DIY: Making and Canning Your Own BBQ Sauce Part 2: Ketchup-based BBQ Sauce

 Very long subject line, yes, but necessary.

So, here's part 2 of the BBQ sauce making and canning series.  This one is a ketchup based recipe (I went simple on the photos on this one just because it was getting late and I was tired when I made it).

St. Louis BBQ Sauce (adapted from recipe found on About.com).  Quadrupled to get amount seen above.

• 2 cups ketchup (garlic free.  I used a combo of home made ketchup and Annie's Organic Ketchup for the recipe)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard (I used dried since it didn't say which to use.  Came out thicker than it described the recipe as being, but it tasted just fine and I like thick BBQ sauce anyway :).
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke flavoring (at least I used it because I like a smokey flavor to my BBQ sauce :).

Step 1:  Prepare canning jars, lids, rings and hot water bath canner.

Step 2:  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired consistency is reached (I waited until it would coat the back of a spoon well).

Step 3:  Fill up canning jars to 1/2 inch mark (underside of the canning jar threads), put lids and rings on and process in a hot water bath canner for 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts (I'd honestly go for pints here folks...that's a lot of BBQ sauce in a quart!).  Remove to a kitchen towel to cool completely.  Check seals.  If the lid pops up and down the seal is bad and you can just put the BBQ sauce in the fridge to use ASAP.

And done!  I know the hardest thing you'll ever do right?  *Laugh*.  Seriously it was making the ketchup, mustard and chili powder that took me the longest in getting up TO this point in the "needing to make condiment" process.  But, it was worth it :).

Opinion of the BBQ Sauce:  As my husband put it, "Wow!  That's BOLD!" (picture really corny cowboy-like accent inserted here ;).  It is pretty powerful stuff, but does taste like BBQ sauce, so I figure I did my job alright.  If you're looking for a little less "pow" to your BBQ sauce I'd omit the Cayenne from the recipe and taste it after it's boiled down to see what you think.