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How to Can Your Own Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce with Free Printable Label

Last month, I made my first barbeque sauce, and it was incredible!  If I do say so myself.  And I do.
So I had to make it again – to see if it was a fluke or the real deal.  Guess what – it’s amazing!  You’re going to love this sauce!  It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, just a hint of smoke… so good.
I know, making your own is an extra step and who has time for that, right?  I never have time to make complicated meals on a weeknight, but I like to eat those meals, so I try to plan ahead when I can.  We do lots of make-ahead meals in the Juggling Act household!
Trust me when I say this barbecue sauce is easy to make, and easy to can, too. I’m so excited to have a bunch of jars on my pantry shelf ready for any recipe.  Plus, these lovely housewarming or holiday gifts (there’s that juggling again!)
Here’s how to make and can your own barbeque sauce.  You can tweak the flavors to suit your pallet, but this is pretty near perfect.  If I do say so myself. And I do.

Sweet & Spicy Barbeque Sauce
Makes About 5 pints

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 sweet Vidalia onion, minced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
20oz tomato paste
2 cups red wine vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups Hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons coriander

To make the barbecue sauce, start with a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat. Dice the onion and cook in the oil until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn the heat town to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
I used an immersion blender to give the sauce a smoother consistency. You could use the sauce right away, I poured mine into a mason jar and refrigerated it until needed.

To can the sauce, first prepare all your jars, lids and bans.  I run mine through the dishwasher to sanitize.  Have your water bath ready so you can process the jars as soon as you have them prepared.

Set a kitchen towel on the counter next to your pot, and arrange the jars on the towel.  Using a funnel, fill the canning jar with the hot barbeque sauce, leaving 1/2″ headspace.  Take care not to drip it on yourself – ouch! Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp paper towel.  Place the lid and screw on the cap – I use another kitchen towel to tighten the lids since the are hot.


Process the jars in a water bath for 35 minutes.  Remove the jars back to the kitchen towel to cool and wait for that lovely plink sound (any that don’t properly seal should be refrigerated immediately). Don’t worry if that happens – I have a couple of fabulous recipes to use it up – Try my Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Ribs or Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chili – and stay tuned for some more great barbeque recipes coming soon.

DOWNLOAD THE LABELS

Once the jars cool, you can unscrew the pans and add these pretty little labels – they fit perfect on a canning jar lid.  (Use Avery 5294 or similar labels – 2″ circles).  Download the labels here.

Copy Right Notice: You may print and download these files solely for your own non-commercial use provided that you agree not to change or delete any copyright or proprietary notices from the materials. For more information, please see our Copy Right Notice.
What would you put this barbeque sauce on?

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Ang Paris says

      Thanks Rachel! You will not regret making this – it’s so tasty!! I have a few more canning recipes on the blog that you might want to check out too – Mild Salsa (for the freezer) and Strawberry Lime Jam – find them under the Recipes tab 🙂

      Reply

    • Ang Paris says

      Hi David! You have a couple of options… the onions really add awesome flavor so it’s shame to leave them out. If you have a regular blender, you can put the mixture in there and whiz it up. You could also minced the onions very tiny. I would say leaving them out is a last resort as it will change both the flavor and texture of the BBQ sauce.
      Good luck!

      Reply

  9. Debi says

    After putting the bbq sauce in the mason jars for canning,do you have to put all five pints of the sauce in the refrigerator or just the one you are going to use immediately. This would make a great Christmas gift ideas. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

    • Ang Paris says

      Hi Debi! Great question, I’ve updated the post to make it more clear in the future. Any jars that don’t properly seal after canning should be refrigerated immediately, but the rest can be kept on a shelf in your pantry.

      Reply

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