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Derek
03-17-2010, 10:32 AM
Mason jar question for canning?

May I put Mason jars in the smoker to infuse smoke flavor into my bbq sauce?


Ok, I forgot to put away my bbq sauce the day of my first smoke and my first pork butt smoke and I went to put it away and the lid was still on it.

When I went to put it away and open the li to make sure nothing happened to the sauce, it actually had the cherry & apple wood smoke flavor and it smelt AWESOME. It still tasted good too.


So can I actually put the glass jar in the smoker with out the lid for an hour +?

btcg
03-17-2010, 10:37 AM
Mason jar question for canning?

May I put Mason jars in the smoker to infuse smoke flavor into my bbq sauce?


Ok, I forgot to put away my bbq sauce the day of my first smoke and my first pork butt smoke and I went to put it away and the lid was still on it.

When I went to put it away and open the li to make sure nothing happened to the sauce, it actually had the cherry & apple wood smoke flavor and it smelt AWESOME. It still tasted good too.


So can I actually put the glass jar in the smoker with out the lid for an hour +?

Yes, but do it as a cold smoke, or you might end up sweepin up a lot of glass.

1FUNVET
03-17-2010, 10:44 AM
I would just pour it in a pan which would increase amount of surface area available for the smoke and do away with a chance of the glass breaking.
:thumb:

Teleking
03-17-2010, 11:51 AM
I think boiling the jars before filling and processing to sterilize them would negate any benefit of doing so.

JM2CW BWTFDIK:wink:

btcg
03-17-2010, 01:36 PM
Derek,

You've got cold smoke ability, and it's there just for an application like this. Sterilize first, smoke, then can. Save your cooking element: Use heat only when needed.

motley que
03-17-2010, 04:12 PM
I say no. The jars should be hot when you fill them. If. You sterilized then put them in the smoker, they aren't sterile. Put the product in the smoke for flavor. Leave the jars alone. It's not worth the risk

The BBQ QB
03-17-2010, 04:31 PM
Motley,

I'm fairly sure Mason Jars do not need to be hot when you fill them, (Unless the liquid being placed in them is hot itself) only sterilized as a precaution.

Once they're full you heat process the contents to an appropriate temperature, based on PH. Boiling water is OK for some stuff others need to be processed above 240 degrees. (Usually in a pressure cooker)

I do agree with the assertion that smoking the contents in a large pan would be more effective, but I don't think doing it in the jar would be unsafe. (Unless you like the odd broken piece of glass in your grill)

OR... the proper heat processing is not performed.

I do my own pickles among other things and use boiling water, but this is always very acidic. I don't know what PH the sauce is so I'm not going to suggest an approach.

Mike D

Derek
03-17-2010, 05:45 PM
Thanks guys.

The BBQ Sauce is canned & Sterilized. in 3 jars!

motley que
03-17-2010, 06:25 PM
The ball guide to canning recommends the jars be in a hot water bath prior to filling. I do alot of canning and follow their advice. I do pickles too and they tell you to keep jars hot and use a hot water bath

btcg
03-17-2010, 06:35 PM
The ball guide to canning recommends the jars be in a hot water bath prior to filling. I do alot of canning and follow their advice. I do pickles too and they tell you to keep jars hot and use a hot water bath


Yeah yeah yeah, and some people claim you should wash your hands after using the bathroom, too.


















































:wink:

jestridge
03-17-2010, 07:09 PM
lol that funny

Derek
03-17-2010, 07:19 PM
The ball guide to canning recommends the jars be in a hot water bath prior to filling. I do alot of canning and follow their advice. I do pickles too and they tell you to keep jars hot and use a hot water bathYes that's how my mom taught me to Can!

Yeah yeah yeah, and some people claim you should wash your hands after using the bathroom, too.It's too farking funny! :P


















































:wink:

lol that funny:P

The BBQ QB
03-17-2010, 07:29 PM
The ball guide to canning recommends the jars be in a hot water bath prior to filling. I do alot of canning and follow their advice. I do pickles too and they tell you to keep jars hot and use a hot water bath

I agree, almost every guide you read will advise this, for two reasons,

a - Most canning involves a hot item being canned; Hot jars help reduce the chance of thermal shock.
b - Most sterilizing is done via immersing the jars in boiling water, keeping them in the water as it cools is the shortest, most efficient method and allows for the absolute least possibility of cross contamination.

All of that being what it is, it is not a requirement for safe canning, whereas proper heat processing is mandatory and critical to the eradication of botulism spores. Moving a filled, sterilized, un-lided mason Jar into the grill to smoke the contents does not create an unsafe condition for the canned goods. Failure to properly heat process will.

As a matter of fact cold packing into hot mason jars may actually cause them to shatter so in this case room temperature jars would almost be a requirement.

Mike D

btcg
03-17-2010, 07:35 PM
I agree, almost every guide you read will advise this, for two reasons,

a - Most canning involves a hot item being canned; Hot jars help reduce the chance of thermal shock.
b - Most sterilizing is done via immersing the jars in boiling water, keeping them in the water as it cools is the shortest, most efficient method and allows for the absolute least possibility of cross contamination.

All of that being what it is, it is not a requirement for safe canning, whereas proper heat processing is mandatory and critical to the eradication of botulism spores. Moving a filled, sterilized, un-lided mason Jar into the grill to smoke the contents does not create an unsafe condition for the canned goods. Failure to properly heat process will.

As a matter of fact cold packing into hot mason jars may actually cause them to shatter so in this case room temperature jars would almost be a requirement.

Mike D

Guys,

The smoke taste will come from the inside of the jar, so it doesn't matter if the outside is heated, as to the taste.

Cracklin Jeorge
03-18-2010, 05:16 AM
I recently had the pleasure of working closely with the fine people on the Ball brand, when we redesigned their packages. I spent a few minutes talking with their food scientist and she pretty much scared me away from canning my own sauce (for long term storage). Apparently, the sugars and acidity of the ingredients is as important as sterilization for successful preserving.

But both high acid and low acid foods require the jars be boiled and filled while hot! I agree with 1FunVet and the others who say don't smoke the jars smoke the sauce and follow the instructions that come with the jars, bands, and lids! Ball has a great site for help... http://www.freshpreserving.com/ they also have other options for short to med term food storage. Check it out, play safe!

Jeff Selle
03-18-2010, 09:31 AM
I think you would have a smokey mess on the outside of the jars to deal with, and very little surface area of the sauce smoked. So to me the mess/benefit ratio wouldn't justify it.

I also agree with 1funvet... put it in a pan, and if your are canning for long term storage use the proper amount of acid (lemon juice and/or vinegar) and I would pressure can definitely it... a water bath with tomatoes is no longer considered safe...

Derek
03-18-2010, 09:33 AM
Thanks Jeff, I'll remember that for the next canning session!

Southern Home Boy
03-18-2010, 11:09 AM
Maybe this is a stupid question, but why not just add a little liquid smoke to the sauce?

Liquid smoke is made - at least as I understand the process - by capturing smoke as it rises and passing it through water vapor/steam and then allowing the combination to cool and recondense. The resulting liquid is liquid smoke.

wnkt
03-18-2010, 09:10 PM
Why not put a pot of sauce in the smoker and smoke the whole dang batch...then can it like normal