Canning And Butter Question

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Cajun Cook

Senior Cook
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
134
Location
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Hi Everyone,

I have a quick question. I made my own chicken wing sauce and would like to try to can it. The one thing that worries me though is that I finish the sauce with half a stick of real butter. Does anyone know if canning a sauce that contains real butter would be a problem? I have tried the same recipe with margarine and it is not the same. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jim
 
Welcome to DC Jim...Have you considered canning without the butter? Add it when you open up a jar to serve. Will you be pressure canning or just a hot water bath?

Have Fun & Enjoy!
 
I agree with Uncle Bob...perhaps after opening finish it with butter. I know that I do that with store purchased wing sauce.
 
Only a couple of problems, Jim.

1) You would need to have a food chemist analyze your recipe to determine the pH and the proper processing time.
2) It would have to be pressure canned - in a pressure canner (NOT a pressure cooker) for 90-120 minutes for pints.
3) Dairy products like butter don't can well due to the heat.
4) In commercial production - the butter would probably be replaced by a modified starch and a non-dairy (artificial) butter flavoring.

If your sauce, before the butter, is acidic enough you could can it in a water bath canner - amd finish it up with the butter when you open and heat it ... as Uncle Bob and Elaine suggested.

Another option would be to make your sauce, add the butter, and then freeze it. If you are thickening the sauce with the butter ... then you would want to make sure you don't let it boil after adding the butter - and don't let it boil when defrosting and reheating.
 
It it's like my wing sauce it consists of two things - hot sauce and butter! I think the consensus is just make it fresh each time.

I make a bbq sauce that I thought about canning and then a bell went off - why bother! It's got so much vinegar in it that it lasts for a year or more in my fridge. :LOL:
 
Thank you so much everyone for your input. I was thinking about trying to sell this locally but want to make sure I understand all the details first and then decide whether it is worth it or not. Everyone that tries my sauce tells me that I should bottle it so I thought I would give it a go. Lots of great information on this forum. Think I will be hanging around for awhile and do some reading. Again...Thanx!

Jim
 
1) You would need to have a food chemist analyze your recipe to determine the pH and the proper processing time.

Aren't there little strips you can buy somewhere to determine the pH of a sample of your product? Does anyone know a good source for these?

Just looked this up online:
"In foods that are acid (pH 4.6 or lower) the microorganism that causes botulism cannot grow. Therefore it is safe to use a boiling water bath canner."

Otherwise, you'll have to use a pressure canner.

If you're thinking of doing this for commercial sale, you might want to invest in a pH meter, available from scientific equipment suppliers for anywhere from $100 to $1000. (I found a cool website that discusses this, but I don't think I'm allowed to post links yet.)
 
If you seriously want to measure the ph of your sauces before canning, just get some ph test strips. They’re very inexpensive, and accurate enough for canning.

Here’s a sample of one kind, but there are many other manufactures that make these. Just Google “ph test paper” and you will get tons of hits.
 
Well, Jim (Cajun Cook} I had a feeling that you were headed toward a "commercial" application and not simply canning for "home consumption". That's the reason I answered the way I did ... and didn't mention pH test strips ... not all of them are suitable for food production.

Check with your parish USDA extension office ... and then check your local laws that govern food production and sales (probably your health department) - but the parish extension office should be able to help you with this - local, state and Federal regulations.

50 years ago it probably wouldn't be that much of a deal ... these days if anyone even sneezes after eating something they have a lawyer and a million dollar lawsuit filed the next day.
 
Thank you all for the info. Knowing how things are today, I expected about as much. That is why I am looking into this "not too hopefully". I did hear there was a place in New Orleans that will actually take your recipe and help you bottle it. I am sure there is a hefty price that comes with that service as well though.

Thanx again,

Jim
 
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