Home Canning

[GunnyFreedom]

I just got home from helping my mother can 40lbs of white meat chicken, and the next project will be 40lbs of ground beef. Home canning is a good, less expensive way to build up some good long term food stores. Some things, like snap peas, cost more to home can than you can buy a can at the grocery store. Other things, like meats, cost way less. The 40lbs of chicken cost around HALF what it costs to buy canned chicken at Walmart, and it's better. Pure chicken with zero preservatives. No additives AT ALL. Good stuff!

We're thinking about holding a series of canning classes and inviting all the liberty peeps int he area to learn how to can, well, anything at all.

[luctor-et-emergo]

I have been looking into retort pouches, so I can 'can' my own dinners and heat them like MRE's. (for when I go fishing or emergencies etc.)

I have some experience with canning and/or sterilizing items but I'd always love to learn more... Sadly I'm not in the area..

[Suzanimal]

I have an awesome recipe for canned jalapenos and green tomatoes, it's the only thing I know how to can.

It's easy and the peppers and tomatoes stay crunchy - I hate mushy jalapenos.

I'll post it and you're more than welcome to use it if you want. It's super easy, fast, and clearly idiot proof.


I would love to take canning classes. If you give me enough notice, I'll pack up my Mom and the Franzia Chilliable Red and take a road trip.

[Suzanimal]

I've never had home canned meat but I hate the stuff in the grocery store, I think it's the texture. Does home canned have a normal texture?

[GunnyFreedom]

I've never had home canned meat but I hate the stuff in the grocery store, I think it's the texture. Does home canned have a normal texture?

I dunno, the texture of meat depends on how it's cooked, really. It seems normal enough to me, but then the texture of store bought canned meat seems relatively normal (aside from their propensity to incorporate gristle, water, and cornstarch in the commercial cans). It does taste a whole lot better though. Grocery store canned meat tastes like tin cans to me. Canned meat in a glass jar does not.

[GunnyFreedom]

When canning meat, I always try to cut against the grain so that it has a better texture. The stuff you get in a store is not treated so carefully.

[Suzanimal]

I dunno, the texture of meat depends on how it's cooked, really. It seems normal enough to me, but then the texture of store bought canned meat seems relatively normal (aside from their propensity to incorporate gristle, water, and cornstarch in the commercial cans). It does taste a whole lot better though. Grocery store canned meat tastes like tin cans to me. Canned meat in a glass jar does not.

I've only had canned chicken and it seemed mushy and it did kind of taste like tin can.

[GunnyFreedom]

I've only had canned chicken and it seemed mushy and it did kind of taste like tin can.

There is a really good chance that commercial canned meat WILL be mushier than home canned meat, because I am willing to bet that commercial producers will cook it longer/hotter/higher pressures. As a "just in case." If you are supposed to can chicken in a pressure cooker at 12psi for 20 minutes at 225° f (water boils at a higher temp at pressure), I am willing to bet that a commercial canner will can it at 18psi for 40 minutes at 240°. That will certainly make the chicken mushier, and also that's why it tastes like a tin can. Glass doesn't give off a flavor.

[donnay]

Pressure canning is the way to can meat.

How to Can Meat Step-by-Step
http://www.preparednesspro.com/step-...p-meat-canning

[GunnyFreedom]

Pressure canning is the way to can meat.

How to Can Meat Step-by-Step
http://www.preparednesspro.com/step-...p-meat-canning

Absolutely, we canned it with a pressure cooker.

[Brian4Liberty]

Hmmm. Not a fan of canned meat. How does canning beef compare and contrast with making jerky?

[Natural Citizen]

Absolutely, we canned it with a pressure cooker.

What.the.heck.is.that!?

[donnay]

What.the.heck.is.that!?

Canned chicken, is what it looks like. Make great chicken salad.

[GunnyFreedom]

Hmmm. Not a fan of canned meat. How does canning beef compare and contrast with making jerky?

Home canned meat is a lot better than commercial canned meat. By a long way. I don't know that there is a comparison between canned beef and beef jerky. They are like 180° different.

[Brian4Liberty]

Home canned meat is a lot better than commercial canned meat. By a long way. I don't know that there is a comparison between canned beef and beef jerky. They are like 180° different.

Yeah. I was wondering if there are shelf life or nutritional differences.

[GunnyFreedom]

What.the.heck.is.that!?

