More canning help please??
 

I'm going to try to pressure can only meats this weekend, beef tomorrow and chicken on sunday. I was wondering if there is any difference between this and canning beef or chicken stews?

Anything I should add??
Anything I should leave out??
Can I use the same liquid stock that I cook it in?

Re: More canning help please??
 

Well...I'm not sure how you've been doing your stew, so I can't help you there.

To can chunks of beef or deer, you can do it by raw pack, or by browning the meat first. Cut it into 1.5-2" cubes. Remove excess fat/gristle. For raw pack, put chunks loosely (OK, I did it semi-loosely by thumping jars on a counter), leaving 1" (1.25" per Utah State Univ. extension canning guide) headspace. Ladle hot water or broth over meat, remove air bubbles, leave 1" (1.25) headspace. Wipe jar rims & apply 2 piece lids. Process pints 75 min at 10 PSI, quarts 90 minutes at 10 PSI. NOTE: canning times/pressures are for 0-1000 ft elevation.

If you brown the meat ahead of time, cook it until it's about 2/3 done. Add hot water or broth & finish as above. Process time/pressure is the same as raw pack.

Raw packed meat (at least pork & chicken) tends to stick together more in the jar than does browned meat. It doesn't make that much difference when it comes time to use the stuff.

I THINK you may be able to get away with adding less liquid to raw packed meats than dry pack, since you'll get some juices coming out of the meats during canning.

It's very easy to do. I canned a bunch of chicken/pork/beef a few weeks ago. After the first batch of beef (that I browned), I did it all by the raw pack method.

You can use the same stock you cook it in. Some people add ~1 tsp salt to each quart of canned meat. I left that out, since it's not needed for shelf life. I can always add more salt when I use the meat in a recipe.

Re: More canning help please??
 

I did some chickens last weekend. I first baked the in the oven till 2/3 done. Stripped them pretty well and threw the bones in a pot to simmer down. Drew off the fat and removed the small stuff by straining through cheese cloth and used it as the canning liquid. Then pressure canned them as per the instructions in the Ball book.

Haven't cracked a jar yet s I have no idea how good it is. I did add some seasonings to the broth before canning them.

Re: More canning help please??
 

I would suggest not to raw pack ground beef, only because it looks, smells and taste like skippy dog food when you go to eat it! I always brown my ground meat first. I use a broth to fill the jars and the recommended canning salt. With hamburger, I brown it, then rinse it in warm water in a colander, then put it in a large pot on the stove on low. After I am done browning 18 lbs, I start filling the jars. By rinsing the meat, it gets alot of the excess fat off and you dont have to look at white floaties in the jar!

Re: More canning help please??
 

Umm...well...I've never tried tasting skippy dog food (not that I'll admit). I also brown the ground beef that I can.

Do you think there's much flavor lost by rinsing the browned beef in a colander?

Re: More canning help please??
 

I have tried it both ways-rinsing and or going straight in the jars, and have not noticed much difference. The only difference I notice is all the fat in the jars if I don't rinse. I put the broth in and it helps with the flavor. I mix it up, some I put pepper in, some just water, some with broth. I butchered two steers this fall and have most of the burger from them canned.
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Re: More canning help please??
 

The tenderloin is in the canner. Thanks much for the help.

Re: More canning help please??
 

Whats the max shelf life on canned meat done this way?

Re: More canning help please??
 

LOL. My kids hate the floaties cause my hamburger goes straight into the jars with no rinse. Because my canning is done with the thought toward longer term storage for when SHTF I figure there may be a time when we're glad to mix those floaties into food for added calories. If I open a jar pre-SHTF I just remove the fat with a spoon, very easy.

Re: More canning help please??
 

I have eaten 4 year old canned meat and not had a problem.
I would suggest if you are new to it, after you can it, wait a few days then open one of your jars of meat and eat it. See if their is anything you want or need to add to the meat. (spice wise)