Ingredients

• 6 bulbs garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium red, yellow, and/or green sweet peppers, halved and seeded
• 12 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled
• 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp kosher salt or 4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, snipped
• 1 cup lightly packed chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as oregano, thyme, parsley)
• 6 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from garlic bulbs, leaving other skin and cloves intact. Cut about 1/2 inch off top portions, leaving bulbs intact but exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic bulbs, cut sides up, in a 1 to 1 1/2 qt casserole. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cover casserole. Arrange peppers cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. brush with the remaining 2 tbsp oil.
2. Roast garlic and peppers for 40 to 50 minutes or until pepper skins are charred and garlic cloves are soft. Cook garlic on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Pull up sides of foil and pinch together to fully enclose the peppers. Let peppers stand for 15 to 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel off skins and discard. Chop peppers, set aside.
3. Remove garlic cloves from paper skins by squeezing the bottoms of the bulbs. Place garlic cloves in food processor. Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks; add some of the garlic in food processor. Cover and process until chopped.
4. Transfer chopped garlic and tomatoes to a 7 - 8 quart stainless steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot. Repeat chipping the remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.
5. Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to boiling. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 50 minutes, stirring often. Add chopped peppers to tomato mixture. Boil for 10 to 20 minutes more until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in basil and assorted herbs.
6. Spoon 1 tbsp of the lemon juice into each of the six, hot, sterilized pint canning jars. Ladle hot sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
7. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes. Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.