Bourbon Brown Sugar Mustard

As long as I was filling the canner for the cranberry ketchup, I decided to make mustard.  I finally finished off last year's, which took about four months longer than I was expecting, but I did make a lot of mustard last year between the fig and wholegrain versions.  This recipe was originally slated for late spring.

I've had the recipe from a guest post at Food in Jars bookmarked for several years.  When I went back to find it, it had been updated into a Dijon recipe.  After a comment and emailing Marisa of Food in Jars, the post was restored.  She didn't realize it had been removed on the last edit.  So here's the link, recipe courtesy of Kaela Porter of Local Kitchen.  It is a variation of Ball's Oktoberfest Beer Mustard, so I feel comfortable using it for canning.

Mustard seed is increasingly difficult to find because much of it comes from Ukraine.  Did not know that before this year.  I still have my bulk seeds from last year, which with hindsight was a much better buy than it appeared at the time.  One thing about buying in bulk is it avoids random shortages.  I still prefer to buy smaller quantities of ingredients when possible, but that just isn't a viable strategy these days.

After some consideration, I decided to make a half recipe, and that's what I'm going to post here.  I just couldn't bring myself to put a full cup of bourbon in the saucepan.  Reducing the yield brings it down to something that can be consumed at a single party, or within a month for a family.  There are still canning instructions for those who wish to process it.  And if you want to put up a lot, definitely double it back to the original recipe.

Mustard is one of those things that tends to siphon when you can it.  Two out of three jars did, making a huge mess in the pot.  I probably filled them a little too much or over-tightened the bands when I put on the lids.  Once the mustard cooled, I transferred them to a single jar and froze it for another time.

*1/2 C bourbon
1/4 C filtered water
*1/2 C brown mustard seeds
*1/4 C cider vinegar
*3 Tb mustard powder (or ground yellow mustard seeds, measured after grinding)
1/4 C lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher or canning salt

1.  Combine bourbon, water, and mustard seeds in a small bowl.  Cover and allow to steep until nearly all the liquid is absorbed, 4 hours to overnight.

2.  If canning, prepare jars and water bath canner for a 1-1/2 C yield.  If refrigerating, find a non-reactive container, preferably glass.  Plastic might pick up permanent color or odor.

3.  Transfer soaked seeds to a food processor and run until as smooth as you like.  Somewhat grainy is just fine and looks rustic.  This could take 2-3 minutes.  Add vinegar, mustard powder, brown sugar, and salt and run again until well combined.

4.  Pour slurry into a small saucepan.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to desired thickness, keeping in mind how much of the alcohol you want to boil off.  Be careful, your eyes are going to burn.  The mustard will thicken more on cooling, so leave it a little drippy.  About 3-5 minutes of boiling should do it.  Carefully taste (it's hot!) and add salt or vinegar as needed to taste, or more water if too thick.  It's going to be bitter and terribly strong, because all mustard is before it ages.  That doesn't mean you ruined it.

5.  If canning, fill jars to a generous 1/4" headspace, closer to 1/2".  I did need my extra prepped jar because I added more water and vinegar.  Since it was not full, it went in the fridge.  Never process a half-filled jar, because headspace is part of the canning equation.  Debubble and adjust headspace if necessary.  Wipe rims, secure lids, and process 10 minutes.  Allow to sit in canner 5 minutes before removing.  Cool, remove rims, wipe jars, and store.  If refrigerating, transfer to container, wait for it to stop steaming, and put on a lid.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  Keep in mind that mustards in general benefit from aging.  It's best to wait a few days for refrigerated and a few weeks for canned before using.

Makes 1-1/2 cups

Difficulty rating  :)