How I Pressure Can Meat: October 2011 Thread of the Month Contest Winner

[JustAPrepper]

I've been asked a few questions about how I can meat so I thought I'd throw this out there.

I purchase meat in bulk whenever I find it on sale. I've canned various cuts of Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Ground Chuck, Sausage and Ham.

I NEVER can any recipe I find on the internet unless I can confirm its safety either from the Ball Blue Book or from a trusted source. We are pretty easy going when it comes to our food storage but canning is something I take very seriously. Food Poisoning and Botulism are not on my menu, if I can help it.

There are two ways to can meats, Hot Pack and Raw Pack. Hot Pack is when you partially cook your meat first. Anything that is “ground” needs to be cooked first or it will solidify in the jars and may not be safe to eat because the heat may not penetrate to the center. As for other cuts, some people say pre-cooking adds flavor. I did this in the beginning and I can’t taste a difference so now I only Raw Pack. I also don’t like the idea of cooking my meat twice because I think it breaks down the texture and probably degrades the nutritional value…and…it saves time and energy, both my own energy and natural gas for the stove.

Chicken is our favorite, by far, followed by Pork then Beef. DH could eat the Beef several times a week but I’m not a big Beef eater and since I’m the Menu Maker, I find it difficult to squeeze the Beef in.

As far as the Beef goes, I've done Top Round, Bottom Round and Sirloin Tip. While all delicious, one of the Rounds is a little drier than the other but I can't remember exactly which one because I typically just mark my jars as "Roast Beef". It's still fork tender and flavorful, like it had been slow cooking all day long, just a little drier in texture.

I've done both Pork Butt and Pork Loin and prefer the Loin. Both are delicious but if I had to choose one over the other I think I'd go with the Loin. It seems to have a cleaner "porkier" flavor. The Butts have some meat on them that look like "dark" meat and I think that's what muddies the flavor a bit.

I've canned both Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts and Thighs. Neither of us care for the Thighs. Even though it's our preferred piece of Chicken when eating fresh, after the canning process the Thighs were so tender they almost melt in your mouth, literally. Good if you're eating a piece of chocolate but not so good when eating a piece of meat. The texture is a complete turn off so I stick with Breasts now when canning.

I've only done a small amount of Turkey and think its all Breast meat. I did a SHTF Thanksgiving Dinner last year and it was delicious.

I don't care for the taste of the Ground Chuck so I don't do it anymore although DH says it tastes fine. I think it has a funky after-taste, kind of like canned Corned Beef. Canned Corned Beef is fine but when we've tested the canned Ground Chuck with Spaghetti and Taco's I couldn't finish eating dinner. The flavor combinations were a little too gross for me.

I canned some Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage and it was good but we've since discovered Honeyville's Sausage Flavored TVP that is terrific so I won't be canning anymore Sausage.

I also don't like the way the Ham turned out. I boiled it before canning (based on a recommendation) and I think it's really dry and tough but again, DH says it's fine. I'm actually going to dump the jars and get them off my shelf to make room for other things. I'll stick with Dak Hams and Spam as a SHTF Ham Substitute.

Whenever I purchase new jars I wash them (and give the lids and rings a swish) as soon as I get home just to make sure to get rid of any dust or dirt that may be inside. When dry, I put the lids and rings back on and put them in closet so they are ready and waiting.

Many times there has been a sale but I wasn't ready or didn't have time to can so I freeze the meat. I never freeze it whole, I always get it cubed first so once it's thawed I'm able to move forward quickly. Also, one of my groceries will debone, cut and package any way I want, free of charge. If I have a lot of shopping to do I'll get my meat first and let them get started while I shop. And, I've made it a point to become friendly with one of the butcher's. He knows I'm a "Canner" and knows what I like...2" cubes. That's a huge time saver for me so I take advantage when I can.

Some meats need to be trimmed of some fat. Fat adds flavor and will be good in a SHTF situation but I don’t like a lot of fat in my jars so I make sure to trim as needed. Pork Butt can be really fatty inside the meat so I trim quite a bit away. Pork Loin has a fat cap across the top. If it’s too thick I’ll take my knife and skim a section off the top.

