Canning Outdoors. ( My Eureka Moment)

[Evolver]

Ever since we started prepping and canning I have been thinking of the best ways to can outdoors if need be.

Colman stoves are out of the question do to the weight of a loaded canner, On a grate with a fire under it would be a choir just tending to the fire but will work, so we planed on using your gas grill... it would probably work ok but it wouldn't be very efficient.

Today I was on a forum board and a member posted that Bass Pro Shop online has a propane cooker w/ 10.5 qt aluminum pot onsale for $29.97 and $5 shipping so I went to Bass Pro's web site to see what he was talking about.

Well Eureka!!!

http://www.slickfishing.com/sites/default/files/Bass%20Pro%20Shops%C2%AE%20Propane%20Cooker%20with %20Aluminum%20Pot.jpg

After looking into more I found that they're mainly used for shellfish boils (a way to boil a large amount of water) and also turkey frying and I'm not the only one out there that has thought of using it for canning. :p


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLzJc-r94yo

[Sniper-T]

you'll love it. They are really popular up here for anything from turkeys to chicken wings to fish frys, to spaghetti, etc.

Hadn't thought of canning, until now! tx!

[Evolver]

Your welcome! What brand do you have and with yours can you fine tune the flame to a low, med or high simmer? Someone said that they changed out the valve on his so he could run it at a lower setting.

[Katrina]

Evolver,
THANK YOU! I have flat top stove and can't pressure can on it. I thought about using the gas grill for the canner but wasn't sure I could control the heat well enough. The set up you have looks like a good idea. I was thinking I would have to go to commercial kitchen and rent the stoves there. We have lady in town that has turned an old small restaurant into a community kitchen for rent for small home food businesses but she is a bit expensive. This will probably save me some $ in the long run

[ladyhk13]

Evolver,
THANK YOU! I have flat top stove and can't pressure can on it. I thought about using the gas grill for the canner but wasn't sure I could control the heat well enough. The set up you have looks like a good idea. I was thinking I would have to go to commercial kitchen and rent the stoves there. We have lady in town that has turned an old small restaurant into a community kitchen for rent for small home food businesses but she is a bit expensive. This will probably save me some $ in the long run

Katrina, I have a flat top stove and can/pressure cook on mine all the time. I have no problems at all. Did someone tell you that you couldn't or are you just having problems doing it?

[ladyhk13]

Any way we could find out how much propane it would use to do a batch of chicken?

[ladyhk13]

I have been looking at Bass Pro and they do not seem to have this pressure canner. They have friers but nothing that you could cook low acid foods in. Any idea where the pressure canner in the video came from?

[Sniper-T]

I have one similar to this:

Cabela's: King Kooker Turkey Fryer (http://www.cabelas.com/product/King-Kooker-Turkey-Fryer/746186.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3D searchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProduc ts%26Ntt%3Dturkey%2Bcooker%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSe arch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=turkey+cooker&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)

crossed with this:

Wholesale Sports (http://ca.wholesalesports.com/storefront/cookware/turkey-cookers/7-piece-aluminum-cook-set/prod257130.html)

It's probably 20+ years old, so it doesn't really have a current counterpart any more.

It has no flame adjustments on the unit itself, it is always on, as soon as you turn the bottle on; but I can regulate the flame down as low as I want simply by turning the bottle down low

ETA:
An accepted rule of thumb for cooking a turkey is 3-4 minutes per pound. so, a 15 pound bird takes less than an hour. Doing multiple batches of corn on the cob (water, not oil) I ran mine on full high for almost 6 hours on a single 20# propane tank. When cooking a bird (or anything with oil) you want to watch your temps carefully, as it can creep up to a flash point. So generally, on high, get it up to temp, reduce heat, stabilize temp, add bird, slightly increase heat to regain temp, and then watch, once it starts creeping up again, reduce heat.

sound complicated? it's not! the initial temp stabilization is less than a minute, add the bird, watch it for a minute, then just kinda watch it for the next 1/2 hour, and adjust as necessary.

[Katrina]

Lady, manufacturer of stove had it in their manual not to use pressure cookers on stove. BUT I have a brand new stove coming as part of the pantry "renovation" LOL. So maybe it will be different. But that turkey fryer looks like it may do the trick if I can't use the stove.

[mollypup]

I've had this on my Amazon wish list for a long time: Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SQ14 Single Burner Outdoor Patio Stove: Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SQ14-Single-Outdoor/dp/B0009JXYQ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I205XK6E08O2T7&colid=FTY8VGUJ7KPZ)

[Grumpy Old Man]

I have been looking at Bass Pro and they do not seem to have this pressure canner. They have friers but nothing that you could cook low acid foods in. Any idea where the pressure canner in the video came from?

Lady, the canner in the Video is an All-American. I can't quite tell the model, but I can tell you they are spendy. But they are the Rolls Royce of pressures canners.

ETA. You can find them on many survival gear pimp websites or here

Home Canning Supplies, Canning Jars, Tools & Ingredients - Canning Supply (http://www.canningsupply.com/prod_detail_list/s?keyword=american+pressure+canners&p=CSMSN&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=pressure%20canners&utm_campaign=Canners&utm_content=All-American_Pressure_Canners&ne_kw=pressure%20canners&ne_ad_id=1369316&ne_ppc_id=1118)

[Evolver]

Your welcome Katrina, There has been allot of flat tops broken due to the weight of a fully loaded 22qt canner. How it happens?... who knows it might be the temp + weight + a dropped something on the surface but it has happened.



