It's super easy! Home can chicken and beef!

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

At $.99lb.(on sale) why not buy lots and home can chicken and round steak?? IT IS REALLY SUPER EASY! Take the raw chicken breasts rinse, pull off skin, put 2-3 in clean quart jar, put a half tea spoon of salt on top,(no liquid) wipe top of jar, put a warmed lid on and tighten ring on that then put 7 of those filled jars in a pressure canner, then fill canner with water till it is about a fourth full. Close pressure canner and wait till steam pours out top hole for 5 minutes and then put pressure control on top set at 15 pounds. When it starts jiggling start counting time (90 minutes) and then turn the burner down so it jiggles a few times a minute after 90min let it cool then open and check lids are depressed (sealed) Next day remove ring.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 18, 1998

Answers

P.S. DO NOT OPEN PRESSURE CANNER IF ANY PRESSURE REMAINS INSIDE!! You could be burned severely. Wait till it is cool to open (dont run water over it to hurry cooling it either. After it loses all pressure you may open it but BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL BECAUSE the juice inside the jars will may still be boiling after the canner has cooled. Use common sense and dont expose a jar full of boiling food to a cold draft and dont set a boiling hot jar of food on a cold wet towel or it will break and possible injure you.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 18, 1998.

Thanks Ann. Looks easy. I suspect you're using boneless chicken if you are putting 3 breasts in a qt. jar.

-- Bill S. (Bill_S3@juno.com), November 18, 1998.

Actually, We can get 3 small chicken breasts(with bone) in a quart jar or two larger ones and we cut the bone off the third one to fit it in the jar if they are bigger. If we bother to bone the chicken we usually use half pint or pint jars(which hold a lot of meat if it is boned) Make sure you BOIL ALL home pressure canned (low acid) food vigorously for 15 minutes before serving or even before tasting, EVEN IF THE SEAL IS TIGHT AND IT LOOKS, SMELLS, AND APPEARS FINE. You can add more water if you fear it may all boil off in 15 minutes.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 18, 1998.

Ann, is there any chance you live close to Iowa? I am dumb when it comes to canning meat! Too bad you aren't my neighbor! I would love to can chicken but I would like to do it with someone looking over my shoulder...always afraid of poisoning the whole family! We all got food poisoning a few years back and we will never forget it. (No, it wasn't because of something I fixed!) I don't care for the canned chicken in the store (like tuna) because it only tastes like salt not chicken. I will check with other y2k friends and give them your instructions. Thanks! Blondie

-- Blondie Marie (Blondie@future.net), November 19, 1998.

I'm canning taco meat, meat balls, spaghetti sauce, barbeque brisket, chicken made various ways (enchilada style, chunks for chicken salad, etc.) - I'm getting the meat on sale and hope to minimize some of the costs.

Also - since there's just 3 of us - I'm using pint jars - one pint plus side dishes should feed us for one meal and I don't have leftovers to try to store.

Thank you, Mom and Grandma, for making me help during canning season and teaching me all you know!

-- c samp (csamp@h-s.com), November 20, 1998.



Hi Ann, Could you help me with my beef? I fully cooked eye round roasts, sliced and packed them in jars, covered with the beef stock. I pressured canned for 40 minutes at 10 pounds. What do you think, am I O.K. Will it keep alright. I plan to use your instructions for the chicken. Thanks, Bridget

-- Bridget Works (sworks@internetpro.net), November 20, 1998.

NO, according to my Ball Canning Book your meat was not processed long enough to be safely canned. I was not giving instructions, but a general idea of the ease of canning meat. Do not use any casual explanation as your guide, but get a book (recent issue) that specifically and authoritatively instructs you how to properly can each type of food.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 21, 1998.

Just notice my post says 15 pounds pressure. That is WRONG! It should read 10 pounds. Please get a good Ball canning book for the specifics of canning each type of food!

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 21, 1998.

Poor Chickens. First they spend their entire life crammed in a cage (six to a gage) without any room to lay down and have a decent sleep. Then sombody slits their throat and then you guys cook the poor thing and again cram it is a small confinement called a can! It has been proven that 66% of the chickens are diseased. Remember the Hunta Virus! It is deadly! If you want to avoid this virus from your family, be sure to wash the sink area where you cut up the chicken, clean real good under your finger nails, etc. etc. Use rubber gloves! When you finally eat that chicken, think of how the poor thing suffered, just because you have a hunger for meat!

-- Eddie Pons (ponski@soft-link.com), November 24, 1998.

This may be hard to find in print, as we could poision our ignorant selves if given the opportunity. The following receipes are from my Grandma Peterson's 1953 copy of Joy of cooking. I notice that my own 1964 copy has omitted the directions for boiling bath process.

ALL BOILING BATH PROCESSED MEATS MUST BE BOILED IN AN OPEN PAN FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE TASTING OR EATING. When using pressure cooker and temperature has reached 240 degrees, meat may be served cold as well as hot.

