Since it has to be cut into 3-4" links and cooked first you can eliminate and drain off much of the fats so being greasy isn't a real issue. But yes it will be softer texture - I wouldn't call it soggy tho - than fresh cooked is. That's just the effect of pressure canning.

Dave

Well, I'm not against them being too greasy being as it *is* sausage<grin>. Would it be ok to add the juices that come out of them to the hot water or would that be risking too much grease that might affect the sealing?

Sorry Ed but the instructions are pretty clear about removing as much excess fat as possible. Same as we have to do when canning all meats.

Problem isn't so much the sealing failure, although that can happen, as it is a safety issue. Fats coat and insulate particles retarding heat penetration. Cold pockets can develop within the jar and any insulated bacteria could then survive the processing.

Obviously we can't get all the fats out, even with overnight refrigeration and separation. But we are supposed to leave as much of it as possible out.

Dave

Dave, it's kind of interesting that in Ball's preserving book where the short paragraph about broth is that it actually says to separate the fat from the juices that are cooked out of the meat (sausage in this case) and to add 1-2 tablespoons to a cup of the juice to make broth. This is their generic instructions for broth but it doesn't say not to use this for sausage. Out of the amounts of sausage I would can, though, I doubt I'd end up with several cups of juice, anyhow. Thus...my confusion, I guess. I'll forego the fat and use boiling water...should be enough fat still in them, anyhow, to satisfy me. Glad to hear they aren't really soggy...softer I can deal with. Thanks!