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

[dugdeep]

I think I'm done with the glass top stove, grrrrr! Yesterday I canned again the ground beef from the non-sealed quart jars (that I processed the previous day), this time using pints. Again, it was hard to keep the temperature even at 11PSI, on occasions it went up to 13PSI. And the result was that many of the jar lids got burned, and they did not seal.

I think I've been lucky so far with good seals, now the limitations of the glass top stove are becoming apparent. I'm gonna check out those portable electric stoves.

I'm wondering if you're not using enough water or whether using more water would alleviate this problem. I haven't had this happen yet and the stove I've been canning on is completely inconsistent so I usually end up canning between 13-15PSI because I can't regulate it to a consistent temperature (so annoying). It is an old electric stove, so maybe it being on glass really is the problem.

Is there water in the pressure canner when you open it after a canning session?

Maybe this is the answer for anyone who's on a burner that doesn't provide consistent heat - crank it up so that it's at 13-15 PSI instead of 11. That way, even if the temperature is inconsistent, at least it's staying above the standard minimum.

Just an idea...

 

[aragorn]

I think I'm done with the glass top stove, grrrrr! Yesterday I canned again the ground beef from the non-sealed quart jars (that I processed the previous day), this time using pints. Again, it was hard to keep the temperature even at 11PSI, on occasions it went up to 13PSI. And the result was that many of the jar lids got burned, and they did not seal.

I think I've been lucky so far with good seals, now the limitations of the glass top stove are becoming apparent. I'm gonna check out those portable electric stoves.

I'm wondering if you're not using enough water or whether using more water would alleviate this problem. I haven't had this happen yet and the stove I've been canning on is completely inconsistent so I usually end up canning between 13-15PSI because I can't regulate it to a consistent temperature (so annoying). It is an old electric stove, so maybe it being on glass really is the problem.

Is there water in the pressure canner when you open it after a canning session?

Yeah, there's water. Thanks for the reminder about the weight set, haven't got that yet. Could be cheaper than buying a portable stove. Strangely, all the unsealed ones had ground beef in the, the other ones containing pork cubes sealed all fine.

 

[Gaby]

I do canning on a glass top stove and yeah, it is kind of a pain. It will automatically turn itself off at least twice during the procedure. Like it is too much weight. Then regulating the temperature is tricky, I just err for the more pressure side (12-14) just in case.

 

[Gawan]

I think I'm done with the glass top stove, grrrrr! Yesterday I canned again the ground beef from the non-sealed quart jars (that I processed the previous day), this time using pints. Again, it was hard to keep the temperature even at 11PSI, on occasions it went up to 13PSI. And the result was that many of the jar lids got burned, and they did not seal.

I think I've been lucky so far with good seals, now the limitations of the glass top stove are becoming apparent. I'm gonna check out those portable electric stoves.

I'm wondering if you're not using enough water or whether using more water would alleviate this problem. I haven't had this happen yet and the stove I've been canning on is completely inconsistent so I usually end up canning between 13-15PSI because I can't regulate it to a consistent temperature (so annoying). It is an old electric stove, so maybe it being on glass really is the problem.

Is there water in the pressure canner when you open it after a canning session?

Maybe this is the answer for anyone who's on a burner that doesn't provide consistent heat - crank it up so that it's at 13-15 PSI instead of 11. That way, even if the temperature is inconsistent, at least it's staying above the standard minimum.

Just an idea...

That's also what I'm doing, just to keep it above the recommended pressure and that it doesn't fall beneath it. It's a process that needs to be watched, so better plan a lot of time for it and even more than you think it could need. Cause the heat regulation changes if you cook with more or less glasses in the canner. At least this was my experience so far.

Anyway, for someone who hasn't a canner yet, supermarkets are also selling canned meat (but checking the ingredients is recommended and even testing a glass too if it can be eaten and is tolerated). So I'm buying almost every time a glass of meat when I go for food and put it in my storage.

 

[fabric]

The ones I was using are Bernardin, a Canadian company. It only cost me $12 for 12 of them. I've never had issues with their smaller jars, but maybe the 1L ones are of lower quality for some reason. Maybe you get what you pay for in this respect I'll see if there aren't some better quality ones I can find. Thanks nickelbleu.

Canadian tire also has another brand "Golden Harvest" that seem okay. I haven't tried them yet but they are little less than the Bernadin...$9.49 for 12 1L and $6.99 for 12 500ml. I will prob try a few next week and see how they do.


http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/8/KitchenBath/Canning/JarsLids/PRD~0422529P/Golden+Harvest+1L+Jar.jsp?locale=en

 

[zim]

Finally my Presto Canner arrives!!! late but it arrives !!! I have some jars of different sizes, so I'm catching up with the thread !!!! :P... hope those jars with lids doesn't give me much problem!!!

