Canning Chicken Meat

[Mac in Wisco]

How long would canned meat last on the shelf? As in before you would really worry about it being spoiled - 3 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years?

As long as it stays sealed it should never spoil, but depending upon what you are canning the texture and flavor may suffer to the point that it may not be too enjoyable of a meal.

We still have canned chicken from last year. It's just as good as the day as it was canned. I would expect it to be fine for decades, but the actual quality after 5, 10, or 50 years would be anybody's guess...

I'm pretty sure that somebody could open a can of Spam 100 years from now and it wouldn't be any different.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Excerpt from

The Canning Process:
Old Preservation Technique Goes Modern
by Dale Blumenthal

The steamboat Bertrand was heavily laden with provisions when it set out on
the Missouri River in 1865, destined for the gold mining camps in Fort
Benton, Mont. The boat snagged and swamped under the weight, sinking to the
bottom of the river. It was found a century later, under 30 feet of silt a
little north of Omaha, Neb.

Among the canned food items retrieved from the Bertrand in 1968 were brandied
peaches, oysters, plum tomatoes, honey, and mixed vegetables. In 1974,
chemists at the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) analyzed the
products for bacterial contamination and nutrient value. Although the food
had lost its fresh smell and appearance, the NFPA chemists detected no
microbial growth and determined that the foods were as safe to eat as they
had been when canned more than 100 years earlier.

The nutrient values varied depending upon the product and nutrient. NFPA
chemists Janet Dudek and Edgar Elkins report that significant amounts of
vitamins C and A were lost. But protein levels remained high, and all calcium
values "were comparable to today's products."

NFPA chemists also analyzed a 40-year-old can of corn found in the basement
of a home in California. Again, the canning process had kept the corn safe
from contaminants and from much nutrient loss. In addition, Dudek says, the
kernels looked and smelled like recently canned corn.

 

[happydog]

I found a box of meats I had canned in '08. We've been eating them. They taste exactly like they did 4 years ago when they were canned. So I know they're good for at least 4 years.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Thanks, for answering so quick!
That was what I was hoping to hear. There is a chance I may end up with a mass of free meat and I am trying to come up with options if it comes through. I don't want to be confronted by a mound of meat that won't all fit in the freezer.

 

[City Chicken]

when i can i can bone in for legs and thighs and i raw pack. i've never done home grown chickens, but i would think the process would be the same. why cook and debone and then cook again?

i use liquid in the jar for stock and what not... the bones add to the flavour- if you cook first and debone you will loose that.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

when i can i can bone in for legs and thighs and i raw pack. i've never done home grown chickens, but i would think the process would be the same. why cook and debone and then cook again?

i use liquid in the jar for stock and what not... the bones add to the flavour- if you cook first and debone you will loose that.

I was canning old laying hens. There is not a whole lot of meat of there, a little over a pound per bird. Leg and thigh pieces would be mostly bone and we just want the meat for sandwiches and casseroles.

Once the birds are cooked they can be deboned rather rapidly by pulling the meat from the bones versus having to fillet them out. I use the liquid from the boil pot to can the meat so we aren't losing too much. There are times when I've thrown the bones into the pressure cooker with vegetables and made stock too.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

New to the thread here. I have a bunch of 3 year old hens I want to process this spring. We usually skin them out. Do they have to sit for any time or can I cut them up, raw pack into jars and can them that way? Will they be tender? I would really like to avoid the whole cooking first before canning. I do like the idea of cooking up the carcass and canning the meat and broth from that for quick soups and such. I have canned fruits and vegetables but never meat.

 

[bj taylor]

a really wonderful thread. i've never canned anything. this sounds like something i could do.

 

[redsoxs]

It is a great thing - easy, tasty, and so convenient in the winter when you want to turn out a quick meal. I use excess cockerels and spent hens. Thinking of hitting a poultry auction this spring to see if I can score some cheap birds and bust out the pressure canner!

 

[Mac in Wisco]

New to the thread here. I have a bunch of 3 year old hens I want to process this spring. We usually skin them out. Do they have to sit for any time or can I cut them up, raw pack into jars and can them that way? Will they be tender? I would really like to avoid the whole cooking first before canning. I do like the idea of cooking up the carcass and canning the meat and broth from that for quick soups and such. I have canned fruits and vegetables but never meat.

I've found that they don't need to sit to be tender. The high temp pressure canning process does a pretty good job of that. You can cut them up and raw pack them, although I've never tried it. Just follow the instructions from a good canning guide.