When it's time to can usually the meat has either been thawing or at least sitting in the fridge overnight. If I'm canning in the morning I'll get up *very* early and set the meat out so it can warm a bit then go back to bed for an hour or so. If I'm canning later in the morning I still pull the meat out to warm a little. I do this to prevent jar breakage from putting cold meat in a hot jar. Chicken can get slimy after thawing from frozen so just recently I've started putting it in a strainer and rinsing some of the slime off then I put the strainer over a bowl so it can continue to drain while I'm processing.

I set my table up the same way every single time including my Ball Blue Book, even though I've done this hundreds of times. This way I can make sure I have everything I need, when I need it. Then I disinfect the kitchen counters just to make sure my work area is clean. Then I fill my Water Bath Canner with water and get my jars, lids and rings warming. Next is the Pressure Canner. I fill according to its instructions, add a splash of Vinegar (this helps keep the inside of the canner from getting all cruddy from mineral deposits).

I only use water in my meats, not broth. By doing Raw Pack, the meats make their own kind of broth inside the jars. I also don’t season my meats with any spices. I want my meats in their own juices, without any flavorings so I can use them any way I want. This way, I can season any way I want to when I’m ready to cook. And so far, I have literally dozens of ways to use our meats from simple BBQ sandwiches, wraps, sandwiches, casseroles, Shortcut Sunday Dinner and a variety of Mexican dishes.

After the canning process I let my canner come down to normal pressure on its own. Because our kitchen is so small DH cut me some plywood that fits across a cabinet in our living room. This is where I let our jars sit overnight to cool. If we are running the A/C I cover the jars with a towel to keep any blast from the A/C or from a fan from hitting them and potentially breaking them since they are so hot. The next morning I check all my lids to make sure they are sucked down. Then I fill the sink with hot, soapy water, let all the rings soak and I wash all the jars. I don't submerge the jars, I just use the hot soapy water and a sponge to clean them, then I rinse under running water. When all the jars are done I wash the rings. When everything is dry I put the rings back on the jars, only because I don't have a place to store a bunch of loose rings, date the lids and place on the shelf.

Here are some pictures…

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/032711CANPORK2.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/032711CANPORK1.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/032711CANPORK4.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/032711CANPORK3.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/032711CANPORK7.jpg

[JustAPrepper]

Here's the 32 Jars of Chicken I did yesterday. My canner holds 16 Pints, stacked. In a day I can do a double session, that's over a months worth of protein in a single day.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/101111CANNEDCHICKEN.jpg


And here are some of the other meats...Left to right...Ground Chuck, Roast Beef, Pork, Chicken, Sausage

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/101111CANNEDMEAT1.jpg


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/101111CANNEDMEAT2.jpg


http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o503/JustaFrugalFoodie/SHTF%20READY%20CANNING%20THREAD/101111CANNEDMEAT3.jpg

[bacpacker]

Justa you do good work! We've never done meat before. Looks like we need to start. Thanks for the info you put out.

I also second the "cleanliness" aspect. We always sanatize all equipment, surfaces, & jars before starting anything. Botulisum is something NO ONE wants to deal with.

[JustAPrepper]

Justa you do good work! We've never done meat before. Looks like we need to start. Thanks for the info you put out.

I also second the "cleanliness" aspect. We always sanatize all equipment, surfaces, & jars before starting anything. Botulisum is something NO ONE wants to deal with.

Thanks, BP! :D

[Kodiak]

Great job, makes me wish i knew how to can stuff. Its on my to-do-list but havnt gotten around to learning the skill yet.

[ladyhk13]

Justa thanks so much for posting all of this...I can see now what you were talking about. I think I may not be packing my stuff tight enough. I am going to try again soon. You give me so much inspiration that it makes me just want to go to Costco and buy out the meat cases!

[ravensgrove]

Nice "how to". I am glad you gave pictures for a minute I was thinking..."what is this a piglet pork loin?" how does it fit in the jars? LMAO!
I have canned all sorts of things but never any meat but fish. I did a round of beef when you posted the idea in the ladies forum...we are three more weeks until our official "test" date.

[Sniper-T]

hopefully this hunting season will give me enough bounty to do some canning. Thanks for the post.

btw what brand is your pressure canner?

[JustAPrepper]

Sniper, I have a Mirro 22 Quart that I ordered off Amazon. Presto also makes one that is near identical to mine. I would have liked the All American but it was out of our price range.

