Anyone here can their own meats or stews?

I have done some canning years ago. Vegetables.
But I want to do some nice dinners. Instead of buying cheap stuff at the grocer.

So I am thinking I will buy a couple cases of canning jars.

Is the 500 ml about right for one person?

What sort of things do I need to know? Any special tips or tricks?

reply to post by Rocketman7
I make a big pot of soup at least once a week. I gotta learn to can next summer. I've been collecting some mason jars and lids but I gotta get a friend of mine to come teach me.

Sorry I can't give you any advice on canning meat, as I have never done so, and assume it is different that most fruits and vegetables. On a side note though I was visiting my friend last month and she had canned some venison (yeah she is a country girl, hunts,cleans and preserves/cans her own meats), it turned out incredibly good. I was truly surprised at the full flavor it retained.

Make sure to pressure cook the food, we don't want botulism. As a side note, picked up a 8qt pressure cooker for $24.99 at Biglots.

I'm not sure how to do it, but if you read Possum Living by Dolly Freed (ISBN978-0-9820539) she talks about canning turtles and things (this was back in the 70's).

Its actually worth a read.

Now she ended up working at NASA, however their are some lessons worth learning.

Ill open up the book that came with the pressure cooker and see if it mentions any meats.

Now the time is different for each, but it recommends cooking at 15 psi, and each piece should be browned with hot fat. (its wording)

In fact it recommends 15psi for all foods that it mentions.

I can any meat possible. Wild meat is always best IMO.

A 500ml mason jar is great for a few meals for a few people with some sides to accompany. The meat in this amount is not the main but rather a taster.

There is also a better way to do it besides the bernardin jars. Look for the new method of self sealing jars. No boiling or rings to deal with. Can't remember the name of the manufacturer but a quick google will do it. I'll try to come back with more info as I am busy right now but good luck!

BTW, Canned Pork Hocks and Elk...Rock!

And yes, chicken gizzards...Oh My!

Peace

Originally posted by jude11
I can any meat possible. Wild meat is always best IMO.

A 500ml mason jar is great for a few meals for a few people with some sides to accompany. The meat in this amount is not the main but rather a taster.

There is also a better way to do it besides the bernardin jars. Look for the new method of self sealing jars. No boiling or rings to deal with. Can't remember the name of the manufacturer but a quick google will do it. I'll try to come back with more info as I am busy right now but good luck!

BTW, Canned Pork Hocks and Elk...Rock!

And yes, chicken gizzards...Oh My!

Peace

edit on 5-2-2012 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

Thanks, at least thats a start.

I just read you cannot can anything with flour or dairy in it.
Official Home canning guide
I guess I better download that website with my Website Downloader for Windows program. (its free get it and do it)

If you get Website Downloader, it has a bug. Every time you want to download a website, you have to reinstall it which takes 30 seconds. Its worth the effort. I just downloaded that entire website on canning in another 30 seconds. 30 seconds to reinstall and 30 seconds to download all those pages.
Its education, and for your own use, and I think government, so its probably fine to do it as a reference.

Nice find, thanks!

reply to post by Rocketman7


This isn't really an answer but from my experience its easier, safer and less expensive to just dry meats. Canning meat has all kinds of potential problems, including death ie botulism.

Be very careful.

Just to add, pressure canning is the only way to can meat safely. I have a pressure canner but my glass flat top stove takes an eternity to get the pressure up high enough to can meats. I freak out a little over vegetables, I wouldn't dare meat. That's just me.

Originally posted by Rocketman7

Originally posted by jude11
I can any meat possible. Wild meat is always best IMO.

A 500ml mason jar is great for a few meals for a few people with some sides to accompany. The meat in this amount is not the main but rather a taster.

There is also a better way to do it besides the bernardin jars. Look for the new method of self sealing jars. No boiling or rings to deal with. Can't remember the name of the manufacturer but a quick google will do it. I'll try to come back with more info as I am busy right now but good luck!

BTW, Canned Pork Hocks and Elk...Rock!

And yes, chicken gizzards...Oh My!

Peace

edit on 5-2-2012 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

Thanks, at least thats a start.

I just read you cannot can anything with flour or dairy in it.
Official Home canning guide
I guess I better download that website with my Website Downloader for Windows program. (its free get it and do it)

Half of my retail sales are gluten free, dairy free and/or egg free....And sugar free. So I get it.

BTW, I forgot to mention that we do a lot of other canning from garlic to mango...

Check out my bread thread...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Good Luck!

Peace

I freeze mine. I guess that's not a great solution for the end of the world/no power/zombie apocolypse scenerio. I do it for convenience and budget. I use the bpa free containers from Rubbermaid because they stack well. There are some old fashioned square freezer containers that I just love - but I can't FIND them anymore at a decent price. Those hold a quart.

Usually 1 quart is enough for the 3 of us with a bolle of bread.

I adore Brunswich stew, but I don't know HOW to make a little bit of that. I know it can be processed and jarred, but again, I always just freeze it. My grandmother use to can it and sell it way back when.

reply to post by Rocketman7


we dont can meat...bad juju...we will smoke it if need be or do without. Canning is cool if you are bugging in..To each his own

Originally posted by litterbaux
reply to post by Rocketman7

 

This isn't really an answer but from my experience its easier, safer and less expensive to just dry meats. Canning meat has all kinds of potential problems, including death ie botulism.

Be very careful.

Just to add, pressure canning is the only way to can meat safely. I have a pressure canner but my glass flat top stove takes an eternity to get the pressure up high enough to can meats. I freak out a little over vegetables, I wouldn't dare meat. That's just me.

Well since there may be no electricity in the future, I don't see as how we have much of a choice.
It may be dangerous, but the shelves are full of canned goods and its done everywhere every day.
Its just a matter of doing it properly.

I think pressure cooker, and cooking the food well, and for a couple hours, like a good beef stew or spagetti sauce. Whatever it is, you probably have to have sauce in it, so there is no air.
Thats fine with me.
So I would cook the meal for a few hours, then, use the pressure cooker to sterilize the canning jars, then put the food in the jars, and whatever the instructions say on that website I guess.
Let me see what they say...
It can be done

What do you think of this pressure cooker?

15 liter

reply to post by Rocketman7


People were drying meats for a long time without electricity. If anything, canning is the newer form of food preservation.

On the canner, most of them work great. Keep in mind tho, if you don't have the right kind of stove they can be more difficult to use. Like I said before, my glasstop stove sucks. I use to have the electric elements and it worked a lot better.

If push comes to shove, a camp fire can be used.

I totally just want to get some property and just rough it. Maybe do an earthship or something.