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

[Debra]

Well, here I am again wondering why I get some crazy problems. Did 8 pint jars of bacon today wrapped in grease proof paper. Heard a pop soon after putting pressure regulator on.Carried on to the end and had 7 perfect jars for cooling. The 8th jars two piece lid had come clean off but jar unbroken and no spoilage in jar. When jars were cold I removed the twists but on 5 of the jars the screwing off process unsealed the lids.

All the bacon undamaged so put in fridge to redo tomorrow.
Can anyone tell me why the 2 piece lid can come off a jar when screwed to finger tight.
Why were the screw tops loose when I came to take them off.
As the fat in jars will be cold and hard tomorrow morning, will I be ok doing them for the required time from cold or is there a problem with cold solid fat in jars. The fat in the jars come up to just under half way up.

Sorry for so many inquiries but my list of mishaps is perplexing to say the least but if I can get all these problems over in the first couple of weeks then "maybe" I'll start to feel like a proper grown-up..

Your Adventures in Pressure Canning just keep getting more interesting and informative every time, don't they?
You sound like you're staying pretty positive with it all, and keeping that old motto "Learning is Fun" first and foremost!
LOL, I wouldn't let it define whether it makes you a "Grown up" or not...from what I have observed, Grown ups don't have very much fun...so I stopped aiming for that goal a long time ago.
How about "Master Canner"!

My one and only "guess" on the mystery of the loose lids, would be....grease.

Did you wipe the rims of the jars really well after loading them with the bacon, before you put the sealer lid on?

No matter what I am putting in the jars, I ALWAYS wipe the rims of the jars with a water and vinegar dampened clean cloth, before putting the flat rubber rimmed lid on, and then the screw top goes on, finger tight.
The rubber sealing ring is THE vulnerable spot where any tiny bit of food or grease will prohibit the rubber from sealing TIGHT to the glass.
You may want to just LEAVE the screw tops ON, until the product is used.
It means investing in a few more screw top rims, but worth it, if your product stays canned and safe.
Hope this helps.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Your Adventures in Pressure Canning just keep getting more interesting and informative every time, don't they?

Can't deny it,sure does get interesting but not sure about informative. Thanks for all the tips and yes I used vinegar and really cleaned the tops.

I'll have a go again tomorrow and leave the screw tops on. It was music to me ears to hear the tops popping as that was the first time since I started canning I've actually heard it. In the other attempts they must have sealed while still in the canner..

I used the session today to get away from reading and listening to everything that's going on "out there".it was very relaxing and did another round of ironing.

Learning is definitely Fun.......... my eventual dream is to be that MASTER CANNER. If only I was young enough to still need a CV.
Thank you Debra.

 

[herondancer]

As the fat in jars will be cold and hard tomorrow morning, will I be ok doing them for the required time from cold or is there a problem with cold solid fat in jars. The fat in the jars come up to just under half way up.

The bands being a little loose when the jars are still warm is not unusual. The metal is thin and expands with the heat. They should still be screwed down though.

The only possibilities I can think of are a) what you call 'finger tight' may not have been tight enough to make the seal on the lids securely mold to the jar rim or b) a bad batch of lids. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen.

There's no reason you can't reprocess the batch with new lids. I would try firmly tightening the bands, then backing off maybe an 1/8 of a turn, so the air can still vent from the jars. Because they will be coming out of the fridge, maybe let the jars warm up on the counter for 30 minutes or so, then start them in cold water, so they heat up evenly. Then proceed as normal. When you take the jars out to cool on the counter, tighten the bands down completely, and leave them till they are completely cool.

It means taking a bit longer, but then, this is bacon we're talking about. Worth the extra time! :)

 

[lainey]

Because they will be coming out of the fridge, maybe let the jars warm up on the counter for 30 minutes or so, then start them in cold water, so they heat up evenly.