[mollypup]

JustaPrepper that is awesome!!! I've canned a lot of meat too but still have learned some new things from you! I've never tried canning sausage or ground beef. I've just stuck with chicken, pork and beef. I've got a lot of jars of chicken thighs so I'm now wary of what their texture is going to be like after reading your post. I might try mixing them with rice if the texture is too soft.

My hat's off to you! You've inspired me to continue canning from a new perspective. :)

[mitunnelrat]

This was outstanding. I hadn't even considered canning meat. Thank you

[JustAPrepper]

Thanks again!

While our Katadyn filter is super important and plays a big role in our plan (ETA - as does our Wheat Grinder), the Pressure Canner has become, by far, my most favorite "tool" when it comes to our food storage.

Canning meat is much easier than canning jelly, as far as I'm concerned. And for us, with our limited storage space, getting those proteins on the shelf was the priority and still is today. As of today, we have over 400 jars of meat. At a jar a day, that's a little over a year's worth.

We've dedicated an entire bedroom to our Long Term food storage. Because we're in Florida, we don't have the luxury of a cellar or basement so we've done the best we can. We put cardboard up in the window to keep the light out. I keep all the jars in the boxes they come in to block additional light. Our A/C runs at least six months out of the year so if I had to guess, we probably maintain a yearly average of around 70 degrees or so. We are rotating stock that is dated 2009 and it's every bit as good as the day I canned it.

Molly, I'd be really interested in hearing your review of the Chicken Thighs. Just for comparison purposes. Did you can yours the same way I did mine? If you did something different, and like your results, would you share?

[ladyhk13]

Wow Justa!!!! 400 jars, that is soooo impressive. Hats off to you! How long did it take you to do all of that and what sizes are they? I have no problem doing jams...I have tons of them (we have lots of fruit trees here) and they didn't really scare me but the meats terrified me. BUT you make it seem so easy so I know I have to do more of them and just do it! You have inspired me so I'm going to really make the effort to can all the meats except the ground beef...I'll take your word for it and not your husbands...LOL

[JustAPrepper]

Lady, I started canning summer of 2009. I think it took me right at a year, maybe a little longer to get 300+ jars. Once we met that we started eating and rotating on a regular basis. Having a one year supply at all times is my goal. Just recently we fell a ways below that so I've been canning a lot lately but now I can back off a little. I'm glad I inspired you. I promise, it really is as easy as I've said and the meats are outstanding. You can do it!! :)

[ladyhk13]

Lady, I started canning summer of 2009. I think it took me right at a year, maybe a little longer to get 300+ jars. Once we met that we started eating and rotating on a regular basis. Having a one year supply at all times is my goal. Just recently we fell a ways below that so I've been canning a lot lately but now I can back off a little. I'm glad I inspired you. I promise, it really is as easy as I've said and the meats are outstanding. You can do it!! :)

We have a few things we need to get done and then I'm gonna go and but a bunch of pork and chicken to can. I guess if I can do 100 jars of peaches, 80 jars of cherry jam, more than 100 jars of various types of apple items, rasperry and blackberry jams, and as many of pears I guess I can do meats. I guess meats just seem to be harder because they take so long in the cooker where jams are fast in the water bath. My canner only does 7 pints at a time so it seems to take forever.

BUT, I will do it...I promise and then I'll take some pics (if I do it right LOL!)

[helomech]

Great write up. I never canned anything in my life until about 3 months ago. Since then I have put up 70 jars of chicken. I think that is about 25 whole chickens. Going to do some deer and wild hog meat next.

Here are some of the jars of chicken.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/IMG_1440.jpg

[ladyhk13]

Great write up. I never canned anything in my life until about 3 months ago. Since then I have put up 70 jars of chicken. I think that is about 25 whole chickens. Going to do some deer and wild hog meat next.

Here are some of the jars of chicken.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/IMG_1440.jpg

Are those pints and how many people do they feed? Good job!!!!

[JustAPrepper]

Great write up. I never canned anything in my life until about 3 months ago. Since then I have put up 70 jars of chicken. I think that is about 25 whole chickens. Going to do some deer and wild hog meat next.

Here are some of the jars of chicken.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/IMG_1440.jpg

Great job, Helo! I bet it's easier than you thought and it adds up quick doesn't it?!:)

[helomech]

Are those pints and how many people do they feed? Good job!!!!

