Canned BBQ Sauce

I'm a glutton for punishment and a sucker for a good canning recipe apparently.  I love BBQ sauce and since so many of the ones in the grocery store are chock full of all sorts of things, I needed to make some.  I have until now, been making enough for a dinner or two, but when I found out one could can BBQ sauce, I was all in.  Stocking the shelves with stuff to get me through the year always appeals to me.

Apparently, in order to can BBQ sauce, you need to have the right PH balance, etc, and since I have no idea what I'm doing I figured I should follow a tested recipe.  That said, I'm not good at following recipes, and as soon as the food started hitting the pot, I started changing it.  This is my disclaimer.  I'm not really 100% sure this will last, but I will update it in the months to come if it all turns green on me. 

6- 750mL cans of tomatoes (doesn't matter what kind, whole, diced, pureed)

2 large onions, quartered

2 cups celery, in chunks

2 sweet red peppers

4 fresno peppers (or 2-3 japalenos) seeded and chopped

2 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce)

4-5 cloves garlic

Chop the vegetables and get them all into a large pot with the tomatoes.  There is no chopping award for this one, it's all going to get mushed up, so don't worry about it.  Big chunks are perfectly fine. 

If you're not really a spicy-food person, skip either variety of the peppers (I'd likely ditch the fresnos, since the chipotles add a nice smoky flavour too).  You can always add more heat later if you want.

Bring to a simmer and cook until all the veggies are tender and mush-able.  (30-45 minutes)  Then, press them through a sieve or a food mill.  I would guess a food mill would be significantly easier, but since I already have one, adding the "going to the store and buying a food mill" step could make it more difficult.

Put the juices back into the pot, and throw out or compost whatever didn't go through the mill/sieve (this is all just skins and seeds that you don't want it in your sauce... hence using a food mill rather than a food processor or blender)

Bring to a simmer and reduce by about half (this took me a LONG time, a few hours at least).

Once you have it reduced, add:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup vinegar

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp dry mustard powder

1 Tbsp smoked paprika (regular paprika is fine too)

1 Tbsp tabasco

2 Tbsp liquid smoke

Simmer for about 20 more minutes and then put it into jars, filling to 1/4 inch from the rim.  Close with lids and rings and process 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes 4-5 pints.

If you'll notice, there is no oil in this sauce at all, which is part of what makes it shelf-stable.  When you want to use it, put some into a small saucepan (since warm BBQ sauce is a nice indulgence anyway) and add some vegetable oil.  The recipe I started with (and completely changed) used a 1:1 ratio, but I think that might b high for me.  I'd likely go with more a 2:1 sauce to oil ratio.