A.T.--just curious?

[ceresone]

Dont know why, just woke up in the night and started thinking about storage--Not asking specifics, but do you can (glass jars) your own meats? or store the dried kind? All kinds--chicken, beef, etc. Do you raise your own, if you go this way?
Just wondering what other people do-- vegetables can be grown easily, but what does--anyone now,-- do about meat storage?

Yes, I do can my own meats as well as buying some such as Spam, salmon, ham, etc. If I can't get a decent commercial version of what I want then I can my own. In the fall I study the sale papers for good meat sales and when I find one I fill the canner. I don't presently have any dried meat, but in the past I've kept it off and on. I also keep a flock of chickens so if store bought meat were to disappear we'd eat roosters and cull hens.

I think home-canning is a good thing, but it does need some careful analysis to determine whether a given product is worth your time and effort. I am perpetually short of discretionary time so I am selective about what I can. These are almost entirely things I cannot find in the stores or surplus of what we've grown and haven't eaten fresh. I can buy canned tomatoes for cheaper than I can grow and can them myself, but muscadine jam is seldom seen in the market and it's expensive when you can find it so that I put up. The same for many of the other fruits that I put by and some vegetables.

Meat on the other hand is one area that it does make sense to can your own many times. The available selection of qualiity canned meat is fairly small unless you're willing to pay big. I can spend a couple of days out of a year studying my local meat sales and put up most of the meat I want to can for a lot less than it would cost me to buy it, get it in container sizes that are right for my family's needs, and get better quality to boot.

.....Alan.

[diane]

I did some comparison shopping at Sam's last week. Their boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not the cheapest I can get because up by my daughter is near a big bulk meat place. That said, Sam's canned chicken was four times as expensive per pound as the frozen breasts. That alone convinced me that I should continue canning my own meat. Like Alan I watch the meat sales closely. I love having jars of canned beef around to dump into some noodles etc. I always check the meat counters when I am in a store because they mark soon to outdate meat down. Sometimes I take it home and can it or if I am busy with other things I throw it in the freezer until I have time to can. The very cheapest cuts of beef when canned are yummy!! Making jerky is another way to keep beef that is very popular in my extended family.

[DaleK]

We usually have a couple of freemartin heifers every year that we throw in with the fertile heifers and raise to about 1500lbs for the freezer, about once a year we'll keep a cull cow instead of selling her and use her for ground beef and stew and can a good bit of that. I think stew beef and ground beef are probably the best bet for canning.

[KindredSpirit]

I am glad you posted this question. I was just thinking about it last night myself. If you can meat, how long of a shelf life does it have? I was thinking of canning chicken, stew meat, that sort of thing. Thanks ahead of time for answers!

I've never kept home-canned meat so long that it went past the point that I was willing to use it so I can't give an absolute answer. Much depends on the storage temperature anyway so many of you would be able to keep yours longer than I can keep mine here in Florida where it's running about 82 in my storage area just at the moment. My oldest home-canned in the cabinets just now is 2005 and it's holding in there pretty well.

The darker more strongly flavored meats like beef and venison seem to hold up better longer than lighter, more delicately flavored meats like poultry. Pork seems to fall somewhere in between. For canning I prefer the tougher cuts as they keep more texture than anything that was tender already before being subjected to seventy five to ninety minutes in a pressure canner. Commercial chicken doesn't seem to matter what part is used it's all tender to begin with. If I keep a good eye out for sales I can usually catch boneless, skinless chicken of some type or another at a good price so that's usually what I can. Bones just take up room in the jar so far as I'm concerned.

.....Alan.

[mj1angier]

Check here for another way to keep ham
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/458-223/458-223.html

[Cyngbaeld]

I raise all our meats since I don't trust/like/eat that grocery store trash. LOL I pressure can it raw packed in qt jars. I've read it can last 10 yrs. It is really convenient to have it cooked and no worries about the power going out.

BTW, I still have some of that home-canned meat from 2005 and it's still quite tasty.

.....Alan.

[Cyngbaeld]

I'm eating 2005 meat too. Can't tell a bit of difference in that and freshly canned.

[Pouncer]

I can meat also, when I have it to spare. If I knew I was going to have a lengthy power outage and would lose everything in the freezer....I would be canning like a madwoman to save it all, lol Luckily I have two canners and a way to do that

A favorite is moose stew-complete with veggies. Absolutely scrumptious and while it's a bit of a pain to heat everything up, the results are worth it. I process everything with meat in it for 90 minutes as recommended. Salmon (or other fish) get 105 like our local cooperative extension service suggests-safety measure for smoked fish.

[buslady]

Have been wondering about you, but Tina sent word today that you are okay, and for some reason or either, you cannot get through to me. Didn't need anything, just was wondering about you. Buslady

[Trisha in WA]

We raise almost all our own meat, and I do can a fair bit of it. I like having ready made beef stew on hand to heat up for dinner on a busy fall/winter evening. I was thinking I might can some chili soon too. Sounded good as a quick fix meal to have on hand.

[NCLee]

I can meats, too. Sometimes neighbors will empty their freezer of venison before the start of the new season. I love canned venison for soups and stews.

Canning turkey is a good way to get a lot of meat on the table for a low price. It's going for around $0.40 for a pound right now. Don't know of any other meat that can be bought for that price. Fill the freezer while the specials are running. Defrost and can. Good for soups, casseroles, pot pies, etc.

This year I plan to take advantage of the holiday ham specials and can that up, too.

