We love canning at our house and frequently make sauce in five gallon batches. Here's one of my favorites that I learned from my late mother's late cousin Giggy Schiavetti.
4 LARGE (gallon) cans crushed tomatoes ( Like from Sam's club as mentioned by an earlier poster)
4-8 oz cans tomato paste
3 medium onions, chpped - I like Vidalias if acvailable
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
Crushed red pepper
Red Wine - I make a 53 gallon barrel every year and it is quite similar to Carlo Rossi's Paisano.
Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Salt and Pepper to taste (approximate amounts given in the body of the recipe, but taste is subjective)
Olive oil
1-1/2 lbs each: Pork butt or neckbones, Veal shank or thick chops, Sweet or hot Italian fennel sausage ( Again, I make my own by there are some decent commercial sausages available, especially if you live up North.)
Medium High Heat approx. 1/2 cup good olive oil (doesn't have to be "EVOO" - I ain't that snobby) in a large (24 quart) heavy bottomed stainless stock pot. Add a large pinch of redd pepper flakes and seeds and cook for a minute - then Brown well the neckbones or pork butt ( all in one big chunk) - don't crowd the pan, do a bit at a time - repeat with the veal and the salsiccia - set browned meat aside to drain on paper towels.
Add a little red wine ( 1/2 cup) and scrape up all the nice brown stuff til the bottom of the pan is quite clean - turn the heat down to medium and add your onions and braise for three or four minutes til limp and translucent - Add your garlic and braise 1 - 2 minutes.
When the onions and garlic are "Nice" add your tomato paste and stir constantly for a minute or two mixing the paste and the wine and vegetables well. Add your crushed tomatoes - When I empty a can I fill it about half with fresh water and rinse the remaining tomato into the water - repeat with all cans using the same water and add that to the pot - by now you'll have approx. 20 quarts - give or take - stir well to mix thouroughly. I use a modified (Shortened handle) Bayou Classic wooden paddle to stir mine - you can really keep the bottom of the pot cleaned off and prevent sticking and burning without scarring your pot -
Raise the heat to medium high and bring the pot just to a boil then reduce heat again to medium, medium low - just a nice simmer -
Add a good three count of red wine ( I prefer to use wine instead of sugar and this is a bit odd because Giggy and my Mom were Sicillians who, as a people, generally love sweet sauce as opposed to Neopolitan sauce which is less sweet and a bit tangy). Then your spices - my approximate measure is a mound of each herb in my palm that is about 2-1/2" across and gently mounded - maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
Add salt and pepper to taste - generally less than the herbs and adjust later because too much salt and pepper can ruin a batch quickly. Stir well and then cut the browned meat into nice size pieces and add to the sauce. Simmer without a cover until the meat starts to get tender, stirring often and skimming the acid that rises to the surface occasionally - about 2 to 3 hours. Taste occasionally and adjust your seasoning to taste.
Prepare your jars, lids and bands - we run our jars through a cycle in the dishwasher and place our lids and bands into a pot of water that has been brought to a boil and then removed from the heat.
Fill the jars with the hot sauce leaving 1/2 - 3/4" head space - position the lids and bands and torque slightly. Process in a PRESSURE CANNER per manufacturer's guidelines - With our Presto canner we process ANYTHING with meat products four 40 minutes at 15 lbs pressure. When processed remove from heat and let pressure drop of it's own accord - we never, under any circumstance, place the canner in the sink and shower with cold water although I have seen recipes that call for it - go figure...
When jars have cooled check for an effective seal and store in an appropriate space.
The extended processing time cooks the meat until it almost breaks down and becomes shreds and super tender chunks - Traditionally the meat is removed from the sauce and served as a separate course but this is a fine point and I prefer the meat in my sauce over pasta.
cook your pasta Al Dente' and serve hot - I prefer Rigatoni ( or as Giggy used to call it Gavatuna)or large shells that hold the meat sauce but it's also great with a wide flat noodles or linguini.
Pasta is another story and we also make our own according to Grandma Valery's recipes - perhaps in another thread if anybody's interested..
Mangia!
B