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

[Gaby]

You have to let them cool down after following canning instructions. Temperature changes as it cools down finishes the sealing process, not before.

You can check if they're sealed when you open them. There is a "pop" sound which means it was sealed. Pretty much like with other glass jars with these type of lids.

I check gently if the seal is hard to open or not after the cooling down process. If it is okay, I put them in storage. I have opened some jars 2 years later and it was perfectly sealed. You can either hear the "pop" sound and/or it is very difficult to open them. In my case, I use a can opener like this one:

I'm not very strong though. I have yet to come sick after eating canned meat this way.

Hope this helps.

 

[naorma]

Hi guys, would appreciate some advice from anyone canning in the UK or Europe with "one-peice lids". Iv'e read earlier on the thread that people have had success, so I would like to know whether anyone has experienced what I am facing.

Yesterday - first canning experience failed completely, the lids didn't seem to "bind" to the glass, although I didn't let the cool before I checked so it might have been because they were still warm. Anyway I tried again last night and the two jars have cooled down this morning, the problem is I don't know how I can check if they have sealed or not. There's no 'button' in the middle of the lid that pops up and down, so I am alone in the dark on this one it seems.

Hi Keyhole,
I use these kind of lids.

When finished the lids are a little konkav, they should be higher at the edge and lower in the middle. You can feel it if you move your fingers about the lid. No sound, no button.

If a glass looks a little bit suspicious I try to open it. If it is really sealed I cannot open it without using force. But if I just give a little try and it opens, then it is not done properly.

I always watch my glasses for 2-3 weeks. When they do not change, they will stay alright.

Hope this helps?

 

[Keyhole]

Cheers Gaby and naorma,

I did a bit of research this morning and someone said one of the easiest ways to check (with these types of lids) is to tap the lid gently with your fingernail. If it's sealed it should make a high pitched noise as opposed to a lower pitched one which means its unsealed. So I checked them both and it turns out that one of the jars sealed well, the other one was not sealed and sure enough - when I gave it a slight twist it came off really easily.

Apparently with these lids you need to tighten it fully before it goes in the pressure canner, is that correct? And secondly, do you guys heat up the lids before placing them on the jars? and if so, do you dry the lids and rims of the jars first or do you leave them damp?

 

[Gaby]

Apparently with these lids you need to tighten it fully before it goes in the pressure canner, is that correct? And secondly, do you guys heat up the lids before placing them on the jars? and if so, do you dry the lids and rims of the jars first or do you leave them damp?

Yes, I tighten it before it goes into the canner. Not very strongly, but they're definitely tightened. I also wash them with very hot water before using them. I dry them with paper towels and I clean the rims of the jars with vinegar.

 

[naorma]

Apparently with these lids you need to tighten it fully before it goes in the pressure canner, is that correct? And secondly, do you guys heat up the lids before placing them on the jars? and if so, do you dry the lids and rims of the jars first or do you leave them damp?

Yes, I tighten it before it goes into the canner. Not very strongly, but they're definitely tightened. I also wash them with very hot water before using them. I dry them with paper towels and I clean the rims of the jars with vinegar.

I also tighten them before canning. And wash them with very hot water, too. The rest I just learned from Gaby . . . . ;)

 

[naorma]

Cheers Gaby and naorma,

I did a bit of research this morning and someone said one of the easiest ways to check (with these types of lids) is to tap the lid gently with your fingernail. If it's sealed it should make a high pitched noise as opposed to a lower pitched one which means its unsealed. So I checked them both and it turns out that one of the jars sealed well, the other one was not sealed and sure enough - when I gave it a slight twist it came off really easily.

Thank you Keyhole!
I am preparing for canning right now and tried it: The ones that are not finished sound deeper than the finished ones!

 

[Goemon_]

When I started to use those king of jars I did have a lot not sealed correctly.
With masson jars, it is said to not tighten too strongly. So I realised that you must tighten those "one-peice lids" a bit more. But still not tighten to strongly I think.

 

[Keyhole]

When I started to use those king of jars I did have a lot not sealed correctly.
With masson jars, it is said to not tighten too strongly. So I realised that you must tighten those "one-peice lids" a bit more. But still not tighten to strongly I think.

