The Chili Sauce Recipe

Total Time: 12 hrs Preparation Time: 9 hrs Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 6 quarts ripe tomatoes
• 3 large onions, minced
• 1/2 cup coarse pickling salt
• 3 cups diced celery
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup whole mixed pickling spice (tied in cheesecloth bag)
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups brown sugar

Recipe

• 1 peel and slice tomatoes into very large bowl; add onions and salt and stir gently.
• 2 cover bowl and let stand for a minimum of 8 hours; overnight is best.
• 3 drain thoroughly and place in a large, heavy saucepan with a lid.
• 4 stir in celery, red peppers, pickling spice bundle, red pepper flakes and vinegar, then cover; over medium heat, bring this to a boil.
• 5 once boiling, uncover and simmer over low heat until thickened, at least two hours; stir often to prevent sticking.
• 6 add brown sugar and stir well; taste for sweetness (if your tomatoes are very tart or acidic, you may need a little more brown sugar).
• 7 simmer mixture until thickened again, about 25 minutes.
• 8 remove spice bundle in cheesecloth bag and discard.
• 9 ladle mixture into hot sterilized 2-cup jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace; seal jars.
• 10 process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• 11 let cool at room temperature before refrigerating, or storing in a cool dark place for up to one year.