Canning meat/what Equipment is needed, how much canning is necessary

[Goemon_]

We've also been rendering the piles of fat we take off our very fatty pig halves and canning it. Just cut it up in chunks, cook on slow heat for several hours until all the fat is rendered out, pour in canning jars, process in a boiling bath for about 25 minutes. Wash the outside of the jars (some fat tends to leak out and make them greasy during processing) check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place with the rest of the canned stuff. We put the jars in boxes packed around with wadded newspapers.

When you say boiling bath, do you mean that do you mean putting the jars of rendered fat in boiling water for 25 minutes?

A few people have mentioned that they've canned butter in boiling water baths, does this mean it's safe to can fat and fatty bone broth without a canner? If so, any suggestions on how much time I should keep the jars in boiling water?

On a pressure cooker 25 minutes are needed for preservation. In France we are not used with pressure cooker, we do the canning with boiling water, you need to boil the jar of fat for 1H30.

 

[dugdeep]

I would be very careful of doing this and might even suggest throwing away any of the cans that had that broth in it because of glass shards.

I strained it through a fine mesh strainer, but you're right. I'll make a note of it on the jar.

Hi Dugdeep, I was wondering if you made sure your canning jars were hot that you poured the broth into.
I found this on a Q&A for Presto canners. Maybe there's something in here as to why you had breakage.
_http://www.gopresto.com/recipes/canning/faq.php#8

Q. Why do jars break during processing? A. Jars break during processing for the following reasons: • Canner became dry during the processing period. This is caused by either a steam leakage in your canner, which means you need a new part, or by using insufficient water for the processing period. • Commercial jars (peanut butter, mayonnaise, etc.) were used instead of the recommended glass home canning jars. • Cracked or nicked jars were used. • Food was packed too solidly or jars were overfilled. • Lids were overtightened (follow manufacturer’s directions). • Cold jars were immersed in boiling hot water. Food and jars should be hot when placed in the canner. • Jars were placed directly on canner bottom. A canning rack should always be placed on the canner bottom. It is not necessary to place a rack between a layer of pint or half-pint jars. Stagger the jars by placing a top jar on two bottom jars (see picture). • Pressure was reduced quickly after processing. Always let pressure drop of its own accord. • Air was exhausted from canner at too high a temperature. Adjust heat so a steady gentle flow of steam emerges from the vent pipe. • Pressure had fluctuated during the processing period. This can be caused by an unsteady heat source or steam leaking from the canner. • Jars were placed in a cold, drafty place to cool. Cool jars on a towel or rack at room temperature. • The jars themselves are very often the cause of difficulty. They eventually weaken with age and repeated use.

The bolded section is the only thing I can think may have been an issue. I took the jars out of the fridge in the morning and let them come up to room temperature all day. None the less, the jars may have still been to cool when I put them in the canner (they seemed ok to the touch, but maybe the food inside was still too cool). Also, my canner instructions say to put the stove on high to bring it up to boiling to start the process, but this may have been too hot in this situation. In the future I may only put the canner on medium to bring it up to temp, even though it may take longer.

Thanks for the input, guys.

 

[Ollie]

...

The bolded section is the only thing I can think may have been an issue. I took the jars out of the fridge in the morning and let them come up to room temperature all day. None the less, the jars may have still been to cool when I put them in the canner (they seemed ok to the touch, but maybe the food inside was still too cool). Also, my canner instructions say to put the stove on high to bring it up to boiling to start the process, but this may have been too hot in this situation. In the future I may only put the canner on medium to bring it up to temp, even though it may take longer.

Thanks for the input, guys.

You may like to put empty jars in a warm oven (200C) for 20 minutes, this will do two things - sterilize the jars and at the same time warm them up, and then fill them up with food, cover with fat (if you do this with a pressure canner), seal, and then put them in your canner (at high). This is what I do with boiling water canning, the water is boiling when I put the jars in - it cools and comes back up to temperature. What is important is that the jars are heated from the outside first to prevent breakage, expansion is outwards and the temperature gradient warms the interior. If hot food is put inside what may happen is that the expansion moves against the cold outer glass and this could result in fracture.

 

[Aliana]

We've also been rendering the piles of fat we take off our very fatty pig halves and canning it. Just cut it up in chunks, cook on slow heat for several hours until all the fat is rendered out, pour in canning jars, process in a boiling bath for about 25 minutes. Wash the outside of the jars (some fat tends to leak out and make them greasy during processing) check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place with the rest of the canned stuff. We put the jars in boxes packed around with wadded newspapers.

