Hot Pepper Butter - The safe way to do it!

One of my followers on Facebook, Julie,  sent me a recipe that she wanted me to check for safe canning. The recipe is very popular on all the canning sites but with one big flaw... it uses flour. I let Julie know that if she substituted the flour for Clear Jel that the acidity level and the rest of the recipe would be safe to can.

The recipe is a Hot Pepper Butter that mixes the bold flavor of mustard with the heat of banana peppers. The classic use is more of a spicy condiment for hot dogs, sandwiches  or can be a great dip.

Here is the recipe with the Clear Jel adaptation that makes it safe for canning.
Thank you Julie for the pictures and all your hard work.

Hot Pepper Butter

16 cups chopped hot and/or sweet banana peppers (3 1/2 lbs)
4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
4 cups prepared mustard * (if store bought check that it contains no thickeners; Guldens is a good brand)
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup Clear Jel (available SB Canning Store)
1 T. salt

Preparation: Prepare 7 pint jars, note you can make these in half pints also and the water bath time is the same (15 minutes), lids, and rings. Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till it’s time for processing. Wearing gloves, remove seeds and veins of the peppers. You can use any combination of the sweet or hot. If you want you can add some of the redder(further ripened) for color.  Rough chop the peppers and using a blender or food processor puree the peppers.

Cooking: In a large stainless steel saucepan combine all the ingredients except for the Clear Jel. In a medium size bowl, add cold water to the Clear jel until you can create a smooth paste. Using a whisk make sure to remove the lumps. Add the Clear Jel to the pot of other ingredients and simmer over medium heat till thickened, stir often to avoid sticking. Do not boil and remove from heat if the burner is too hot. When the consistency is thickened remove from heat.

Filling the jars:  On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each jar fill  leaving  1/2”  headspace.  Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper headspace if necessary.  Taking a clean papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".

Processing: Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the canner and place the jars in the water bath making sure that the water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches.  Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and wait for the water to start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start your timer for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning.

Sealing: Sometime in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.

Labeling: Make sure to label your jars after they have cooled with the name of the recipe and the date canned. If you want to use the shrink labels you can order them Here!

*A product that is made from powdered or coarsely ground mustard that is combined with other ingredients, such as vinegar, turmeric, white wine, and sugar. The term "prepared" refers to the fact that the ground mustard is mixed with other ingredients.