Yes they are pints. The pints just happen to fit better in that location than quarts. I have all sizes, but have only done pints so far. With some side dishes one pint will feed all 4 of us in my family. If eating just the meat, 2 people maybe.

Thanks

[helomech]

Great job, Helo! I bet it's easier than you thought and it adds up quick doesn't it?!:)

Thanks

Yeah it is easy, had a few that didn't seal, but we just ate those. My cooker will do 8 of the wide mouth jars, or 9 of the regular mouth jars.

[mollypup]

Molly, I'd be really interested in hearing your review of the Chicken Thighs. Just for comparison purposes. Did you can yours the same way I did mine? If you did something different, and like your results, would you share?

I can them basically the same way you do. I will buy a large package or two of chicken thighs (usually still with the bone) since those are the cheapest cuts of chicken. I fill up one side of the kitchen sink with hot water and dump all the thighs into it. Then I pull off the chicken skin and discard it. I also try to pull off any large hunks of fat that are attached to the meat. I usually use regular-mouthed sized jars since the chicken thighs can easily slip through them. I uses mostly pint-size because I plan to mix the meat with rice or noodles, or make soups out of it.

I hate to say that I'm not nearly as sterile as you are when I can. :o I will wash the jars, lids and bands off in hot soapy water and after rinsing I'll let them soak in warm water but I don't heat the water up on the stove. I grab a wet, clean jar then drop a few chicken thighs into it until they are up to where the shoulder of the jar becomes the neck where the bands screw onto. I will add 1/2 tsp. salt (just regular table salt), fill the jar with water from the faucet, squeeze the air bubbles out with a spatula then wipe any salt and water off the top of the jar. I grab a lid out of the water and wipe it off real good with a clean towel and place it on top of the jar. Then I grab a band and wipe it off real good too then screw it on the jar but not too tightly. I set it all in the pressure canner, get it up to pressure and wait until it's time to take them out. I tend to get the pressure a few lbs. higher than required, and I let them stay in the canner about 15 - 20 minutes longer. It doesn't seem to hurt anything and I figure the longer and hotter the more likely all the germs and bacteria are killed. I LOVE hearing the *pops!* of each lid as it seals itself to the jar. I've had a few failures where the lids wouldn't pop but I put those jars into the fridge and we eat those for dinner during the week.

I've got probably 100 jars of various meats and they always taste good and are very tender when I open a jar. HOWEVER (lol!) I haven't yet tried a jar of chicken thighs but I will tonight and report back how their texture and flavor is. I've got some chicken I canned well over a year ago and the jars are still tightly sealed. I store them all in the basement where it's very dark and cool so hopefully they'll last a long time.

Justaprepper - your canning is truly awesome! The pics you posted are perfect! You should make some You-tube videos about canning! :D

[ladyhk13]

Ok Justa...you did it! We went to Sam's today and bought A LOT of chicken breast, pork loin, and a huge some sort of beef (I was looking at the roasts and the guy came over and I asked him which one would be more tender when canned and he brought up buying this whole slab of something because it was cheaper instead of buying it already cut up...that is good, so I bought it and didn't even look at what kind it was...oops). So I guess over the next few days I'm going to be canning my butt off and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!!! LOL! This will be interesting. :confused:

[mollypup]

JustaPrepper - I opened up a jar of chicken thighs that I canned several months ago and mixed the meat with some boiled noodles. I sampled it prior to mixing it with the noodles and found the meat to be really good! It wasn't overly tender and tasted quite good. I could have stuffed all of it in my pie hole just then lol! I don't know why yours comes out too tender. Maybe what I consider tender and what you consider tender are different. Maybe you like your meats a little less tender than I like mine. Maybe the thighs are the same and it's just personal taste. :) Who knows!

maybe...maybe.....maybe.....baby! :D

[izzyscout21]

Why is it that every time any of the ladies make a post, I end up hungry?

[bacpacker]

+1

[ladyhk13]

HaHaHa

[Sniper-T]

Is it possible to waterbath can meat? or does it have to be pressure canned?

If not... why not?

If the meat and broth were brought up to safe temperature (cooked) prior to canning, would that not eliminate the danger of spoilage?

[helomech]

Meat must be pressure canned. You can't get the temp high enough without the pressure to kill everything.