I just received my new canner and have been reading up. I want to do an initial batch but thought I would start with something simple and inexpensive while I am in the "learning curve". I have been getting pork trimmings from the butcher and thought this would be a good thing to start with.

Normally, I cut the trimmings into pieces and render the lard, then separate from the pork crunchies. But, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have the fat and pork all together to use once canned. So, is there any reason I really need to render it first and separate the lard? Could I just pack the jars with cut up pieces of the fat and pork all together?

 

[Turgon]

We've also been rendering the piles of fat we take off our very fatty pig halves and canning it. Just cut it up in chunks, cook on slow heat for several hours until all the fat is rendered out, pour in canning jars, process in a boiling bath for about 25 minutes. Wash the outside of the jars (some fat tends to leak out and make them greasy during processing) check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place with the rest of the canned stuff. We put the jars in boxes packed around with wadded newspapers.

I just received my new canner and have been reading up. I want to do an initial batch but thought I would start with something simple and inexpensive while I am in the "learning curve". I have been getting pork trimmings from the butcher and thought this would be a good thing to start with.

Normally, I cut the trimmings into pieces and render the lard, then separate from the pork crunchies. But, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have the fat and pork all together to use once canned. So, is there any reason I really need to render it first and separate the lard? Could I just pack the jars with cut up pieces of the fat and pork all together?

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

BTW, I learned this the hard way, but you might want to give your pressure canner a run or two without jars, just water to make sure the seal is working fine. Mine took 3 attempts before the seal was working up to par.

 

[anart]

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

Why would you ruin good beef scraps with buckwheat flour???

 

[anart]

...

The bolded section is the only thing I can think may have been an issue. I took the jars out of the fridge in the morning and let them come up to room temperature all day. None the less, the jars may have still been to cool when I put them in the canner (they seemed ok to the touch, but maybe the food inside was still too cool). Also, my canner instructions say to put the stove on high to bring it up to boiling to start the process, but this may have been too hot in this situation. In the future I may only put the canner on medium to bring it up to temp, even though it may take longer.

Thanks for the input, guys.

You may like to put empty jars in a warm oven (200C) for 20 minutes, this will do two things - sterilize the jars and at the same time warm them up, and then fill them up with food, cover with fat (if you do this with a pressure canner), seal, and then put them in your canner (at high). This is what I do with boiling water canning, the water is boiling when I put the jars in - it cools and comes back up to temperature. What is important is that the jars are heated from the outside first to prevent breakage, expansion is outwards and the temperature gradient warms the interior. If hot food is put inside what may happen is that the expansion moves against the cold outer glass and this could result in fracture.

Just a note that I use a pressure canner and have never had an issue with just placing room temperature jars (or slightly warmer) in cold water straight out of the tap, closing it up, turning the burners on high and letting it heat up to pressure. I also don't worry about covering the food in the jar with fat since the fat comes to the surface anyway after processing. I think that there is a tendency to make things much more complicated than they need to be in this thread.

 

[Renaissance]

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

Why would you ruin good beef scraps with buckwheat flour???

Plus starch prevents heat from penetrating your meat, and you want ALL bacteria killed. If you want buckwheat flour, it's probably best to store it in a sealed container and add it when you're ready to eat it.

 

[Turgon]

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

Why would you ruin good beef scraps with buckwheat flour???

Plus starch prevents heat from penetrating your meat, and you want ALL bacteria killed. If you want buckwheat flour, it's probably best to store it in a sealed container and add it when you're ready to eat it.

Oh no! What if it was just 4 teaspoons of the buckwheat flour for every 500ml jar? I put enough just to thicken the stock that would come from the juices in case I'm sharing and make it a bit more filling.

Just checked the bag and it says the buckwheat flour is good until November 2013. So a little over a year. Maybe transferring it to a sealed jar would extend the shelf life longer and last possibly two years? It would definitely keep out moisture better, which for dried goods like that is probably the main cause of spoilage.

 

[anart]

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

Why would you ruin good beef scraps with buckwheat flour???

Plus starch prevents heat from penetrating your meat, and you want ALL bacteria killed. If you want buckwheat flour, it's probably best to store it in a sealed container and add it when you're ready to eat it.