After killing, meats and poultry should be well bled and cooled to below 40 degrees, preferably for 24 hours, before canning. Beef is better aged for 1 week to 10 days at 34 to 38 degrees. Do not thaw frozen meat before canning, saw into 1 or 2 inch strips , drop into boiling water and precook.

PRECOOKING OF MEATS 1. In moderate oven 350 : cut the meat into pieces about 1 lb. each. Put in uncovered pans in oven. Roast until the red or pink has almost gone at the center of pieces, about 20 to 40 min. Cut meat into smaller pieces. Pack hot in hot jars. Pack closely, at least 2 pieces to a pint jar. Skim fat from drippings. Add enough boiling water or broth to them to cover the meat, leaving 1/2 in. head space. Remove air bubbles with blade of Knife. 2. In water: Cut meat in uniform pieces about 1 lb. each, drop in boiling water and simmer 12 to 20 min, or until raw color has disappeared at center of pieces. Cut meat into smaller serving pieces, salt, pack closely, cover with the boiling broth, Remove air bubbles. Frying is not desireable, making the meat hard, dry and give bad flavor.

DIRECTIONS Pint jars are better, especially if boiling bathed as opposed to pressure cooked, as the heat penetrates more readily to the center. Plain tin cans are better for meats and poultry than enameled ones. Processing time Most meat is processed at 10 lbs pressure 240 degrees. Add 1 lb. pressure for each 2000 ft. of elevation above sea level.

Roasts and Steaks - Remove large bones etc. leave a little fat on the meat for flavor. Precook by method 1 or 2 excpet for pork, which has better flavor using method 1. Pack hot, cover with boiling liquid in which meats were cooked. Process in pressure cooker: pints for 1 1/4 hrs., quarts for 1 1/2 hrs. at 10 lbs Process by boiling bath: Pints only for 3 1/2 hours

Ground Beef - Meat should be fresh clean and cold. Grind lean meat, using plate with 1/8 inch holes. Add 1 tsp. salt per lb. meat. Form into flat cakes that can be packed without breaking. Precool by method 1 until med. done. Pack hot. Skim fat from drippings. Cover cakes with drippngs ad boiling water. Leave 1 in. head space. Process same as roasts and steaks.

Broth or Stock - Process in pressure cooker 20 min. for pints at 10 lbs,25 min. for quarts at 10 lbs. Boiling bath method: Pints only, boil for 1 1/2 hours.

Stew meat or hash - Use precooking method 1, simmering just until raw color is gone. Pack hot, cover with boing broth Pressure cooker process: Pints for 75 min., quarts for 90 min. at 10 lbs. Boiling Bath: 3 1/2 hrs, pints only.

Liver-wash, devein, slice, drop in boiling salted water, simmer about 5 min. Pack, cover with boiling water . Process same as stew above

Hearts-wash, cut out connective tissue. Precook by method 2. Pack, add salt and boiling broth to cover. Process same as stew above.

Tongue-wash, place in boiling water, simmer about 45 min. or until skin can be removed. Skin, slice, Reheat to simmering in broth. Pack, add salt and broth to cover. Process same as stew above.

Sausage-Make sausage, but omit sage. Form into flat cakes. Brown in 350 oven or on top of stove in heavy skillet over mod. hear. Pour off fat as it accumulates. Pack hot, cover with boiling pan gravy and water. Leave 1 inch head space. Process like ground beef, roasts and steaks.

poultry-dressed, cut for frying, cooled @ 40 degrees or cooler for minimun 8 hrs, preferably 24 hrs. before processing. Separate pieces into 3 piles. Meaty, bony, and giblets. Simmer bony pieces until tender, add broth to meaty pieces and simmer until medium done. Skim fat. Pack meaty peices with or without bone, covering with boiling broth, leaving 1 inch head space. Work out air bubbles. Debone bony peices and cut into uniform sized pieces, covering with boiling broth. Pressure Cooked Process: Pints at 65, quarts for 75 minutes at 10 lbs. Boiling Bath Process: Pints only for 3 1/2 hours

Can giblets separately as they will flavor and discolor the other meat. Can livers separately, hearts and gizzards together. Cover with boiling broth or water. Cover and cook until medium done. Pack hot, cover with boiling broth. Leave 1 inch head space. Work our air bubbles. Pressure cooker Process: Pints for 75 minutes at 10 lbs. None given for boiling bath

Rabbit-same as chicken

Fish-Not given in this book because the recommended processes are "controversial and complicated". Government calls for long processing and again, before the food is served, causing great loss of flavor and food value.

-- Merv Oberg (JOYforLIFE@boink.net), November 24, 1998.



I wouldn't use the boiling bath method for any type of canning. Now days they know that method is not safe. Beware of old cookbooks. The best way to learn how to safely can items is to check with you local extension office.

-- Louise (~~~~@~~~~.~~~), November 25, 1998.

Eddie, I suppose you get worried about every creature in nature that gets eaten by a carnivore. You must have a lot of sleepless nights, the deaths are horrendous as well. In fact most animals die violent deaths even if their not predated, more likely than just passing away peaceably in the night.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 25, 1998.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