Yup, careful of this one Tuatha de Danaan. Take care not to go plunging cold jars into hot water
What brand of jars are you using?
I did a quick google search for pressure canning troubleshooting guide for some reasons why the lid may not seal

Possible causes

• Use of jars other than official canning jars and/or lids.
• Chipped or uneven rim on jar.
• Screw bands are rusty or bent, causing poor contact.
• Bands not screwed down tightly enough before processing. (Turn until you meet resistance, then turn it one-quarter turn.)
• Rim on jar not clean. (Wipe rim well before putting lid on.)
• Liquid leaks out of jar during processing, leaving food particles on the sealing edge.
• Insufficient heat during processing - air not removed from jar so a vacuum seal never forms. (Remove air by inserting a rubber spatula or plastic knife inside the jar gently lift food to remove any trapped air.)
• Lids were improperly prepared before placing them on rims. (Follow manufacturer's directions to prepare lids.)
• Rapid, forced cooling of a pressure canner can cause a rapid pressure and temperature change inside the canner, causing the liquid to "boil" out of the jars, leaving particles on the sealing rim and unsealing the jars. (Canners should not be forced into cooling rapidly by submerging them in water.)
• Insufficient processing of raw-packed food; the air may not have been completely driven out of the food, leaving residual air in the jar so the seal does not form.
• Use of canning procedures which are not recommended, such as open-kettle canning and oven canning.
• Incorrect amount of headspace.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Yup, careful of this one Tuatha de Danaan. Take care not to go plunging cold jars into hot.

Yes, I'll leave them out to room temperature.
Thanks Iainey, checked your list off and everything seems to be ok.

The bands being a little loose when the jars are still warm is not unusual

That's good to know,herondancer as I hadn't noticed before but there again I've not been doing it long. They are Kilner Jars but I must admit the screw tops I've just received "seem" a bit tinnier and I have to jostle a bit to get them on. Getting a bad batch would just add to the "quirks" I am experiencing.!!! Thank you both for keeping my morale up

 

[herondancer]

I did a quick google search for pressure canning troubleshooting guide for some reasons why the lid may not seal

Thanks for the comprehensive list, lainey!

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Has anyone canned liver pate?. I've spent all morning on You Tube looking for the canning process. They all tell you how to make pate but only one mentioned using the canner but gave no details for how long. I have some pint and half pint jars so could use either size. At the moment this canning process is a bit like pulling teeth!!!.

 

[sebbe]

Has anyone canned liver pate?. I've spent all morning on You Tube looking for the canning process. They all tell you how to make pate but only one mentioned using the canner but gave no details for how long. I have some pint and half pint jars so could use either size. At the moment this canning process is a bit like pulling teeth!!!.

I think the best way to find out is to test it. For example, I make ghee. Once I made this one, I tried to can it. Well... it works! Now I have jars of Ghee. When I opened a few months later, it was good. I have jars made in 2012. I'm happy to wait until 2022 to see if it's connormable... or not.

I've tried whole eggs too, with the shell, it seems okay.

What I like to do is collect bone and cartilage. I put them in jars and turn up the pressure to 15 psi for two hours. It's amazing: even the hardest bones become soft and therefore perfectly edible. Good minerals and good gelatin in jars in reserve: ).

I think there are no limits to the tests that can be done.

Spoiler: In French

Je pense que le meilleur moyen de le savoir est de faire des essais. Par exemple, je fais du Ghee. Une fois celui-ci fait, j'ai fait des essais pour le mettre en conserve. Et bien... ça marche ! Maintenant, j'ai des bocaux de Ghee. A l'ouverture quelques mois aprés, c'était bon. J'ai des pots fait en 2012. Je me fait un plaisir d'attendre jusqu'en 2022 pour voir si c'est conommable... ou pas.

J'ai essayé des oeufs entiers aussi, avec la coquille, ça semble correct.

Ce que j'aime bien faire, c'est recuperer des o et des cartilages. Je les mets en bocaux et je fais monter la pression à 15 psi pendant 2 heures. C'est étonnant : même les os les plus durs deviennent mous et donc parfaitement comestibles. De bons mineraux et de la bonne gélatine en bocaux en reserve : ).

Je crois qu'il n'y a pas de limites aux essais que l'on peut faire.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

I think the best way to find out is to test it.

Thank you sebbe, Yes ghee,beef broth and eggs can be experimented with to a degree but I'm a little bit more cautious with meat. I appreciate the pate is cooked in advance but I'm mostly concerned with overdoing it and spoiling the nutrients,.

 

[herondancer]

Has anyone canned liver pate?