Well, I have actually been tightening the one-piece lids fully and all 35+ have sealed within the past few weeks, and only the ones I didn't tighten fully failed to seal.

I have a question about canned bone broth... There seems to be a thin white layer underneath the layer of fat on the top of the broth, and it kinda looks like mould. Does anyone else get this? I think it may just be the nature of the broth, however it does look slightly alarming

 

[SummerLite]

Hi! this tapping on the lid has me wondering. As I wiped down 8 jars of soup I just canned, I tapped on the lids with my fingernail. 2 where a lower pitch then the rest which all sounded the same. These are the mason jars with the 2 piece lids. They all seem to be sealed tightly. Does the difference in sound apply to these lids as well?

 

[Keyhole]

Hi! this tapping on the lid has me wondering. As I wiped down 8 jars of soup I just canned, I tapped on the lids with my fingernail. 2 where a lower pitch then the rest which all sounded the same. These are the mason jars with the 2 piece lids. They all seem to be sealed tightly. Does the difference in sound apply to these lids as well?

I think a slightly lower pitch isn't something to be worried about. If you fill a jar with water, place a lid on and tighten it (without canning), then tap on the lid. The unsealed jar should have a much lower pitch than the others.

 

[nicklebleu]

After canning with Ball&Mason jars I usually take the bands off and try to lift the lid with my fingers. If they are properly sealed, this is not possible. I then put the band on again for storage, but not sure if that is really necessary.

I guess you could try this with the one-piece-lids as well, just try to gently open it - if properly sealed this too should not be easily done.

 

[SummerLite]

Thank you for your replies. I am still very new to canning food and its a interesting topic with new information always popping up so good to discuss.

I have eaten 2 jars of my chicken soup so far, very yummy. I have had some trepidation in doing so however. My practice at the moment is to use my pendulum and dowse the contents first . So far so good, I have warned others if I am stricken ill it is botulism lol. I am not overly concerned with this however, being very careful to follow all directions precisely. There has been an outbreak of botulism in the US and the reporting does create a sensation of fear (of course). It had me speculating that if the PTB catch on to people canning more, we may see a wave of these fears being dumped on the public, just a passing thought.

Canning bone broth is an exciting idea, if I can make enough where it isn't all eaten first.

 

[SummerLite]

Good morning!

A little advise please. My first batch of bone broth didn't turn out to well :(. 4 out of 8 pints didn't seal. The ones that sealed have liquid missing so the fat content is about 1/2 inch from where I filled it initially. I'm thinking more space needs to be left in the jar so the fat doesn't bubble up and contaminate the jar top. I followed the recipe for beef broth in the Ball book but they advise removing fat first. The standard measurement for filling is 1 inch head space which I followed. So maybe 1 1/2 inches head space is required. Seems like this was mentioned here somewhere???

Also, this is the first time I scolded my hand when taking the canning lid off! Ouch! Luckily I had Lavender oil handy and my hand is fine today with no sign of the burn.

Well...I believe we've moved into Mercury retrograde yesterday so some explanation there maybe, my hot water heater also went kaput yesterday.

Thanks guys!

edit: Oh! one other thing I did differently is when the pressure reached 0 (I have the dial canner) I removed the lid before removing pressure gauge to vent any more steam but the button that pops up under pressure was all the way down already. Maybe I created to fast a drop in temp by removing the lid a little to soon. Probably why there was steam that burned my hand.

 

[nicklebleu]

I haven't had much problems with sealing, had only one that didn't seal. I generally leave at least 1.5 inches of headroom.

Other thing is to painstaikingly make sure the rime and the lids are clean, as any small particle might prevent a proper seal. I wash them and clean them with vinegar prior to putting the lids on.

Don't think that the depressurization you talked about is a factor, though.

Hope this helps.

 

[SummerLite]

Thank you nicklebleu,

The extra room in the jar is key then for that bit of fat that forms on the top.. I'll also be more diligent with the cleaning as you say. I do want this to be a success.

Great news! The family I rent from raise grass fed cattle and their trying to get their business going. Tomorrow they will bring me pounds of bones for FREE! I must be in bone heaven So getting the canning right is sooo important with this sudden windfall.