flavor. Once jalapenos are charred and cool enough to handle, cut the stem ends off and discard. If you want a mild sauce, remove the seeds and membranes at this point. Add jalapenos to the blender, garlic cloves and roughly chopped onion. Next add 1 cup of vegetable broth. Blend on high until smooth. Add mixture to the pot.

Add 6 ounces of tomato paste, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of powdered mustard, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of hickory liquid smoke. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a high simmer. Sauce needs to reduce down and thicken at this point.

Once barbecue sauce is ready, begin canning. Fill hot jars with hot barbecue sauce. Remove any air bubbles.

Wipe the rims of the jars making sure there is nothing to prevent them from sealing.

Slowly lower canning jars into boiling water canner bath. Process canning times for half-pint and pints jars as follows. For altitudes of sea-level-1,000 ft, 20 min is the water bath canning time, for 1,001-3,000 ft it is 25 min, for 3,001-6,000 ft it is 30 min and above 6,000 ft it is 35 min. When time is up, turn off heat, remove canner from heat source if possible and safely remove lid from canner. Let jars stand for 5 minutes then remove jars and place on a kitchen towel and allow to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Store in a cool dry place for up to a year.

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