Pressure canning question/help

[freemotion]

I pressure canned some spaghetti sauce with beef and mushrooms today, and while distracted on BYC, the pressure went up a bit past 15 lbs....and my jars are not as full as when they went in, and the top looks a little less juicy. Will it be ok?

 

[MrGreenJeans]

Let me preface this by stating I have no idea if the sauce you processed is ok

That being said, if you followed all of the necessary precautions set forth by the NCHFP or other subject matter expert, followed the instructions for your particular pressure canner, know that your pressure gauges are correct, etc and you processed the cans correctly given the contents, and the canner maintained pressure (as opposed to blowing the pressure valve) I would be as confident in those cans as any other can I had processed in a similar manner.

IF all other aspects of the canning process were the same, increase in pressure directly corresponds to an increase in temperature. As I understand it, all of the time and pressure guidelines are based upon the temperature and time needed to kill bacteria, and the time it takes for that heat to permeate the chosen food entirely. If you processed the food for the specified time at the very least at the prescribed pressure, that job has been done. You should be able to easily check the seals for physical damage from increased temperature, but that should be fairly apparent (and less likely in my opinion, we're talking in terms of degrees, not 10's of degrees.)

Please tho, check some other resources to make sure you can feel comfortable with the food being ok. As always, if there is a shred of doubt - dump it.

 

[freemotion]

I don't worry about the sauce being unsafe, as it is well-sealed and if anything, over-processed rather than under-processed.

Wish I knew how to post a picture!

I got the canner in September (I asked for it for an anniversary present! I love practical gifts!) and have done about 18 canner-loads since then, all have come out fine. I think I got too relaxed about it this time.....

So what it looks like to me is that the too-high pressure pushed some of the liquid out of the jars (the water in the canner was very saucey and a bit higher than the three quarts I had put in) and so now the sauce has less liquid. I can see liquid to about the 4-6 oz mark on the jar, then moist sauce up to the 10-12 oz mark, then it looks kind of like tomato paste above that (pint jars.) But the jars are well sealed, and the pressure never dropped below 11 lbs.

Just wondering if this ever happened to anyone else, and if that fully-loaded canner's worth of sauce will be edible or if it will be weird, or will it maybe discolor over time.

Thanks for the safety links, I have read them all many times, being initially terrified of the canner that I wanted so badly, remembering the green beans all over the ceiling when my mom's pressure cooker blew up when I was a kid!

 

[JennsPeeps]

The sauce should be fine. The point of the pressure canner is to hit a higher temp than boiling water in order to kill bacteria. Sounds like you did that just fine!

I've got a weighted pressure canner. That type tends to cause jars to lose liquid more than the guage canners. All of my stuff has been fine to date.

 

[freemotion]

Thanks for the reassurance. I could just open a jar and check it out, but didn't really want spaghetti sauce again. We ate a bunch that didn't fit in the canner, as I didn't want to do another load for just a few jars. Also, I know the appearance of the food tends to "settle" for a day or so.

Watch for a thread on ideas for canning...I'm gonna start one, I want more ideas as to what people have had the best success with canning! Thanks!