gosh, I didn't think about different processing time. I use whatever time the recipe states for the size jar I'm using. What's important, I think, is to have the jars covered by enough water. It shouldn't be any different from a large pot. You are using less jars and a smaller pot. I didn't improvise a rack. I found a 10" canning rack last year that fits 6 pints and 8 half pints. I've been doing half pints of pizza sauce so I might have the number of pints wrong. A friend was able to order a rack but it's not like the one I bought and I didn't see any 10" racks this year. I use a stock pot we generally use for lobster or a lot of corn. It's just not as wide and tall as a canning kettle.

You are quite right in your understanding of BWB canning vs. Pressure canning and any pot that is deep enough may be used without any changes in processing time as long as the jars remain covered by at least 1" of water throughout that entire time.

As for finding a rack to fit your pot - what is the diameter of the pot? All sorts of things are available to use but the diameter of the pot itself is crucial to know. For example, round cake cooling racks come in all sorts of sizes fro 6" on up.

Dave

Time remains the same for BWB canning, regardless of the size of the cooking vessel. I have two canners, one is a 21.5 quart and the other is a huge 33 quart. I use the same canning times with both.

I spent years canning with a stockpot, because that's what I had and I couldn't afford a different canner. I used a towel on the bottom, but someone here remarked that they wired rings from jars together to make their own custom rack and I thought that was a very good idea for times when you couldn't find a rack that fits.

Happy Canning.

Annnie