I have been looking at Bass Pro and they do not seem to have this pressure canner. They have friers but nothing that you could cook low acid foods in. Any idea where the pressure canner in the video came from?

The Bass Pro sale is just for the Propane Cooker/Burner less the tank only. If you want to can on it you need to supply your own Pressure Canner or Water Bath Canner depending on the acid content in your foods.

[Evolver]

I've had this on my Amazon wish list for a long time: Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SQ14 Single Burner Outdoor Patio Stove: Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SQ14-Single-Outdoor/dp/B0009JXYQ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I205XK6E08O2T7&colid=FTY8VGUJ7KPZ)
I like the stoutness of that one! :) It looks like a good one.

[Katrina]

You know you guys, my Christmas list is getting longer and longer, every time I learn about these cool gadgets.

[ladyhk13]

Lady, the canner in the Video is an All-American. I can't quite tell the model, but I can tell you they are spendy. But they are the Rolls Royce of pressures canners.

ETA. You can find them on many survival gear pimp websites or here

Home Canning Supplies, Canning Jars, Tools & Ingredients - Canning Supply (http://www.canningsupply.com/prod_detail_list/s?keyword=american+pressure+canners&p=CSMSN&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=pressure%20canners&utm_campaign=Canners&utm_content=All-American_Pressure_Canners&ne_kw=pressure%20canners&ne_ad_id=1369316&ne_ppc_id=1118)

I actually went last night (in the middle of the night...half asleep) and found them at I do believe All American and you are right, they are expensive. There are 2 models that are made for the propane tank. One is over $400 and the other is over $600. (pressure canner only) then the stand it goes on that connects to the propane tank is another $120.
I was almost thinking that one of those would be good to use in my summer kitchen instead of a full sized gas range but actually the range would be just as cheap plus I would get more burners to use at the same time. It was a good thought though.

[ladyhk13]

Your welcome Katrina, There has been allot of flat tops broken due to the weight of a fully loaded 22qt canner. How it happens?... who knows it might be the temp + weight + a dropped something on the surface but it has happened.
.

From what I have read, the problem is that most canners are larger than the heating "ring" on the stove and the high temps on the glass that is outside of the ring is too high and can crack the glass. My stove actually has a burner that I can chose to have a normal size burner area or I can also push a button to enlarge the area to accomodate the large pots and pans so I guess that is why I can use my pressure canner on my flat top. Also, my canner has a flat bottom so the temps do not fluctuate either since the whole pot makes contact with the stove. those are considerations you have to look at, it depends on your stove and it's features as to whether you can use a pressure canner.

[idahobob]

We can outside, on the back porch, exclusively. We have been doing it for several years. The stove that we us is a Camp Chef Yukon. It has three burners that develop 30,000 BTU's on each burner. The controls are fully adjustable from full blast to VERY low. We use our water bath canner out there and also our All American 30 qt pressure canner.

A link to the stove is here:

Tahoe Triple Burner Cooker - Camp Chef - The Way to Cook Outdoors (http://www.campchef.com/tahoe-triple-burner-cooker.html)

We originally purchased the stove for camping, but it gets a workout all year round.

We keep LOTS of propane stored so we have never run out. We have bottles ranging from 25lb to 100lb.

Oh yeah, we found our All American canner on Craig's list for $100.00. One of the best investments that we have made. Going to take the plunge this year and get a new one so we can have one going on the stove and one getting loaded up. There is more than enough room on the stove to keep two of these monsters going at the same time.

Bob
III

[Katrina]

Thanks IB, that looks good as well. MMMM more toys!!!!

[Taz Baby]

ID is that stove strong enough to hold 3 big cookers? In the pic the legs don't look like it is.

[idahobob]

ID is that stove strong enough to hold 3 big cookers? In the pic the legs don't look like it is.

How big are you asking?

With the size of the cook top, I can fit two 21 Quart Water Bath Canners or two All American 30 Quart Pressure Canners. If the stove top was, oh, lets say 6-8 inches wider, we could fit a canner over each burner.

The legs are strong enough to withstand two fully filled (they say 19 pint jars, but I only use 18 pint jars) 30 Quart Pressure canners. I haven't weighed one that is full, but since I pack them from the kitchen out to the back porch, where the stove is, and back, I know that the things are damned heavy!

Especially when we are canning meat, with all of the cutting, packing jars, etc, 2 canners keeps me jumpin'!

Hope that answers your question.

Bob
III

[Taz Baby]

Yes it does. Just thought by looking at it that the legs on the stove weren't strong enough to hold all the pots that would be full and heavy. Thanks ID.

[Alas Babylon]

If its cool outside, we can in the house on our propane stove. In the heat of summer, we use the large side burner on the grill, which is plumbed into our main 500 gallon propane tank.
never thought about using the turkey frier, and for once, something I already have!
As a side note, since we switched from electric stove to gas, I'll never go back.

[Sniper-T]

Who's still pressure canning???

bump!

[Gunfixr]

I'm not, but want to get into it. I think i'm finally in a position to get everything and start.

[Katrina]

I'm still water bath canning but haven't gotten out the pressure canner yet. Due to health issues and Son's death haven't been up for much right now.Plus we are still having a bit of trouble getting jars and lids. Things are starting to roll in but I haven't seen any quart jars yet. Hoping they'll start showing up soon. Have gone to a few estate sales but if they had jars, the first people in the door grab'em.Same with the cast iron. Still trying to locate CI saucepans at garage/estate sales.