Fresh Preserving Discussion Boards

i am getting ready to make the cranberry and oktoberfest mustards, can i increase the jar size to 8oz? if so, do i increase timing? thank you!

Sorry, it is never recommended to use a jar larger than specified in the tested recipe since there may be a safety issue involved, such as heat not penetrating properly for the larger size. Most tested and published recipes will give multiple size jars and their processing times if safe to do so.

I made the lemon sage mustard and the oktoberfest mustard. The lemon sage was good right out of the pan, without aging, but the oktoberfest was very bitter. I used an ale, which may have been too dark for the recipe, but even my dark-beer-loving husband couldn't eat it.

I'd hoped it would improve upon aging, but even a month later it was inedible. I'm not certain what could have gone wrong.

Interesting. I made an Oktoberfest mustard a year ago and had the same result and I used regular beer. I thought the brown mustard seeds had gone bad or something. Never investigated further and just tossed the batch.

The reason that small 4 oz. jars are specified in the mustard recipes is that heat dulls the flavor of mustard and makes it thicker. I would guess that they tried to make the processing time as short as possible to preserve the flavor and texture of the finished product. Hence the smaller jars.