Simply Amazing Honey Barbecue Sauce Canning Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies & disclaimers if you're interested. I will only link products I use and personally recommend. Thank you for your support, friends!
Homemade honey barbecue sauce canning recipe.
Ahhhhhhh.
You know. I really like the poison Sweet Baby Ray’s. I’m not ashamed to say that. But I know I can make my own barbecue sauce canning recipe pretty easily and that brand has ingredients that I find to be unnecessary and I’d like to avoid them. And when tomatoes are plentiful, that’s exactly what I can do. I can make my OWN honey barbecue sauce recipe. And know it will taste amazing!
I really enjoy many fruit based barbecue sauces, but tomato base is the one I reach for the most. It seems to be my most versatile condiment as we use it as dipping sauce, for sandwiches, marinades, and bases to certain recipes and soups. If you’re not a fan, maybe search all my bbq sauce recipes to see if there’s something you like, or take them as inspiration to create your own. You can do whatever the heck you want! As long as its the best barbecue sauce to YOU!
The ApPrOvEd barbecue sauce distributed by the NCHFP (or the ones from Ball) aren’t my jam. I don’t enjoy them at all. Celery in barbecue sauce. No. Absoutely not. Which is why I’m doing my own thing here with this recipe with relatively simple ingredients. If you enjoy the approved recipe, can that!
What Jar Size Should I Use?
I know it would be tempting to make a gigantic batch of this and maybe can it in large jars because you *think* you use a ton of barbecue sauce, but I would recommend keeping condiments in pint sized jars or smaller. The only exception to this rule in my pantry is ketchup, since my kids would bathe in it if I’d let them. So I don’t tie up a bunch of my pint jars in ketchup (which I can A METRIC BUTT TON of), I do use some quarts because it keeps for literal months in the fridge after opening and we mow through it pretty quickly.
The rest? Pints or half-pints. None of my own barbecue sauce or other condiments are reached for every single day and I would HATE to lose any of my hard work to mold or spoilage. No thank yhhewwwwww. Food waste is a great way to just put me in a tizzy. Just some food for thought when picking jar sizes for recipes. That’s why this recipe will give times for pints only, which encompasses any jar that is 16 ounces (US pint) or smaller.
When canning, the times cover the jar size specified and smaller. You can size down, but you shouldn’t size up… you know we rebels do, but time adjustments need to be taken into account. If the recipe gives times for pint jars, you can can anything pint jar or smaller for that time given. Just not anything bigger. If the recipe gives times for quarts AND pints, you can can anything quart to above a pint for quart times and anything pint or below for pint times. Catch my drift? Size down, not up.
This recipe yields 4-5 pints of sauce.
Homemade Ketchup
My homemade home canned ketchup is the base of this barbecue sauce. I usually wait til winter and make up this barbecue sauce after canning season has calmed the heck down and I don’t have an abundance of homegrown tomatoes to process and a garden to keep weeded. On top of that, I normally have tons of goat milk to process and turn into cheese and other delicious crafts. I love the busyness of the summer season, but I definitely can’t get it allllll done.
This recipe would be an instance where canning my ketchup in quarts comes in clutch as well because this recipe uses exactly 2 quarts of ketchup to start off. If you don’t have home canned ketchup, you can absolutely use store bought and aim to have about 64 ounces, give or take a bit, of your favorite ketchup. The only thing is I can’t guarantee your flavor and consistency will be identical to mine since I use a bit of clear jel in my homemade ketchup for that delectable dippability I absolutely neeeeeed in my ketchup :D Yes, dippability is a word. I just made it up.
Why Do You Wipe the Rim of the Jar?
You may be new to canning and not sure why the heck I always say wipe the rims of the jars in some way or another prior to adding lids. Wellllll… the simple fact is… wipe the rims so there is nothing between the rim and the sealing compound of the lid when they touch. If things get between them, they can cause seal failure which is a big ole fat bummer.
Many folks preach to always use white vinegar to wipe rims, but I have differing opinion on that. I’ve stopped doing that. Well… I tried it to see what the fuss was about and had like half my lids not seal. I think… and this is my opinion… that wiping rims with vinegar is why some lids brands don’t seal as well. Because folks are having crazy issues with some brands and I’m not. The only difference I can find is that they’re wiping rims with vinegar.
Simple use a clean, dampened cloth, and wipe those rims down. That’s plenty. Promise! Even when canning things that are fatty, like broth or meat, I don’t use vinegar to “cut the fat” as I don’t need to. Never have, never will kinda thing. But obviously, do your thing. Ain’t no skin off my nose :D
Let’s make this homemade barbecue sauce canning recipe, shall we?
Equipment You Might Want:
- Stock Pot
- Pint Canning Jars
- Canning Lids & Screw Bands
- Jar Funnel
- Water Bath Canning Pot
- Steam Canner
- Jar Lifter
Ingredients:
- 64 ounces homemade ketchup (2 quarts)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tbs molasses
- 3 Tbs worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbs onion powder
- 1 Tbs garlic powder
- 1 1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
- 2 Tbs dijon mustard
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
Step 1: Prep
To a stock pot, add all the ingredients.
Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Cook
Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir to dissolve sugar and prevent burning.
Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat, or til the sauce is thickened to your liking during the cooking process. Cooking time will vary depending on the ketchup.
While the sauce simmers, prepare your glass jars and lids by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well. Set aside.
Remove pot from heat. TASTE the sauce and make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
Step 3: Canning
Ladle sauce into pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace. If it’s really thick, leave 1″ headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe jar rim and add lids and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturer’s instruction.
Process pint jars or smaller in a hot water bath canner or steam canner for 20 minutes, adjusting time for elevation of needed.
Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 4: Storage
After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. Proper storage temperature is 50-70F.
Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is fine. Aim to rotate canned food out every 2 years for maximum nutrition and flavor, but they’ll last much longer if you need them to.
Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed.
Notes:
Seasonings can be adjusted, added, or taken away to fit your preferences without affecting processing time.
In place of honey you can use raw unrefined sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup depending on the flavor profile you’re looking for. Coconut sugar is my go-to if I don’t want a honey bbq. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.
I hope you enjoy my homemade bbq sauce recipe!
Equipment
- stock pot
- pint canning jars
- Canning lids & screw bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 64 ounces homemade ketchup 2 quarts
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tbs molasses
- 3 Tbs worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbs onion powder
- 1 Tbs garlic powder
- 1 1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
- 2 Tbs dijon mustard
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
Instructions
- To a stock pot, add all the ingredients.
- Whisk to combine.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir to dissolve sugar and prevent burning.
- Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat, or til the sauce is thickened to your liking during the cooking process. Cooking time will vary depending on the ketchup.
- While the sauce simmers, prepare your glass jars and lids by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well. Set aside.
- Remove pot from heat. TASTE the sauce and make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
- Ladle sauce into pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace. If it’s really thick, leave 1″ headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
- Wipe jar rim and add lids and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturer’s instruction.
- Process pint jars or smaller in a hot water bath canner or steam canner for 20 minutes, adjusting time for elevation of needed.
- Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. Proper storage temperature is 50-70F.
- Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is fine. Aim to rotate canned food out every 2 years for maximum nutrition and flavor, but they’ll last much longer if you need them to.
- Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed.
