What the heck happened to my applesauce??

Last fall I canned a couple dozen quarts of applesauce, on two separate days. All of the jars sealed right away, after they cooled I put them in storage in a cool room. Yesterday I took out a jar, opened it and realized I hadn't heard the sucking noise of the lid unsealing. I threw it out and got a new jar. Picked up the next jar and the lid came off in my hand! I have never had jars come unsealed in storage, does anyone know why this would happen? I used new lids, and the rims of the jars seem to be intact. Also, they were from two separate batches, one dated Sept. and one Nov. The applesauce looked and smelled fine (but I obviously threw it out anyway) Help?

[RiverRock]

Did you can the sauce, or just put it hot into jars? Were there chunks of apples, or was the sauce smooth? In my grandmother's day (and she still does it this way ) hot sauce was poured into sterilized jars and softened lids put on top. Newer canning publications suggest canning the sauce in a canner. Sometimes humidity and altitude come into play, but that's when I rely on books to know what is right.

Based on past experiences, I would probably be fine with pouring hot bubbling well-cooked sauce into hot jars from the oven. My kids prefer when I freeze cut apples and make the sauce a little bit chunky and as needed. The last time I canned copious amounts of applesauce I ended up turning it into fruit leather.

Canned it as per the Ball Blue Book instructions.

[Thankfulforgrace]

Were the lids new? Maybe the lids were bad?

They were new. My mom suggested that also, that maybe they were defective. Maybe I should write to Ball and let them know?

[StumblinMama]

That's really strange. If the lids were new and they sealed within the right amt of time, then I haven't got a clue what went wrong. I'm subbing to see if anyone can figure out the mystery.

---------- Post added at 04:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

I found this. It deals specifically with pressure canning, but it may give you some ideas as to what might have gone wrong.

Q. Why do some lids become unsealed during storage?
A. Lids may seal during processing and then unseal during storage for the following reasons:
• Food was processed incorrectly (wrong method or insufficient processing time or pressure).
• Hairline cracks in jars permitted entry of spoilage organisms during storage.
• Tightening screw band after processing dislodged the seal.
• Loss of liquid during processing caused food particles to lodge on rim of jar.
• Thin or uneven layer of sealant on canning lid. All jars that become unsealed during storage should be considered spoiled and discarded.

[ThreeKids]

A thick sauce can be hard to process, as in the liquids don't circulate well to distribute the heat. Also, a sauce that isn't wet enough will insulate a little more so err on the side of adding more water to apple sauce. I release any air bubbles by sliding in a butter knife through the sauce and around to walls of the jar. I also err on the side of more processing time for anything thicker than jelly.

Lids should still be pre-sterilized in case steam isn't circulating into all the crannies of the rubber and lifted out of the water with a lid lifter or tongs and put directly on the jars without touching them. After processing, I'll sometimes tilt the hot food so that it coats the lid and corners and let the jar cool upside down. That gives a little better chance of fully sterilizing the lids.