Since pate is basically a protein, I would think all the rules about canning protein would apply. I've never tried it though. Sebbe's approach is the best. Make some and then try canning a small jar or two. The only thing I would wonder about is whether the heat would cause the fat in the pate to separate. But even then, you could mix it back down when you open the jar. Plus the 'fat cap' will help preserve the meat, imo. More experiments!

How did reprocessing the bacon go?

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

How did reprocessing the bacon go?

It was great fun herondancer and it turned out a treat. I think I even got a steady stream of steam going for 10 mins, couldn't see it but felt it. I left the screw bands on in the end in case the seals came undone. I'll check them in a few weeks and see if I can remove them.
I'm slowly ironing out the wrinkles both in the process and myself. I'm wondering if 30 mins at 11 psi would be long enough for the liver. I'm a bit leery with meat though. I have no problem with fat rising to top, because as you said, it can be mixed in when opened. Thank for replying.

 

[Stoneboss]

Has anyone canned liver pate?. I've spent all morning on You Tube looking for the canning process. They all tell you how to make pate but only one mentioned using the canner but gave no details for how long. I have some pint and half pint jars so could use either size. At the moment this canning process is a bit like pulling teeth!!!.

Yes, I've canned liver pate. That was about 5 years ago when I did a lot of canning and I had no problems with the pate. I just canned it the same way as canning meat -- 75 minutes in pint jars.

I started canning again about 6 weeks ago, mostly ground beef, ground pork, and a lot of bacon. I'm planning on canning more liver pate in the near future.

Since pate is basically a protein, I would think all the rules about canning protein would apply. I've never tried it though. Sebbe's approach is the best. Make some and then try canning a small jar or two. The only thing I would wonder about is whether the heat would cause the fat in the pate to separate. But even then, you could mix it back down when you open the jar. Plus the 'fat cap' will help preserve the meat, imo. More experiments!

How did reprocessing the bacon go?

Yes there was some separation with the fat in the pate, and as herondancer mentioned, you just mix it back down when you open the jar.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Yes, I've canned liver pate. That was about 5 years ago when I did a lot of canning and I had no problems with the pate. I just canned it the same way as canning meat -- 75 minutes in pint jars.

Fantastic Stoneboss, another wrinkle ironed out .. herondancer and sebbe suggested I experiment and one day hopefully I will, but for the moment I'd prefer to be competent. Items from the butcher are becoming scarcer so I'd prefer no wastage at the moment.Thank you so much for clarifying.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

The Presto comes with an 15PSI weight, and what I did was that I heated the thing up to 15PSI and checked if the wieght started rocking. Sure did, thus I knew that the dial gauge was accurate.

For the past week an nasty thought has been growing in the back of my mind that it was possible that the dial gauge could be wrong leading to food poisoning.. Searching if there were any people in UK doing these checks ( which of course there are non) I started getting rather panicky as a few of the websites I visited were very critical of Presto. My canner is new and all comments to the fact that the dial gauge should be o.k. was no consolation.
I felt sick that I had spent so much money on a canner that I wasn't even sure was safe.

I have no idea what made me decide to look up this thread and I came across aragorn's post above. What a find and what an idea.

Thank you aragorn. Your post from Oct 2012 has travelled into the future for which I am extremely grateful.
I tested my dial gauge and at 15psi it jiggled..

 

[liam1310]

For the past week an nasty thought has been growing in the back of my mind that it was possible that the dial gauge could be wrong leading to food poisoning.. Searching if there were any people in UK doing these checks ( which of course there are non) I started getting rather panicky as a few of the websites I visited were very critical of Presto. My canner is new and all comments to the fact that the dial gauge should be o.k. was no consolation.
I felt sick that I had spent so much money on a canner that I wasn't even sure was safe.

I have no idea what made me decide to look up this thread and I came across aragorn's post above. What a find and what an idea.

Thank you aragorn. Your post from Oct 2012 has travelled into the future for which I am extremely grateful.
I tested my dial gauge and at 15psi it jiggled..

This hadn't crossed my mind, if it did I had forgotten. The Weight on mine shakes at 15psi when it goes to high by mistake, so good to know the guage works and Good to know it can be tested this way. Thanks for this.