I have been making my own barbecue sauce for quite awhile and was planning on giving some to friends, but I have no experience bottling or canning, so I was hoping for some advice. I picked up these lug style lids and bottles that I really like, do I use the boiling water method? If so, how do I keep it from heating up the sauce? Will pouring cold refrigerated sauce into a hot glass bottle cause it to pop?
by nietzsches_laughter
6 Comments
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I’m no expert, but I don’t think you can use these for canning.
So, unfortunately, you can’t use those jars for home canning if you’re looking to make anything shelf stable. Something you’re looking to store in the fridge or a dry good, go right ahead. You need to not only follow a tested recipe from a reliable source but also use a standard two-piece lid system.
The reason you can buy sauces, dressings, etc in those bottles is that industrial canning facilities have equipment that can achieve this. You and I can’t with our water bath/pressure canner.
They won’t seal the way properly canned things seal. You can get a false seal on them by boiling them but it is unsafe and not shelf stable. Anything in those bottles will have to be refrigerated immediately.
Our local extension service did a demo of bbq sauce, tomato sauce, fruit juice, salsa and corn relish “sealed” in bottles with single piece tops, stored on a countertop for 3 days and then refrigerated. When they opened them the bbq sauce, juice and relish hissed and sprayed up to the ceiling. The room smelled awful.
That will not seal. You cannot reuse commercial bottles for canning. Those companies have an industrial process in a commercial kitchen whose conditions for heat and processing cannot be replicated at home.
Lug or button seals, no matter what Amazon or some idiot online will claim, will also NOT properly make a shelf stable seal. For best protection against contamination you need to use a two-piece seal, and it’s a one-time use only for the lid. Here is an article on the issue: https://www.healthycanning.com/one-piece-lids-for-home-canning/
You also cannot just try and can your favorite BBQ sauce recipe if it is not tested. The ingredients may not be of a density or ph to safely guard against foodbourne contamination n a kitchen process. The ideas you have for sealing are also showing a lack of a safe process. There is a reason why you MUST follow a tested recipe even for processing, as it also plays a role to minimize contamination and develop a safe deal.
If you just want this stuff to stay in a fridge for a week, put in a Tupperware style container. No need to have a seal for something staying in a fridge for a limited amount of time. Otherwise put in a similar container and freeze for preservation. This would be the only way you can guarantee you have the recipe you want and you skip the risk of illness.
First, No, you can not use those bottles for safe canning. Second, pouring cold liquid into a hot glass container will cause “thermal shock” meaning broken glass. Here is a link to a site, The National Center for Home Food Preservation. It is sort of the go-to site for safe canning practices. [https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab=0](https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab=0)
Good Luck!