Canning and Resting chickens - cooked and uncooked

[barnyardblast]

We plan to butcher a few older chickens this week-end (about 15). Normally, my husband kills them and I finish butchering and can. This takes so much time with all of the other things I need to do, so I'm asking him and the kids to help me finish it up quickly.

I'd like to cut the breasts off the chicken, and raw pack those for canning. Do I need to let the meat rest for a few days before I can? (I'd like to butcher and can in one week-end).

After cutting off the breasts, I'd like to cook the rest of the carcass (I have numerous large cookers and crockpots) and then have the kids/hubby pick the meat off the bones. I'd like to can that meat as well. (It will go a lot faster if they're picking cooked meat than trying to cut raw meat). Do I need to let the meat rest in this situation?

 

[Parront]

Hi, sounds like a full day! You can pressure can the raw breast meet right away, no resting needed. I like to use thigh meat de-boned, too. It is easy to de-bone thighs raw, and can the dark jars in with your white meat jars. Then the carcases will be smaller, more bones in the pot! You do not have to let the cooked meat rest, hot pack it. Here is a site I like, just because my pressure cooker is a Presto: https://www.gopresto.com/recipes/canning/PressureQA.pdf

 

[Maeschak]

We plan to butcher a few older chickens this week-end (about 15). Normally, my husband kills them and I finish butchering and can. This takes so much time with all of the other things I need to do, so I'm asking him and the kids to help me finish it up quickly.

I'd like to cut the breasts off the chicken, and raw pack those for canning. Do I need to let the meat rest for a few days before I can? (I'd like to butcher and can in one week-end).

After cutting off the breasts, I'd like to cook the rest of the carcass (I have numerous large cookers and crockpots) and then have the kids/hubby pick the meat off the bones. I'd like to can that meat as well. (It will go a lot faster if they're picking cooked meat than trying to cut raw meat). Do I need to let the meat rest in this situation?

I raw pack chicken all the time- no rest needed! Just cut off the meat after slaughter and put directly into jars for pressure canning.