M14 Forum

huntinghawk

A thread we don't have yet is on canning which for many is a staple of their food stores as well as grain & beans put away.

Canning can be putting up jellies & jams with wax on the top of them. It can also be a great way to put away stuff from the garden. Either of those can be done in what is called a water bath (big pot).

However, most don't know that you can also cann meat. However, you want a pressure cooker for that. Pressure cooker to put the jars in allows for higher temperature. Canning meats is where you want large mouth jars because of the size of the pieces of meat.

Well, one of the cheapest pieces of meat to buy is chicken leg quarters which are thigh & legs & here cost $.69/lb. So that is what I am going to be looking at doing next month with help from my neighbor.

Now, there are basicaly two ways to cannmeat. Partially cook before canning or do what is called raw pack. Just a matter of having to cann longer for raw pack but overall takes less time. Doing chicken leg quarters, going to have to cut them at the joint to separate legs & thighs.

So, what does precooked chicken give you? Got rice? Chicken & rice made fairly quickly. Got noodles? Chicken ala king. And there are plenty more easy dishes you can make.

HH

jim-analog

Greetings,

I'm seriously interested in getting started to can just about everything this coming year, including meat. I just ordered this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Blue-Book...=1YK7N7FQH9HXO

It's the Ball (the folks that make the jars) guide and it seems to include info on the different methods you mentioned. I can do a quick review when it shows up. Hope to have our pantry filled up for next winter.

Regards, Jim

huntinghawk

Here's one of the best canning sites I have found. Plenty of stuff on youtube also.
http://www.simplycanning.com/canning...#axzz1luDQIz1W

Don't forget yard sales & such for jars. I just wouldn't buy anything other then Ball or Kerr. Especially not buy the Manning from China, my main concern being fit of rings.

Remember with canning, the best place to store is the coolest place.

HH

huntinghawk

Here's a big batch of youtube links of canning chicken in various ways.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...l0.5.1.0.1l7l0

And was surprised at the number of vids on canning venison.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....1.3.1.0.1l7l0

HH

ppcshooter1

Check with your local county extension agent. They should have a lot of info on canning. I know the ones here in Mississippi do. My g/f is one and had to attend a canning class at Mississippi State last month.

Marty

GCBurner

The County Extension Service here operates a county canning center, with large commercial size pressure retorts, where people can bring their fresh produce or meats and can it in regular tin cans, or in canning jars. The county runs it as a service, and the only cost is the cost of the cans, which are relatively inexpensive.

huntinghawk

A water bath is very limited in what it can cann. Pressure canner can do everything that can be canned.

HH

huntinghawk

The more I do research the more I'm impressed with what can be canned if done properly. Soups & stews for a start. I think small jars of chili with or without beans is a good option.

HH

Hungry1

Howdy fellow canners :)

I've recently got started with canning. Mostly meat, but some meat and vegetables together.

If I'm just putting away meat only, I raw pack. If its the meat and vegetables together it's different. In that case I brown the meat and bring the vegetables to a boil, then add to the hot jars.

The Ball Blue Book was a great source of information to me.

I'm not an expert, but if anyone has a question I'd be happy to share what little I know.

huntinghawk

Welcome to the forum Hungry1. Pics of some of your stores, recipes, & methods you've used to can certain items might help motivate some others.

HH

Hungry1

Thanks HH

Here's a pic of some of the jars I put up.



I prefer to use the pint size jars, they hold about 1 lb of meat. That's a good sized meal for me.

I usually have the meat on rice, I store a fair amount of that too. Matter of fact I didn't feel like cooking last night and had canned beef veg stew on rice for dinner. Delicious hearty meal, ready in the time it takes to make rice.

I've found that chicken and pork end up being kind of mushy after processing. I've had really good results with the tougher cuts of beef.

huntinghawk

If you check your Ball book, I think you will find mushy meat means overcooked.
Remember that even after pulled out of the pot that meat is still cooking.

I've gotten to where I want to learn to cann to free up freezer space. Can store alot more in jars then in small freezers.

HH

Earthquake

Its funny you should bring this up, I was just at Walmart here in LV and they have added a whole canning section. I have never seen any thing for canning here before and I have lived here since 1967. We do have a lot of Mormon folk here, not that I have a problem with that.

Casey

Hungry1

I like the fact that food doesn't require electricity to stay good for years.


You may be right about the over-cooking. If you have any advice, I'm all ears. I learned the following from the Blue book and the book that came with the pressure canner.

I've been using a processing time of 1 hr 15 mins for pint jars.

I start the 75 min processing time only after I get vent lock (about 10 mins) and have seen a steady steam of steam out of the vent for another ten mins, then add the weight and wait until the 10 lb weight starts to rock (about 10 mins).

huntinghawk

Think about regular cooking of chicken. A half pound chicken leg quarter takes less time to cook then a one pound chicken leg quarter.

I've only helped do chicken once. But my suggestion would be next batch knock off 5 minutes. Then a week after canning to open a jar & check it.

There are endless canning forums on the web. But for us, its about survival. Save some money & can spend that money elsewhere on survival stuff.

HH