What are you canning now?

[Talithahorse]

Thanks, I think I will try it next time I make a good bone broth. I love having a good broth to make a quick batch of chicken noodle soup after work or chicken and dumplings. But having never cooked with canned other meat, like beef, what kind of recipes do you use with canned beef or pork? I wish I had access to good venison but my family doesn't seem to be the die hard hunters that would keep venison in the freezer.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks, I think I will try it next time I make a good bone broth. I love having a good broth to make a quick batch of chicken noodle soup after work or chicken and dumplings. But having never cooked with canned other meat, like beef, what kind of recipes do you use with canned beef or pork? I wish I had access to good venison but my family doesn't seem to be the die hard hunters that would keep venison in the freezer.

I'm not much of a pork eater, so can't speak of it, but for the deer or beef, cubed meat goes well in stews, soups, stir fries, gravy, noodles, pot pies, and just about anywhere you'd add steak or roast beef. For canned ground, I like to use it in chili, soups, spaghetti, fried potatoes, Mexican foods, dips, gravy, omelets, and anywhere you'd use ground beef.

Canned chicken can be used pretty much the same way. I'm finding much more versatility for my canned chicken, as far as size and texture goes, since I started cutting it off the bone and into bite size pieces prior to raw packing it. Now I can use it in chicken salad and it will still hold the cube shape, as well as in potpie, stew, soups, etc.

There's just nothing more useful, when keeping chickens and needing to eat old chickens and extra cockerels, than your canner. It renders all birds tender, flavorful and juicy for any recipe you'd want to use them for. Then the bones, fat and organs can be boiled down for a good stock and the scraps given to the dogs. The fat is rendered off and frozen for use in cooking. There's just not much that goes to waste on the chickens at that point and it's a wonderful way to honor the life of that old bird, by not wasting their energy.

 

[Maeschak]

Question on canning meat. I have canned many a vegetable and jam but for some reason canning meat makes me very very nervous. I have a pressure canner and would love to be brave enough to can the bone broth that I make after processing chickens. As of right now I put it in my jars and then freeze it. Anyone else overcome the fear of canned meat? Suggestions (or great stories about having done it for years and never gotten sick might help). Also suggestions for making sure that they are safe. I am like the cowardly lion and need courage...

I overcame my fear of canning meat and now I will never go back! Now I am actively searching through my freezer to find more meat to can, as it SOOO incredibly convenient to have already cooked meat nearby for a quick meal. Several people here helped out (BeeKissed for one).

I read as much about chicken canning as I could before I tried it... and will now do a few things differently:
1. I recommend putting 2 TB of fluid in pint jars with the chicken. (Some people say dont add any fluids, some people say you must add fluids). The meat will come out just fine either way, but it just looks nicer to have the meat submerged in fluids in the jar instead of having dry meat poking out from the juice. (The meat will make its own juice, just not enough to cover the meat on its own).
2. CRAM the meat into the pint jars. Lots of folks say 1lb of chicken will fit into each pint jar but I felt like I could not get any more than 14 oz in each jar. Again, either way will be fine but the meat shrinks up quite a bit while cooking and there will be more space in the jar if using less than 1lb chicken in each jar.
3. Make as much as you can because it goes quick!

And by the way, it doesn't look to pretty but tastes and works great.

 

[lcertuche]

I love canned meat. It is so versatile and no thawing required. It was especially good for my tough cockerels.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Does anybody can meat pre-seasoned - like taco meat or bbq?
Or does everyone season it when they are going to use it?

I am thinking of trying some canned pork with Mexican seasoning - a recipe that we recently tried and really liked. The recipe cooks a pork roast and makes way too much meat for just the two of us. If I mixed up the sauce and diced the roast - putting it into quart jars and canning it instead of crockpotting it all day. Then I could just use a jar for supper when we want it, instead of freezing the leftovers and having it get freezer burned and dried out.

 

[71stbrew]

I have been reading along with this thread this last week or so, and I would like to say thank you all for the inspiration. I have canned veggies for years but thanks to you guys I have canned turkey, pork, and chicken broth and some deer and chicken. No more worries if hubby gets more deer than the deep freeze holds.

 

[Beekissed]

 

[moving coops]

You do raw ground meat? That would be easier! But everything I read, since so compact says to cook first as it does not heat through enough perhaps since more of a solid mass...

I would love to not cook first!

 

[71stbrew]

Well I am new to canning meat but I have canned raw chunks, I understand if you use ground it needs to brown first, I think. Maybe a veteran meat canner can chip in.

 

[Beekissed]

You do raw ground meat? That would be easier! But everything I read, since so compact says to cook first as it does not heat through enough perhaps since more of a solid mass...

I would love to not cook first!

Not only do I raw pack my ground venison, but I also pack it tightly into the jar. If you process it for the times it should be processed, everything gets cooked thoroughly throughout. If in doubt, just process it for a longer time...it will eventually have to work!