appearance of home-canned stock?

[martygreene]

I'm curious what other people's home-canned chicken/turkey stock looks like. My chicken stock, when it came out of the canner, had/has an opaque liquid layer on the top. Now, I know part of this is probably fat, but there really wasn't much fat left in the stock at ALL before it went into the cans.

I'm getting ready to do up my turkey stock tonight, and am wondering if there is something I'm not doing with my stock prior to putting into the jars for canning?

I'd appreciate pictures of home-canned stock, and would love thoughts and ideas on this too.

Thanks!

[Michael Kawalek]

Hi Marty
The only thing to be concerned about is whether or not the safety button on the lid is fiirmly down. That means there's still a good seal and implies the jar is sterile. It probubly is just fat, which was melted out of the meat scraps by the higher heat of the canner.

Michael

[martygreene]

Oh yeah, they sealed just fine, I'm just confused how there could be more fat in the jars after canning than before canning, when that stuff was triple strained through muslin?

It just really looks gross.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

That is the love you put in there! Wait till you use it. It will cure the common cold and warm hearts for years and years!

[martygreene]

The leftover cup or so that didn't fit into a full jar tastes just fine, so I froze that little bit for use sooner, but I always wonder how people get such nice uniform looking jars of stock, when mine usually have bits of coagulated protein in them, and this past batch of chicken stock has the aformentioned 'sludge' at the top. Just looks icky, and isn't worth entering into the farm show that's for sure!

[LagoVistaFarm]

For cooking, leave it alone. For the farm show, strain it through a coffee filter.

In 2007 we put up at least 50 gallons of chicken stock. We are down to ten. Somehow friends neighbors and our family seem to like that icky stuff.

[Michael Kawalek]

Marty
The coagulated protein is a result of boiling. In beermaking this is strongly advised to help get rid of extra protein that would not be utilized by the yeast. If you carefully heat your stock to a very low simmer, keeping it just below boiling, you'll get a much clearer stock. Frankly though, who cares. If your stock was going to be featured in "Good Housekeeping", I'd worry about appearance. Otherwise eat up!
Michael

[martygreene]

Originally Posted by Michael Kawalek

Marty
The coagulated protein is a result of boiling. In beermaking this is strongly advised to help get rid of extra protein that would not be utilized by the yeast. If you carefully heat your stock to a very low simmer, keeping it just below boiling, you'll get a much clearer stock. Frankly though, who cares. If your stock was going to be featured in "Good Housekeeping", I'd worry about appearance. Otherwise eat up!
Michael

My stock never boils before it goes into the canner- but when it goes it the pressure canner heats it up so high that it causes the proteins to congeal.


As for the coffee filter suggestion- would this really make a differance since I already strain through squares of muslin (not cheesecloth)?