CHILI SAUCE
One of the VERY BEST perks to giving food storage presentations all over the place is that I get to meet wonderful, gifted, and generous people like Bill and Mary Mitchell.
When I shared my recipe for sloppy-joes Bill was shocked to learn that I didn’t know how to make my own chili sauce. Then he kindly invited me to come to his home so that he could teach me his mother’s famous recipe. As soon I tasted Grandma Marsden’s I was 100% converted, and totally willing to learn!
Fresh Ingredients
5 or 6 medium sweet onions
2 red peppers
2 green peppers
Storage Ingredients
2 giant (1 gallon) cans of diced tomatoes (106 oz. each)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Grind the onions and peppers on coarse grind in a hand grinder. (Or, chop them into 1/2″ chunks…forever. That little old grinder was an awesome tool!)
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.
Cook about 10 minutes or until onions are transparent.
Process 15-20 minutes in a steam processor. (It would be a mistake for me to try to share more detailed instructions because I’ve only done this once. Gulp. But I have to admit, it seemed really easy…as I watched Bill do everything.)
This recipe made about 20 pints of chili sauce, so almost 3 full batches. (That’s canning talk.)
We’re totally addicted to this stuff. My pot roasts have never been so happy.
Tags: from cans to bottles with love, reality cooking on location, thank you Bill and Mary
February 26th, 2010 at 8:49 am
WOW! If that’s all it takes then sign me up. I always thought that making chili sauce was more time consuming, chopping thousands of bushels of tomatoes and onions and such, but this is just as easy as making homemade jam and probably just about the same length of time!
Thanks for sharing your fun adventure Liesa
February 26th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I KNOW! THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT KRIS! I don’t care what people say about two wrongs don’t make a right, this canning that began with a can was a breeze! By far the most popular item in my home storage. The girls are asking if they can take jars,
and they’re not that easily impressed.
February 26th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Hey Liesa! I’m so glad you posted this. I had no idea how to make chili sauce, but now I do! Just for clarification, did you leave the tomatoes undrained?
Thanks again!
February 26th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Thanks Krystal. I’m glad it was helpful. Yes, we did use all the liquid in the cans of tomatoes. Turned out perfect! That Bill knows his chili sauce.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Um….
The current safety guidelines for home canning do not recommend that you start with already-canned products (like the two big cans of tomatoes), because the calculations for canning times were created with fresh, and there are differences in density. Therefore, it could mean that your jars would seal properly, but the penetration of heat throughout the canned product may not be hot enough to kill all microorganisms present. This could cause the seals to fail later in acidic foods, or it could allow botulism to grow in low acid foods.
Lots of people do it anyway. There are many people out there that can in ways that are no longer considered safe for one reason or another, but I think it’s important for people to be aware that it is risky.
The Ball Blue Book of home canning has a recipe for chili sauce with complete instructions for home canning.
I dearly love chili sauce myself – it’s great for so many things!
February 28th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Thanks for sharing this!
I feel like a dork, and you’re totally going to laugh at me, but help me out here – what do you use chili sauce for?
(My mother would get sick at the mere sight of peppers and onions, so we never had anything like this in my house when I was growing up, so I truly have no clue what to use this stuff in.)
February 28th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Thank you Laura, really, for sharing the official word. I think it’s good and even important for all of us to hear what the experts are suggesting.
Me? I’m sticking with the years and years of successful experience from this sweet G-pa. And, I’m still going to cook my Thanksgiving turkey that nutso way in the paper bag, on a low temperature, for 12 hours. And, the kids can still eat cookie dough. (Not mine but someone else’s.)
I may be dumb but it just seeeeeeems like some of these warnings exaggerate the risks.
But that’s just me. Thanks again for giving us the heads-up.
February 28th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
No no no Lynne. I totally understand where you’re coming from. I didn’t really know how to use chili sauce besides in my sloppy joe recipe. But this stuff is too nice for that. Now we’re using this chili sauce like a gourmet catsup, on any type of beef. And we’re really happy about it. Give it a try and see what you think! Maybe others have suggestions that are more creative.
March 1st, 2010 at 12:55 am
Chili sauce is lovely on chicken too…and when I cook beans with a ham bone, we have chili sauce on the table as a topping. Yum!
Leisa, this is an acidic food, so the bad thing that will happen is you could lose a batch if there are microorganisms that don’t get killed off in the canning.
It’s a sad thing, and frustrating,but the low-acid foods (green beans, corn, beans, carrots, meats) are the ones where you have to really be careful. Botulism grows in oxygen free, low acid environments if not properly killed off, and botulism can be deadly.
I wasn’t posting to try and make trouble, and people are going to do what they are going to do…but I wanted to mention it all the same. Thanks for understanding.
March 1st, 2010 at 9:56 am
Absolutely Laura, absolutely. I’m totally serious about being GLAD you shared the facts. No trouble at all!
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Liesa,
how about pressure canning? If people are concerned about safety, then maybe pressure canning the chili sauce would help them feel better about it. I can’t wait to try it myself! I just need more ideas on how to use it in my cooking. I like the idea of using instead of catsup, but we don’t use it that much. Any more ideas from the sweet g-pa on how he and his wife cook with it?
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:37 pm
i just read this again and wanted to comment that I have found those old fashioned grinders in stores like Goodwill, etc. I bought two of them for about 5-7 dollars each. What I am REALLY jealous of is the grandpa’s cutting board that is attached to his kitchen cabinets. That makes using the old grinders so much easier!! When you try to use it on your countertop or kitchen table, you will know what I mean.
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Thanks Laura and that’s exactly what Bill suggested for finding the old fashioned grinder. I tried one of our local Deseret Industries but struck out. Still hunting.
I don’t think the Mitchells use the chili sauce in their cooking but they enjoy it with just about everything. My daughter, Sam, was skeptical and was sure they wouldn’t have enough reasons to serve it. NOT! Now they’re beeeeegging for more bottles. You just have to try it.
I want to learn how to pressure can. Almost made it last year but chickened out in the end. 2010!
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Liesa, you’re more than welcome to come over anytime and I’ll show you around my pressure canner. We can even do a batch of canned chicken if you want!
It’s the least I can do to thank you for all the great info I get from your site and your book!
March 4th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Dear Lynne,
May I too tag along for a lesson on pressure canning? I’m in the middle of pressure canner anxiety and trying to be brave and use that very scary piece of kitchen equipment.
Monday I went to Reams and purchased 4 cases of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts to bottle, but that dang pressure cooker is still scary to me. Beans are next on the list but I first have to take the pressure cooker out of the box and give it a try.
Thanks
March 4th, 2010 at 11:04 am
YESYESYESYESYESYES!
Thank you for the wonderful invitation Lynne. I would LOVE to learn how to bottle chicken! Please email me your contact info and I’ll give you a call. May I bring Kris, and my sister, and maybe a couple of daughters???
Very excited!
Liesa