[mollypup]

Meat must be pressure canned. You can't get the temp high enough without the pressure to kill everything.

Exactly. And you would see the results of canning meat in a water bath a few days later. The bacteria will grow inside the jar and excrete wastes and toxins which will turn the meat a nasty color and the seal will be broken. If it stays in the jar too long it may start leaking out and really smelling up the place. Actually, a pressure canner is very, very easy to use. If you are thinking about the pressure canners our mothers and grandmothers used then you need an update! :)
Modern pressure canners are a LOT safer and super easy to use. I never canned until last year and I could have kicked myself for not starting sooner after I found out how easy it is to do. And I don't like a lot of work intensive kitchen stuff so if it was cumbersome I would drop doing it in a sec.

[Sniper-T]

I'm not worried about actually using one... it is going out to buy one, and then finding cupboard space to put it... not to mention justifying it's existance to my wife - lol

It just seems that if the meat was cooked to an appropriate temperature prior to bath-canning, and the jars were suitably stable, then where is the bacteria going to come from? Not trying to argue... just to understand...


I have been water canning garden stuff for 30 years, but have never tried meat or fish... yet!

[mollypup]

The bacteria will most likely come from the meat itself. All the bacteria can't be killed by using a water bath. Even nowadays canning books are telling us to use pressure canning for foods that used to be acidic enough to kill the bacteria like tomatoes. Foods really have to be a certain pH level before they're considered safe to can using just a water bath. The meat will cook in the jars while the water boils around the jars, but boiling water can only get to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and the meat needs to get at least to 240 Fahrenheit and at 11 psi for 90 minutes to ensure killing all bacteria.

I completely understand the need for room to store a pressure canner. My husband and I finally got some boards and bricks and made a couple of long shelves to store all of my kitchen junk like my canner, bread maker, pasta maker, dehydrator, vacuum sealer, etc.....That stuff can sure take up a lot of room. Sorry to hear that your wife isn't thrilled about buying a canner, but maybe you two could try pressure canning something together. Once she sees how easy it is she might even start canning without you! :)

[helomech]

I'm not worried about actually using one... it is going out to buy one, and then finding cupboard space to put it... not to mention justifying it's existance to my wife - lol

It just seems that if the meat was cooked to an appropriate temperature prior to bath-canning, and the jars were suitably stable, then where is the bacteria going to come from? Not trying to argue... just to understand...


I have been water canning garden stuff for 30 years, but have never tried meat or fish... yet!

With out the pressure from a pressure cooker you can only get water up to 212 degrees, and that is not high enough to kill everything. The only way to get the water up to 240 degrees necessary to kill everything it must be put under pressure. It is just physics, can't get around it. Please don't try to can meat without a pressure cooker.

[helomech]

The bacteria will most likely come from the meat itself. All the bacteria can't be killed by using a water bath. Even nowadays canning books are telling us to use pressure canning for foods that used to be acidic enough to kill the bacteria like tomatoes. Foods really have to be a certain pH level before they're considered safe to can using just a water bath. The meat will cook in the jars while the water boils around the jars, but boiling water can only get to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and the meat needs to get at least to 240 Fahrenheit and at 11 psi for 90 minutes to ensure killing all bacteria.

I completely understand the need for room to store a pressure canner. My husband and I finally got some boards and bricks and made a couple of long shelves to store all of my kitchen junk like my canner, bread maker, pasta maker, dehydrator, vacuum sealer, etc.....That stuff can sure take up a lot of room. Sorry to hear that your wife isn't thrilled about buying a canner, but maybe you two could try pressure canning something together. Once she sees how easy it is she might even start canning without you! :)

Dang you beat me to it.

[JustAPrepper]

Molly, thanks so much for trying your Chicken Thighs and giving your report!! It's always nice to hear the experience of others. We still don't care for the texture but if it works for you...you Go Girl! :) And great explanation on the need to Pressure Can meats.

As for storage...I keep almost all my kitchen appliances in the boxes they came in. Makes them easy to stack and store in or out of the cupboards.

[ladyhk13]

Hey Justa! Love that you changed to "Queen of the Doom Room" it fits perfectly!!! LOL

[ladyhk13]

Justa....Ok girl, I just put my first batch of pork loin in the canner and it's getting ready to build up pressure!!!! Wish me luck that I don't blow the roof off!!!!!!!! LOL!

