What are you canning now?

[JulesChicks]

Maybe @Beekissed will chime in as she cans chicken a lot. I ended up selling my last 4 cockerels as I just don't have time and space right now as we're in the midst of a major remodel and living in a tiny kitchen with an apartment sized stove. I do believe she said if you can the bones to only can the bigger ones otherwise they crumble afterward and it is difficult to separate meat from bones. I think she also makes schmaltz and she certainly uses everything, but she does skin them first. Hope that helps...

 

[Beekissed]

Hello all-

I am going to try canning some cockerels as soon as the weather permits butchering and I have a few questions:

1. Is it best to let the boys rest in the fridge for 3 days before canning or does it matter because it will be pressure cooked?
2. Do I raw pack it tight or loose?
3. How much head space does the can need? (I will not be adding any liquid).
4. Can you make schmaltz out of the skin? Trying to decide whether it is worth the trouble to scald and pluck the boys so I can make something with the skin or just to skin them.

Thanks so much~

No need to rest the meat when canning it...it comes out completely tender no matter what.

Pack is as tight as you like or as loose as you like, depending on how much meat you want per jar....most agree that tightly packed raw packing is the most desired.

The usual head space you'd use in any canning. I'd suggest you add liquid, as chicken doesn't possess much blood in the muscle tissue, so not adding liquid to your head space fill line will leave you with meat sticking up out of the available liquid and too much head space, as it all tends to cook/shrink down in the canning process if you don't get it tightly packed.

Cockerels and roosters generally don't have a lot of fat on their bodies, though these WR males have surprised me greatly on the amount they have...was able to render a good bit of fat from their carcasses, which is unusual to say the least. Usually the hen stores WAY more fat than the rooster. There is a lot of fat to be had in the skin and if it's worth it to you to have that extra amount, go for it. I always skin my birds so at least that fat store is one I do not harvest....I get plenty otherwise. If you have a very lean breed/bird and really want that measure of fat, I'd say pluck instead of skin.

I've switched to deboning raw and raw packing my chicken meat and have been incredibly impressed with the finished product compared to when I canned bone in...I'm able to salvage more of the meat(I cook the bones~ with any meat still attached~ down for stock, pick those and can the picked meat also, then render the fat and freeze it, can up the stock). When I do it this way, I usually cut the raw meat into bite sized pieces prior to packing it in the jar...you wouldn't believe how much meat you can pack into a quart jar that way!

I started doing it that way to lessen waste, to better utilize my jar and shelf space and to lessen the work on the back end of the product and I know now I've found my favorite method of canning chicken. I can the picked off the bone meats into pints, which makes them easy to add to instant soup mixes, to make some chicken salad, etc.

 

[Maeschak]

Awesome, thanks so much @Beekissed !

 

[Maeschak]

EDIT: Question Withdrawn... just finished it up. I guess I will find out if it worked!

I goofed up big time... can it be saved?

Only had 5 lb pressure (instead of 10lb) for a recipe calling for 10 lb pressure for 90 minutes (quarts). I am pressure canning pinto beans. I caught the mistake at 70 minutes (meaning only 20 minutes left to process). Should I just put it up to 10 lbs and start the timer over? Im guessing beans will be complete mush? Will the water run out? Oh boy.

 

[spoikey]

You need to start over to refill pot to make sure you have enough water. If the pot was to go dry all would be lost including your canner. #5 pressure is not hot enough for safety.

 

[Maeschak]

You need to start over to refill pot to make sure you have enough water. If the pot was to go dry all would be lost including your canner. #5 pressure is not hot enough for safety.

Thanks, that is what I did... cooling off now. Guess I shall see how bad they are tomorrow!

 

[spoikey]

If they end up too mushy they can always be used for refried beans. Not a loss at all.

 

[Maeschak]

If they end up too mushy they can always be used for refried beans. Not a loss at all.

Just had them for breakfast and lunch (two jars didn't seal so I thought I would give it a go). I am surprised but they are just fine- they are almost re-fried consistency but not quite.

I threw in some chopped-bacon, diced onion, touch of BBQ sauce, spicy home-made green chili sauce and topped with a runny egg. My new favorite breakfast! And a real time-saver over cooking them from dry every 4 or 5 days.

 

[71stbrew]

Ok question, what amount of chicken bones, scraps, to water do you use for broth, or stock?

 

[Beekissed]

Ok question, what amount of chicken bones, scraps, to water do you use for broth, or stock?

Whatever ratio you want...but your deepest flavor will result from a high bone/meat ratio compared to the water used. I am usually doing 4-5 birds at a time nowadays and my largest stock pot will just barely hold all the bones from that, so whatever water fits into the pot after all the bones are in there is what amount of stock I make...if I'm killing more birds than that, I have to get out my big speckled canning pot for making stock. I like to make my stock concentrated now so I can save on jar/shelf space.