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MagpieFairy | 07-14-2009 04:15 PM
Canning Meatballs..... Anybody ever do this? I want to make some up and can them for quickie meals, but I can't find a recipe specific for canning. I know I can use the time for ground meat canning, but what I'm more curious about is seasoning them.... anyone?

Merlin | 07-14-2009 10:46 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Folks, I cannot even imagine a meatball or a meatloaf without the help of an egg or two. So, just how, exactly would you can it? And while we're at it, why are the eggs verboten?

MagpieFairy | 07-14-2009 11:01 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... lol, Ima, that's why I was asking... I was anticipating a mess since I knew eggs would not be a part of a recipe for canning. Merlin, eggs invite too many problems..... I'm not completely sure, but I think they may be prone to food poisoning in home canning. I found a hot pack recipe for plain ground meat that was also for meatballs in my So Easy to Preserve book by UGA Press. I had 1 lb each of ground chicken, beef and pork and I added a fistful of garlic powder, dried white onion and parsley to that and mixed and mixed until it was all very well blended.I baked the meatballs first and they held their shape. I covered them with boiling beef broth so they would be good for stroganoff or spaghetti and processed 3 pints (14 meatballs each jar) to see how they would turn out. The balls held together and the jars look quite lovely, if I do say so myself. I'm actually quite proud on my first meatball attempt!! The rest of the batch became beef stroganoff for dinner. The unprocessed tasted really good, so I'll wait a couple of weeks and then break out a jar to try with spaghetti. If I like that, then I'll work on a double batch so I'll have them on hand for quick meals.

Ishkabibble | 07-14-2009 11:19 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... I have done this and they were awesome, so it might have to do with recipes and process. I didn't use egg or milk, but I did use binding. In my case, crackers were the order of the day. I've read you can use different flours as well, but I've never. The instructions I was given were to cook the meatballs fast to brown the outside without cooking the meat. They will get plenty of processing time and this helps not overcook them. I made mine with a sweet and sour sauce (home made) which I packed them into the jars with. I've done it with many sauces... cut your salt content a bit as the meat soaks it up well. All sauces turned out great except Terriaki... the high soy content made for too much salt. The rest of the processing is basic. I did my quarts for 75 mins at 10lbs pressure. When the time is up, don't wait to remove them from the boil... they are processed and you don't want to run them too long or you'll have soup. Remove, cool, remove bands and store. I would check mine after a day and again after two weeks for signs of poor sealing. Out of about 40 jars I had two spoil. I was re-using lids due to an unanticipated shortage... bad me. Anyway, the process works well and you do get good meatballs. They will seem more cooked than if you'd fried them, but that's because they are. They'll also be a little drier, as the fat settles on the top of the jar. The pink in the middle is not raw... they are fully cooked (75 mins at 10lbs pressure is lots of processing). When opening your meatballs, heat the jar to melt the fat before you open it, or skim and remove the fat if there's more than you desire. Don't try to work with them without first warming the jar, it won't pour well and your meatballs will lose bits off the edges. Final note, you'll want something in there for flavor, as you don't really want to cook those meatballs yet again. Garlic, onions, gravy, sweet and sour sauce, honey garlic... there are lots of options. Choose what you would like. When you open, it's then simply heat and serve.

MagpieFairy | 07-14-2009 11:26 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Thanks, Ishkabibble! I was thinking that next time it would be a good idea to pack them in different sauces, so I may try to coordinate that. I would have likely used tomato sauce this time, but I processed all the ripe tomatoes a few days ago and am waiting for the next batch to ripen!

MagpieFairy | 07-15-2009 12:03 AM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Grrl, your tomatoes aren't ripe yet? I figured you'd have me beat by at least a week! I did sauce all last week.... spaghetti, mexican, plain, creole, basil & garlic........ I have my second batch of figs to do tomorrow and I am ready to make and freeze my jalapeno poppers, too.

scyth | 07-15-2009 01:23 AM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Damn - I assumed that you meant by "Canning Meatballs", you meant Disenfranchising certain politicians and their attendant parties. Certainly, not preserving them for future use. As is all too prevalent in American Gummint today. scyth

des00s | 07-15-2009 01:41 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... This thread is making me hungry.

thorgrim | 07-15-2009 02:03 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Sort of off topic but anyone have experience canning chunks of stew beef? I bought a steer calf this spring and I will have more beef then I know what to do with this fall. I thought I would can a fair bit of it as I thought it would keep longer then freezing and be more convenient for meal preparation. Any tips or recipes?

gunDriller | 07-15-2009 02:43 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Quote:
Originally Posted by thorgrim (Post 1818796) Sort of off topic but anyone have experience canning chunks of stew beef? I bought a steer calf this spring and I will have more beef then I know what to do with this fall. I thought I would can a fair bit of it as I thought it would keep longer then freezing and be more convenient for meal preparation. Any tips or recipes?
http://laylaloo.com/wp-content/uploa.../meatballs.jpg i thought you need a pressure canner for meat. do you need a pressure canner for meatballs ?

MagpieFairy | 07-15-2009 03:14 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... Quote:
Originally Posted by gunDriller (Post 1818865) http://laylaloo.com/wp-content/uploa.../meatballs.jpg i thought you need a pressure canner for meat. do you need a pressure canner for meatballs ?
Yes, you do need a pressure canner for ALL meat products. Thorgrim, you can either hot or raw pack chunks of meat. The differnece is that if you cook the meat first, you want to fill the void spaces in the jar with boiling meat juices, broth, water or tomato juice (tomato is really good for wild game) within an inch of the rim. If you raw pack, don't add liquid. Each pint 1/2 tsp salt or 1 tsp for quarts. 11 lbs in a dial gauge 10 lbs for a weighted gauge pints - 75 minutes quarts - 90 minutes Just a quick tip, meat is a lot easier to cut into uniform chunks if it is still slightly frozen. I'm going to can up some stew meat myself in a couple of weeks.

scyth | 07-15-2009 08:52 PM
Re: Canning Meatballs..... All - There is a big difference between "browning" and "searing." Browning essentially means that you fry the meat, Whatever it is, which, whether you use eggs or binders Or both. This, correctly done, makes the meat tender. Searing is done in a super hot pan with almost continuous Movement. This seals the surface, but does not cook the meat, Thereby trapping a lot of moisture and flavor within. So, for example, one of my favorite dishes, Lamb shanks au poivre, begins with browning a sliced Yellow onion in olive oil and a little salt and a fingernail of butter. When the onions are tender, move to a side plate, Heat up the pan hot, add olive oil if necessary, then sear the shanks. Once seared, add back the onions, and pop it into the oven For an hour and twenty minutes @ 300 degrees. The result is succulent and tender. Although I have never canned meatballs, I think that searing them, Then letting the canning doing the cooking Would produce good results. scyth

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