[mollypup]

Justa....Ok girl, I just put my first batch of pork loin in the canner and it's getting ready to build up pressure!!!! Wish me luck that I don't blow the roof off!!!!!!!! LOL!





.......hello?.........ladyhk13?..................h ello?....................gosh! I hope she didn't blow the roof off her house! ;)

[ladyhk13]

.......hello?.........ladyhk13?..................h ello?....................gosh! I hope she didn't blow the roof off her house! ;)

OK!!! Canner is turned off and cooling for first batch! Roof still on in the kitchen! YAHOOOOO! Bad news is I have to do the process all over again once cooled....

[bacpacker]

Sounds like progress to me! The roof staying on is an added bonus.

[Dropy]

sounds like progress to me! The roof staying on is an added bonus.


lol!

[Stormfeather]

OK!!! Canner is turned off and cooling for first batch! Roof still on in the kitchen! YAHOOOOO! Bad news is I have to do the process all over again once cooled....

This is a very good thing!! So how did it turn out?

[ladyhk13]

This is a very good thing!! So how did it turn out?

My kitchen is in one piece...no holes in the ceiling and no trips to the hospital so I would say it was wonderful!

Well all came out good except one jar of chicken lost about half of it's juice so I don't know if that is going to be a problem or not. I will keep an eye on all of the jars to make sure non of them leak or lose their seal over the next several weeks and then maybe next month I'll open one pork and one chicken (probably the one with the less juice) and see how they taste. If all is well I'll do more of that kind. I haven't done any breast yet or the beef. Had a busy week so I froze them to do them soon. It just takes so long compared to canning. I had pressured potatos and some other stuff but never pork or chicken so it scared me to try. Stew beef was as far as I went. I'm branching out now thanks to the gals here.

[Evolver]

After the meat is canned you are about 5 mins away from having a dang good BBQ sandwich, awesome burritos and a tasty chicken salad sandwich just to name a few.

What I like to do is open a jar of the pork and a jar of my canned hot salsa, drain the liquid off the pork, dump in a pot add the salsa, mix, heat, place on a flame warmed tortilla, add cheese, roll and eat!!! Dang good eats in under 5 mins. :)

[Sparrow]

I am copying Justa's posts on this thread to a word document. That is how amazing I think her information is.

And print it out and file it of course.

[ladyhk13]

Well all of my jars are still good and sealed...no bad jars! Yabba dabba doooo! Will open a couple next week or so and see how they taste.

[sidewinder]

Serious question...

If one had to live in a tent for a long period of time.....could/would using a pressure cooker canning technique work on a camp fire situation?

Would you buy and use a pressure cooker as a primative survival tool? Would it work? Would it be worth it? Or would you use salt & drying to preserve meat? (like Deer)

[mollypup]

Serious question...

If one had to live in a tent for a long period of time.....could/would using a pressure cooker canning technique work on a camp fire situation?

Would you buy and use a pressure cooker as a primative survival tool? Would it work? Would it be worth it? Or would you use salt & drying to preserve meat? (like Deer)

I would not pressure can if I lived in a tent.....at least not inside the tent. And you'd need a way to support the weight of a fully loaded pressure canner, and a way to control the heat to keep it at the correct pressure. That can be done with something like this: 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_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I205XK6E08O2T7&colid=FTY8VGUJ7KP)

You'd also have to get the jars, lids and bands necessary to can. It's doable, but if you're living in a tent then that is probably a temporary shelter situation and you might not want to be saddled with lugging around heavy, breakable jars of canned food. Just MHO. :)

[ladyhk13]

i would have to agree with mollypup. i don't know what type of cooking system you plan on having but unless you invest in some sort of propane stove large enough to handle the process it is going to be very difficult for you to do. I imagine however though that if you plan ahead and do your research it could be done dependind on your living situation (permenant, temp, resources like water, money to buy what you need, ect.)

[sidewinder]

I was thinking survival situation without gas and propane...just wood...

All my preps are considered without any modern stuff like propane or natural gas or electricity. One could buy jars and stuff now...to be prepared. I was just wondering if it would be a doable/practical thing without a kitchen. Sounds like a dangerous propect.

[Evolver]

I was thinking survival situation without gas and propane...just wood...

