# pressure canning ground beef tomato sauce



## Fresco (Aug 24, 2012)

I have a delicious tomato sauce and I can't seem to can it. It's very thick and it seems like every time I try to can it the sauce bubbles up and compromises the seal.
I pour freshly cooked, boiling sauce into heated jars with 1 inch of head space, poke the plastic thing in to debubble, and put boiled lids on right away. I put the bands on loosely and process int he pressure cooker at 11psi for 90 min. I then let the cooker cool down overnight. The next morning none of the cans are sealed and there are signs of splattered sauce around the seal. 
The sauce is pretty thick. You can hold a jar sideways for a good 30 sec before you see it start to move.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Thanks.


----------



## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Ok, do you wipe the jar rims before putting on your lids? I take a paper towel, dip it in boiling water, wipe the rim, then "dry" the rim off with a bit of the dry towel. I use a fresh section for each jar.

Now, my second question is what do mean by you put the bands on loosely. How loose? They should be finger tight, not cranked down hard, but not loose. If they move by you just barely touching them, they are not tight enough and your sauce is simply bubbling up out of the jars.


----------



## jonesie (Dec 23, 2011)

Try taking the jars out when the presure has gone done all the way. Could be they are sitting too long in the canner. Best of luck, Jan


----------



## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

Your rings are not tight enough. It's just boiling over and out. Tighten those rings. If you are not comfortable enough to just tighten them, Ball make a wrench type gadget that will give you the correct tightness. BTW I do have one and it does work, However I just don't use it, I just tighten down by hand.


----------



## midwesterner (Mar 8, 2009)

Fresco said:


> I then let the cooker cool down overnight.


Don't let the canned jars sit overnight in the canner. As soon as the pressure drops to 0, open the lid and remove the jars, placing them on a towel and covering them with another towel to prevent potentially cool drafts from hitting them and potentially causing one to break.

They'll probably still be bubbling when you take them out of the canner, but that's okay (and a main reason for placing them on a towel - as insulation). They'll cool in time, and you'll hear the lids pop as they do. That pop is the sound of the jar lid being sucked down by the internal suction created by the contents coming down from boiling to room temp. It's a good sound.

When they're cool, remove the rings and wipe the jars clean for storage in a cool, dark place.


----------



## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

My vote would have to go to one of two things. Your rings are not tight enough, or you are overfilling your jars.


----------



## mathchick (Aug 13, 2013)

Out of curiosity, you didn't specify that it's a *canning* recipe. Is it just a sauce recipe you want to can, or one designed to be canned?


----------