 

[Jacques]

The ones I was using are Bernardin, a Canadian company. It only cost me $12 for 12 of them. I've never had issues with their smaller jars, but maybe the 1L ones are of lower quality for some reason. Maybe you get what you pay for in this respect I'll see if there aren't some better quality ones I can find. Thanks nickelbleu.

Canadian tire also has another brand "Golden Harvest" that seem okay. I haven't tried them yet but they are little less than the Bernadin...$9.49 for 12 1L and $6.99 for 12 500ml. I will prob try a few next week and see how they do.


http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/8/KitchenBath/Canning/JarsLids/PRD~0422529P/Golden+Harvest+1L+Jar.jsp?locale=en

They are doing fine. ;)

I have been using them for some time and so far no problem.

 

[Aya]

Today I made the first attempt to do canning some sausages and round roasts.

I cooked everything before start canning. I had no problem canning roasts as meat was soft enough that I did not need to push them too much into jars.
On the other hand, sausages were very solid and it was difficult to put them tighlyt into jars. I thought the canner will cook the sausages more and all juice will come out to fill up those jars at the end, but it didnt. Sausages shrunk a little bit and left even more space inside the jars. All the liquid fat accumulated in the bottom of jars and now it is turning to be white and solid. I am wondering if those cans are OK to store them for years? Is it possible that air can escape somehow inside those jars (even if the cans are sealed properly) and ruin the meat?

Next time I will probably cold pack sausages, it would be a lot easier!

 

[Aya]

I am planning to can some pork chops in the next week.

I am probably going to sear the meat lightly and pack them with some butter or lard. If the meat is soft enough, I can pack them good without leaving some spaces in jars. I will probably take out bones unless someone has done it before. I need to do more research but if anyone has input, that would be helpful. :)

 

[dugdeep]

Today I made the first attempt to do canning some sausages and round roasts.

I cooked everything before start canning. I had no problem canning roasts as meat was soft enough that I did not need to push them too much into jars.
On the other hand, sausages were very solid and it was difficult to put them tighlyt into jars. I thought the canner will cook the sausages more and all juice will come out to fill up those jars at the end, but it didnt. Sausages shrunk a little bit and left even more space inside the jars. All the liquid fat accumulated in the bottom of jars and now it is turning to be white and solid. I am wondering if those cans are OK to store them for years? Is it possible that air can escape somehow inside those jars (even if the cans are sealed properly) and ruin the meat?

Next time I will probably cold pack sausages, it would be a lot easier!

Hi Aya :) Once the jars have been pressurized the food shouldn't spoil in them even if it's not covered in liquid (or fat). And you're right, the meats won't give out much juice if they've already been cooked before putting them in the jars (they've already let most of their moisture out while cooking). What I sometimes do is add some broth to the jars before canning. I sometimes even do it for cold packing.

I am planning to can some pork chops in the next week.

I am probably going to sear the meat lightly and pack them with some butter or lard. If the meat is soft enough, I can pack them good without leaving some spaces in jars. I will probably take out bones unless someone has done it before. I need to do more research but if anyone has input, that would be helpful. :)

I think taking out the bones would be your best bet. They'll take up quite a bit of space in the jars. You could save them in the freezer for the next time you make bone broth :)

Good luck!

 

[Aya]

Hi Aya :) Once the jars have been pressurized the food shouldn't spoil in them even if it's not covered in liquid (or fat).

What I sometimes do is add some broth to the jars before canning. I sometimes even do it for cold packing.

That's good to hear! I was not sure for 100% if I did it right.

I will remember to put broth to the jars next time. I think it will help meat to tenderlize and add more flavors.
Plus I like eating any solid meat along with broth at any time - it is so good.

I think taking out the bones would be your best bet. They'll take up quite a bit of space in the jars. You could save them in the freezer for the next time you make bone broth :)

I think again, it seems more resonable to take bones out and use them for broth. Thank you, dugdeep. :)

 

[Aya]

Just a quick report on my canning project:

This weekend I did canning on ham roast, pork chops and butt chops. As I wrote on my last post, I seared pork and butt chops with lard and butter until they turned golden brown before putting them into jars. The hardest part was taking meat of the bones as I had around 10 pork chops to work on.

For the first time, I tried canning 12 jars in one shot. All of them turned out well. ;D

 

[Gaby]

Regarding canning bacon, might be best to give the paper a try. I opened a jar of my bacon and it came out all shredded. On the plus side, it tastes gloriously wonderful!

 

[ignis.intimus]

Thought I would mention that here we are using the Tattler reusable lids available from this site:

_http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/

We first got them more than a year ago and so far have held up well. We have only reused a few of them, and they are holding up fine as far as I can tell. They are advertised as BPA free, indefinitely reusable, compatible with both pressure and water bath canning methods, and dishwasher safe. Not sure if they ship outside the US however.

 

[Seppo Ilmarinen]

Should this kind of jar be ok for canning meat? I'm having hard time finding good glassed jars in Finland. It says you can preserve jams and jellies in it so i'd assume that meat is also ok?

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50213546/