All my preps are considered without any modern stuff like propane or natural gas or electricity. One could buy jars and stuff now...to be prepared. I was just wondering if it would be a doable/practical thing without a kitchen. Sounds like a dangerous propect.

Like Molly said it can be done. The toughest thing is going to be regulating the heat but that can be done by adding or taking away the heat source. If you are using an open fire just use a raised heavy cooking platform that will carry the weight of the canner (pressure or water bath) and "tend" the fire. They did it back in the good ole days so why not now.

[bacpacker]

Doing it on a fire will require more constant attention to the flame. It should work just as well otherwise. It will sure take a lot more planning for the fire and supplies for the canner organization.

[ladyhk13]

Ok I just had to let you guys know that I opened our first 2 jars of canned chicken using Justas instructions! One was breast and the other thigh. To my utter amazement it was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cut it up, threw it into a pan with mushrooms and gravy and some crushed red pepper, garlic powder and a dash of curry powder. Then I put the mixture over egg noodles and boy was it great. I thought about taking a picture of it after giving it a couple of tosses so it wasn't pretty anymore (bummer)....it looked so nice before I shoved my forked through it! But I was just so excited to try it that I totally forgot to take a pic first. I did the Snoopy Dance more than once, let me tell ya!! Now I have to get more chicken...more...more...more!!! Thanks sooooo much! Yahooooo!

[JustAPrepper]

Ok I just had to let you guys know that I opened our first 2 jars of canned chicken using Justas instructions! One was breast and the other thigh. To my utter amazement it was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cut it up, threw it into a pan with mushrooms and gravy and some crushed red pepper, garlic powder and a dash of curry powder. Then I put the mixture over egg noodles and boy was it great. I thought about taking a picture of it after giving it a couple of tosses so it wasn't pretty anymore (bummer)....it looked so nice before I shoved my forked through it! But I was just so excited to try it that I totally forgot to take a pic first. I did the Snoopy Dance more than once, let me tell ya!! Now I have to get more chicken...more...more...more!!! Thanks sooooo much! Yahooooo!

Yay for you!!! That's awesome!!:cool:

[ladyhk13]

JustA...this question is for you. I did another 15 lbs of beef (cold pack) and from the directions I read in my book is says for cold packing do not add liquid. I thought when I had done beef before and didn't add water that the jars only ended up with half a jar liquid when done. So, I added about an inch of water in one jar as an experiment and left the others without as directed. Well, the one that I added seeped all out of the top and the ones where I added nothing ended up only filling the jar up halfway as I expected! Soooooooooooo....what am I doing wrong? Is there no middle ground for me? My other beef is like that too and although it really hasn't changed the flavor or texture it looks yukky. Any advice? Thanks!

[JustAPrepper]

Lady,

I just pulled out my Ball Blue Book just to make doubly-sure I was giving the right information. After reviewing the categories for "Roast", "Steaks and Chops" and "Stew Meat", as well as ""Chopped Meat", "Pork Sausage", "Pork Tenderloin" and Poultry categories, in ALL cases it says to add liquid leaving 1" head space.

I'm not sure what book or reference material you are using that doesn't recommend using a liquid but my BBB is copyrighted 2009. Everything I have canned has had liquid added (water in my case so as not to unnecessarily flavor the meats) and almost all our jars are consistent in their appearance as far as meat to liquid ratio goes.

Putting my thinking cap on here...elevation plays a huge part in pressure canning...TN is hilly/mountainous...are you using the right pressure and the correct time?

I can only base this on my experience but I can't imagine NOT adding a liquid. We continually eat from our storage and in most cases of chicken and pork I drain the liquid. I only save the beef liquid because it makes an excellent gravy that we use over mashed potatoes or biscuits.

One last thought...if you canned that meat in the last 24 hours but are uncomfortable with the results you still have another chance. You can either stick it in the fridge or freezer (the meat is already cooked!) or you can "can" it again...maybe this time adding some liquid.

I hope that helps and I'd love to hear what you decide!