Oh no! What if it was just 4 teaspoons of the buckwheat flour for every 500ml jar? I put enough just to thicken the stock that would come from the juices in case I'm sharing and make it a bit more filling.

Absolutely no need for it - not to mention the point Shane brought up.

Just checked the bag and it says the buckwheat flour is good until November 2013. So a little over a year. Maybe transferring it to a sealed jar would extend the shelf life longer and last possibly two years? It would definitely keep out moisture better, which for dried goods like that is probably the main cause of spoilage.

Are you on the low carb ketogenic diet? If so, why are you consuming buckwheat flour at all? In a starvation situation, sure, it could come in handy, but I'm a bit confused about why you're consuming it at this point, if you are?

 

[Turgon]

Just checked the bag and it says the buckwheat flour is good until November 2013. So a little over a year. Maybe transferring it to a sealed jar would extend the shelf life longer and last possibly two years? It would definitely keep out moisture better, which for dried goods like that is probably the main cause of spoilage.

Are you on the low carb ketogenic diet? If so, why are you consuming buckwheat flour at all? In a starvation situation, sure, it could come in handy, but I'm a bit confused about why you're consuming it at this point, if you are?

No, no, I'm not eating the buckwheat, just using it as filler for the jars, or was at this point if it'll affect killing the bacteria. I'm in nutrititional ketosis (according to AASOLCL) but haven't reached the ketogenic thread yet, so I'm not going to make the shift until my knowledge base for it is up to to speed. Right now, I'm 100 pages into LWB thread and reading PBPM (have read LWB and Art & Science), so I'm a bit behind the rest of the forum but I'm playing catch up and dedicating a lot of time to the thread and hopefully make it to Ketogenic in a few months time.

When CelticWarrior posted this thread The WRONG WAY to attempt the Paleo Diet It was a wake up call that I wasn't doing the appropriate reading myself (and being hypocritical in the thread) going off bit's and pieces of info and asking dugdeep questions during class. In other words I was being lazy and relying on other people to do the work for me.

 

[anart]

No, no, I'm not eating the buckwheat, just using it as filler for the jars,

Where did you get that idea?

 

[Turgon]

No, no, I'm not eating the buckwheat, just using it as filler for the jars,

Where did you get that idea?

From Laura

A liter of canned meat will make a stew/soup for several people or feed one person for a day very well, sparingly for two days. If you need to feed more people, then you add some kind of thickener (buckwheat flour) to the broth and maybe some suitable veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes.

Which I took out of context now that I re-read it. She meant as a thickener stored separately, not with the meat itself in the jars...

 

[Aliana]

I just received my new canner and have been reading up. I want to do an initial batch but thought I would start with something simple and inexpensive while I am in the "learning curve". I have been getting pork trimmings from the butcher and thought this would be a good thing to start with.

Normally, I cut the trimmings into pieces and render the lard, then separate from the pork crunchies. But, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have the fat and pork all together to use once canned. So, is there any reason I really need to render it first and separate the lard? Could I just pack the jars with cut up pieces of the fat and pork all together?

I don't see why not. I get real fatty beef 'scraps' from the butcher, and unless it's a giant piece of pure fat (which I will render and can separately) I just chop it all up, stuff it in the jar with some gluten free buckwheat flour as filler, salt it, and can it.

BTW, I learned this the hard way, but you might want to give your pressure canner a run or two without jars, just water to make sure the seal is working fine. Mine took 3 attempts before the seal was working up to par.

Thank you - I will try that - without the buckwheat flour, though!

I can already tell that the sealing of the cooker might be tricky - I have yet to get the top back on evenly since I took it off when opening to get the book out. But I still have to wash and apply the olive oil, so am hoping that will help.

 

[Gwenllian]

I canned my first batch of meat in the presto canner last week-end. Unfortunately, I could only do four one and a half litre jars at a time. In my weck hot water canner (which doesn't go up to 121 degrees C.) I can do seven jars at a time.
I will now have a go with the new jars that I ordered from flessenland.nl.
I put way too little meat in the jars, so they are only half full.
We tried one jar yesterday and it tasted good! But there was this terrible smell coming out when we opened the jar (with rubber ring). And when we cooked the meat afterwards there was this chemical smell pervading the house. Maybe because the canner was new? The contents of the jar smelled good, but there were still tiny bubbles in it. So, to be on the safe side we cooked the meat thoroughly.

This canning business is really enjoyable! :)