When canning meats with bones (except venison) I use the hot pack method. After cooking for a while, I drain the meat, cut into cubes, removing excess fat. Refrigerate. Put the bones, skin, etc. back in the pot to make stock. When all the goodness is extracted, remove the bones, etc. Chill. Remove the fat. Stock is heated and the meat us warmed in the microwave. Meat goes into hot jars and covered with the hot stock. Since there's more liquid than what's needed to fill the jars, the rest of the liquid (stock) is canned also. This is especially good for chicken stock.

BTW, I also stock up on canned foods that I can't easily make at home or are too expensive to buy fresh, such as salmon. Things that are good for quick meals. Canned tuna, Tuna Lunch to Go, salmon, mackerel, Turkey Spam, sardines, potted meat, etc.

BTW, when time permits, I can or dehydrate things in the freezer that can be preserved by one or both of those methods. Cuts down on what has to be done if the power goes out. Even though I do have 2 pressure canners, water can be a problem, since we're on a well. Take a heck of a lot of water to wash/rinse jars, heat jars, 6 qts of water for the canners, and what it takes for the jars, themselves.

One thing I do, if I have advance warning, is to put the water bath canner on the stove and fill it with water. That's in additon to other things I do, such as filling stock pots, 5 gallon contractors water cooler, etc. This is beyond the emergency water supply that we keep in the pantry. Filling the water bath ahead of time gives me a head start on canning and that extra water, already available for heating jars or for whatever is needed sure comes in handy.

Hope these thoughts are useful.
Lee

[unregistered29228]

Most of my meat stores are store canned - chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, pork BBQ, sardines, canned hams, etc. Like Alan said, it's cheaper and easier to buy it already canned most of the time.

Last year I bought two turkeys right after Thanksgiving, for .20/lb. I've really enjoyed having them canned and waiting for those nights when I just need something quick and tasty. They make great casseroles or noodle dishes, and I've drained and pressed them to make sandwiches too. I canned a big pork leg roast which is also good. None of mine is older than 18 months but all of it is just like new when I open it.

And don't forget dehydrated hamburger "gravel". I have several quart jars full now, and have enjoyed it for tacos, chili and shepherd's pie. Search this thread for the instructions, or let me know and I'll post how to do it again.

[ejagno]

I've always worried about my canned food here in the south. All of the recommendations call for much cooler temps for the home canned storage. I can't control that short of keeping an A/C running in my store room but that would be cost prohibitive. My home isn't even kept below 74 throughout the summer.

I see where alot of people can meat or veggies with a specific meal in mind. Why don't you prepare the meal and can it as such? I love gumbo so I can it with everything in it (except for the rice) so that all you have to do is heat and eat. These are some of the prepared MEALS I try to can regularly just to name a few:
Gumbo (Okra w/ Chicken, Okra w/ shrimp, Chicken & sausage, Seafood)
Chili
Red Beans & Sausage
Smothered mustard greens w/ sausage
Beef tips in gravy
Pork roast in gravy
Chicken in gravy
Mexican ground beef to put in salad, taco's, nacho's.............
Soups - Vegetable w/ beef, Chicken, Split pea............
(I want to try potato soup this year)
Meatloaf-in quart wide mouth with straight sides
Pepper Jelly and preserves of all kinds

[7thswan]

Chunked beef and Ground Beef. Venison. Soon my older Hens are going to be skinned and packed in jars, Legs with legs,Breasts with breasts ect. And Broth. I do like my jerky kept in jars rather than the freezer. Yes we grow our own. I do use 2 freezers but just feel better with canned meat around and it is very good and Fast. I lived without Elec. so canning/drying was the way I had to do it, and I'm still most comfortable with it.

Originally Posted by ejagno

I've always worried about my canned food here in the south. All of the recommendations call for much cooler temps for the home canned storage. I can't control that short of keeping an A/C running in my store room but that would be cost prohibitive. My home isn't even kept below 74 throughout the summer.

The only time my food storage sees temperatures below 74 is in the winter during a cold snap because I keep the thermostat set at 68.

In the hot season I keep the thermostat set at 84 during the day. 80-82 once the sun goes down.

This does cost some storage life relative to the 72 that many storage charts call for which I find to be unrealistic for most of the country below the Mason-Dixon line for most of the year. Still, I have been able to keep a quite good storage program even if I can't get quite as much storage life as the colder parts of the country.

The further south you go the warmer the storage temperatures generally speaking, but also the longer the growing season so it's all a trade off.

.....Alan.

[NCLee]

I can separate ingredients so that I can use them in a variety of ways. Canned turkey can go into soups, casseroles, and pot pies, for example.

It's easier to can separate ingredients. Especially when doing big batch canning. Don't have to prep all those additional ingredients. Plus, I can use the processing time for the ingredient. Otherwise, I have to use the processing time of the ingredient with the longest time. If meat is involved, that's automatically 90 minutes per load.

Although it takes a little longer at meal time, I can use a combination of canned and fresh ingredients, especially those that don't can well. And, can use up those odds and ends that might be tossed otherwise. For example, when I make homemade soup, I can pull from the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, so nothing goes to waste.

Just some thoughts about why I usually don't can "recipes".

Lee

[ACountryMomma]

I'm hoping to try canning meat this weekend (cross your fingers that I manage to shoot my first deer!) We always butcher the deer my husband brings home right here at home & I think it would be nice to put some by.

Here is a link I hope to find helpful - I've printed it out already.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...6section5.html

Good luck to us both