[Sniper-T]

Assuming I have a productive fishing trip, I'm hoping to be able to can some salmon when I get back
:)

[ladyhk13]

Thanks Justa. I must be all messed up since I added less than 1/2 of a jar of water to one jar and it just overflowed and spewed out of the top because the meat made it's own juices. The others that I didn't add anything to only made 1/2 a jar of liquid when done. I know the meat will be fine (my last batch came out the same way and tastes fine, just looks funny) but I can't get it to look like yours where the juice is at that perfect shoulder mark and that's what I really want it to look like. It doesn't even matter if the beef is totally lean or still has a little fat in it.
The book I got it from was the one that came with my Presto pressure cooker. I also read it online before but I wanted to make sure so I looked in my manual since that was what I was using. I have to tell you though that I LOVE canning chicken. It comes out so great...dh is not a chicken fan but he totally loves it. I almost thinks that by canning it, it gets rid of toxins/hormones/icky stuff from the store bought chicken.
Girl I could just hug you for teaching me to can meats! Dh is about to strangle me LOL!

[JustAPrepper]

It really is an addiction isn't it, LOL?!

[ladyhk13]

I never knew how much! My sister is here from Fl and I was showing her my stuff and her eyes got big and I think she may actually consider learning how to do it. She has NEVER been interested in anything prepper...anything. I approached it in a way of hurricanes and natural disasters and how we could be without power for so long and if she had meats canned she wouldn't have to worry if she lost everything in her freezer, also how much better stuff tasted from the garden and then went out and got one of my white cukes and cut it up for her...she loved it! there is hope yet!

[realist]

Could I get some help. I was thinking about canning some spaghetti sauce and taco fixings. The family lives on ground turkey. Is there any issues canning prepared food or do I have to just can the prepared ground turkey. I was thinking that if I put a bunch of my canned food at our cabin we could use it by just warming it up without having to have spices to add. What do you think?

[ladyhk13]

You can make your sauce or turkey and can them but you MUST use a pressure canner and not a water bath.

[realist]

That is what I planned. My ultimate goal is to have food packaged that we can open and eat right away with little preparation. This will eliminate the smell signature that occurs when someone has to simmer a nice sauce for several hours to get it to cook down.

Is there anyone out there that does tin can canning? I would be interested in know how to do this also. Thanks

[ladyhk13]

As in dried goods?

[Sniper-T]

I imagine he means anything. most Mormon places have actual tin can canners to rent... but usually only to members, so get to know someone. #10 cans are quite reasonably priced too. At least around here, that is the case. I broke it off with my Mormon contact though, so it is pressure canning for me

[ladyhk13]

That's what I was going to say. I go to our distribution center to do canning in #10 cans. I only do dry goods in them though since there is only 2 of us, anything that is "liquid" would go bad before we ate it, need refrigeration or we would get tired of eating it. The machine is wicked cool to use though!!!

[Sniper-T]

I don't understand... a can of store bought tuna is 'liquid' in sauce, water, or oil. why would that go bad? When I was in Alaska a while back, My brother had a bunch of salmon and halibut canned, and it lasted for years.

Do the processors there have a different machine? I would have thought that it would all be the same.

[JustAPrepper]

My interpretation of Realist's post of "tin can canning" was like what we would purchase in a store...you know, like a can of green beans or something.

If that's the case, no, I've never heard of anyone doing that...only what Lady does and packing dry goods in actual cans but you need special equipment to press and secure the lids.

As for canning spaghetti with sauce, I just scanned through the glossary at the end of my Ball Blue Book. I don't see anything for canning actual pasta (with sauce)...just canning sauce. Also just checked the UGA National Center for Home Food Preservation...

Caution: Do not add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents to home canned soups. If dried beans or peas are used, they must be fully rehydrated first.

Here's the link...http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/soups.html

[ladyhk13]

I meant go bad after we opened it since there is so much in a #10 can for only 2 people. You are right about stuff being canned by professional co's and having an expiration date. Seems like they would be good for a really long time but maybe it's because of the metal where in glass there is no chemical reaction going on? Just a thought.

[realist]

Sorry gang I was out of touch. Yes I mean tin can canning like in the store. I was thinking that it would be nice to be able to have cans as well as jars. I just do not hear about it much, I know jars are great but this would give me another option. I was also looking at smaller amounts than the number 10 cans.

I do like the idea of dry packing some food items, that way it keeps out the rodents.

As for the sauces I was looking at pasta sauce (no noodles), chilli and taco mix (no rice). These I make from scratch since I normally do not like the store bought kind. It would be nothing to make a large batch to can. So that is on my list for this winter.