So I took my first foray into pressure canning last night with chili. Probably not the easiest first project, as I know from this sub it has a high failure rate.
3 of my 8 jars sealed. I had a decent amount of siphoning – all jars still look full, but I could smell the chili while it was steaming and sure enough there was liquid in the pot and the jars were messy (enough to need to be wiped with some dawn and wet paper towels). Is that what caused the failure? I also used off brand lids on most of the jars that didn’t seal. They are now in my fridge. Can I reprocess with Ball lids today? If not, can I just stick them in my freezer?
by msmerymac
3 Comments
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Did you wipe the jars when they came out of the canner? Or after they cooled?
The offbrand lids probably are the cause. Not all lids are created equal in that they will be able to be used for canning and properly seal. Did you let it naturally come down from pressure and wait before venting like the process said before opening your canner? The jars that didn’t seal, you could reprocess as long as it hasn’t been too long. Fingertip right has also been subjective but I tighten right up until it starts to turn on the tea towel I have it on while filling.