Canning Chicken Meat

[Mac in Wisco]

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I tried it your way yesterday. My wife wanted to clear some freezer space and freeze up a bunch of chicken pot pies so I threw ten stewing hens in the pressure cooker. I thought the 90 minutes you recommended was kind of excessive. I cooked them for 40 minutes at 15 lbs of pressure. It was still a little excessive... When simmering them in the boil pot they were still intact and I could lift out whole birds and strip them down without too much trouble. After 40 minutes in the pressure cooker they completely fell apart and we were sorting bones from skin from meat. Next time I'll try 20 minutes at 15 lbs and see if the birds stay together a little better.

It did make some great stock though (minus the vegetables). After removing the chicken I filtered the liquid through a flour sack cloth into a pot and stuck it in the fridge. I pulled it out today and it was completely gelled. I peeled the fat layer from the top and clarified it into one quart of pure schmaltz. The wife is using some of the stock to make up the pot pies and we'll either freeze or can the rest.

 

[jasonm11]

i have never used a pressure cooker. WHat temperature do you set it for?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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The temperature is governed by the pressure. A boiling pot of water at sea level can only reach 212 F. That is the temperature that the water turns to steam. By sealing up the pot and regulating the pressure you can get higher cooking temperatures. Our pressure cooker can be set for 5, 10, or 15 PSI. At 10 PSI it gets to 240 F, at 15 PSI it gets to 250 F.

 

[jasonm11]

oh man, I can't believe i didn't think of that. I was explaining to my daughter last month what a radiator cap does and why its used. I just never thought of it in cooking. Thank you. I think we will try to do a bird or two in the pressure cooker. My wife did about 30 lbs of thighs and drumsticks a few months ago but they cooked the chicken for hours and they deboned it and pressure canned it. It taste good but man was it overkill.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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Just follow the instructions/recipes that come with the pressure cooker or look around the web for recipes. Almost all canning is done at 10 PSI (here, close to sea level, anyways), but when I looked up the recipes for fowl it recommended 20-40 minutes at 15 PSI depending upon the type of bird.

 

[jasonm11]

after it is done cooking and deboned do you just use the water bath canning method?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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No, you still have to pressure can it. Water bath is only suitable for high acid foods like tomatoes, fruit jams, and pickled foods.

 

[jasonm11]

okay thank you.

 

[ShadyHoller]

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However, if your meat is already boned, you can pressure can raw meat, and skip the first cooking step. That is, place raw meat and broth (plus seasoning and veggies of your choice) in the cans, run the pressure canner per intructions for that size jar and altitude, and voila: you have super-tender, pre-cooked stew in a can. If you are googling recipes, try a search for "raw pack method". It doesnt work for all types and cuts of meat, but doing it this way reduces the risk of over-cooking the stuff to mush.

I do a bunch of hearts and gizzards in the canner, packed raw, and they turn into the most scrumptious morsels! I like to dump them in chili, but I also just eat 'em straight with a shot of hot sauce.

 

[Faith Hope]

We tried the raw method a couple of weeks ago. We skinned the chickens when we butchered them. Then my husband separated the different pieces: legs, thighs, wings, etc. We just put what ever would fit in each jar along with water and some seasoning. Then we pressured cooked them. I could not believe how wonderful it tastes, and what a nice quick meal. We also took the backs and cooked them down for stock/broth and canned them as well. Great broth for making soup this winter or when anyone is sick!