That, is about 20lb worth of home canned white meat chicken. There is NOTHING added. No salt, no spices, no preservatives, no water, no nothing. We took 40lb of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts straight from the farmer, cut them into roughly 3/4" cubes, stuffed them into the jars and packed them as tight as we could, and the pressure canned them. The canning process actually cooks the meat.

[GunnyFreedom]

Canned chicken, is what it looks like. Make great chicken salad.

Exactly right!

[GunnyFreedom]

Yeah. I was wondering if there are shelf life or nutritional differences.

Shelf life for the canned meat as presented is 5-7 years. You can extend that to 10-15 years by adding in a bunch of salt and preservatives, but 5-7 years is plenty for me, I'll rotate it out before then. As to nutrition, all I have is a guess, but I would guess that home canned meat is probably one of the most nutritious methods of preparation there is, since it's all completely sealed. You stuff raw meat into a jar until it's packed almost to the top, clean off the rim, put on a boiled seal and ring, and then pressure cook at 12psi for something like 20 minutes.

[Natural Citizen]

That, is about 20lb worth of home canned white meat chicken. There is NOTHING added. No salt, no spices, no preservatives, no water, no nothing. We took 40lb of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts straight from the farmer, cut them into roughly 3/4" cubes, stuffed them into the jars and packed them as tight as we could, and the pressure canned them. The canning process actually cooks the meat.

Ah. I see. I thought it might be chicken. I'll tell you what, Gunny Freedom, I'm from the sticks in the Blue Ridge mountains and have eaten more canned food than you can shake a stick at but never did granny ever can meat. That's a first for me seeing it in a jar like that. Well...except for those jars of pigs feet in the supermarket.

[HVACTech]

What.the.heck.is.that!?

reported.

[amy31416]

I imagine it'd taste decent in applications like pot pie, enchiladas and other casserole-ish dishes as well. Perhaps even barbecue if shredded. Soups for sure.

I'd use salt though.

Hoping to get enough peppers, garlic. tomatoes, cauliflower and carrots to grow next year to can them (love making giardiniera.) I've been looking into greenhouses in order to get a jump on the season. I just freeze all my herbs and they're pretty close to fresh-tasting, but they're easy to dry.

My grandmother used to simply use leftover meats in soups and stews and can those. I think that's probably what I'd do.

[amy31416]

Ah. I see. I thought it might be chicken. I'll tell you what, Gunny Freedom, I'm from the sticks in the Blue Ridge mountains and have eaten more canned food than you can shake a stick at but never did granny ever can meat. That's a first for me seeing it in a jar like that. Well...except for those jars of pigs feet in the supermarket.

Yeah, I've never seen that before either. It looks a bit off-putting--like brains in a jar.

[pessimist]

[anaconda]

Do the jars need to be topped off with some sort of liquid before putting the lid on? Your finished product looks like each jar is full of nice chicken stock. I realize some liquid will be released from the chicken breast as it cooks.

[anaconda]

Yeah, I've never seen that before either. It looks a bit off-putting--like brains in a jar.

I think the appearance from the photo might be a tad misleading. I think if we opened a jar it would be like super upscale chicken soup.

[GunnyFreedom]

Pressure canning is the way to can meat.

How to Can Meat Step-by-Step
http://www.preparednesspro.com/step-...p-meat-canning

OOOooohhhhh I love the idea of canning corned beef...

[GunnyFreedom]

Do the jars need to be topped off with some sort of liquid before putting the lid on? Your finished product looks like each jar is full of nice chicken stock. I realize some liquid will be released from the chicken breast as it cooks.

No liquid is added when using raw pack for meat. All of that broth comes out of the raw meat.

[GunnyFreedom]

I think the appearance from the photo might be a tad misleading. I think if we opened a jar it would be like super upscale chicken soup.

It certainly looks a lot better once it is poured out of the jar. The weird appearance comes mostly from the fact that it's packed tight behind glass. Pour it out into a bowl or something and it just looks like ordinary chunks of cooked chicken in broth.

[donnay]

OOOooohhhhh I love the idea of canning corned beef...

I wonder how corned beef hash would come out? I might give it a try. I do not particularly like it, but some family members do.

[GunnyFreedom]

I wonder how corned beef hash would come out? I might give it a try. I do not particularly like it, but some family members do.

After a month or so wouldn't the potatoes go soggy? Mind you in corned beef hash it may not matter that much if the potatoes go soggy....

Then again canned corned beef hash seems to do plenty fine in a commercial can for half of forever, and since commercial canning tends to go 'soggier' than home canning maybe I'm completely wrong on that.