Does anyone can their own meat?
I was thinking of buying a canning pressure cooker but wanted to get some feedback. Thanks in advance.
Carolyn, Deb, you came to mind on this one. ;) :D
Mike,
I have never canned meat but I would imagine it's one of the things that would need to pressure canned. The Ball Blue book is a great reference. It's paperback and not that expensive.
Maybe Carolyn will chime in or maybe Cowgirl - I think she does some canning.
Deb
Hi!
I have never canned meat, have not taken the step over to the pressure-cooker side, though I do want to.
Deb is right, The Ball Blue Book is the canning bible especially when you are doing low acid foods such as meat.
The department of agriculture I believe has a canning book, too.
And when you do get a pressure canner, I've heard that you should have it's gauge accuracy checked by your local extension office once a year. Probably check a new one, too.
There's got to be a forum somewhere I would think.
Let us know what you find out because this is interesting to me, too.
Carolyn
This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands ;D
http://www.freshpreserving.com/
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/canningmeat
http://www.kountrylife.com/articles/canmeat.htm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1983-09-01/Canning-Meat.aspx
From what i have been viewing most meat canning is done with a pressure canner.
nepas
I've canned a fair amount of salmon using a pressure cooker. Works good - another way to preserve the meat.
What are your questions?
I know it depends on the recipe you use but aside from that, is it worth doing? Flavor, texture, etc.
Many years back, my ex father in law used to can venison. It was very good. Not sure how he did it or anything but it tasted great.
When my mom was alive she used to can venison for me using a pressure canner. I helped cut up the meat and peppers or whatever else I wanted in the jars but never learned how to do it. All I can say is, it was fantastic!
For us, canning salmon is just another way to keep it. We freeze a bunch, smoke some and can some. Canned salmon has several benefits. It is cooked and keeps well without refrigeration, so we'll just grab a jar of salmon and take it with us for lunch - eat it right out of the jar. We also will mix it with some chopped onions and other ingredients and fry it as salmon cakes. It can be used in any recipe that calls for canned tuna.
If given the choice of canned salmon or a nice broiled/grilled salmon fillet (frozen then thawed) i'll take the fillet. But the canned is still very good, just different.
We toss in a bit of seasoning in many jars as we can the salmon. Canning also works well for me because of the way i fillet salmon. I fillet, then remove the skin and then cut out the strip of flesh that has the pin bones. These are the parts of the fillet i can - the pressure and heat dissolves the bones, so i don't have to deal with bones in my fillets.
I talked to a guy that cans bear meat and he says it works great for him. Bear can have a lot of parasites so the heat and pressure is good way to eliminate that threat. He say the meat comes out a bit like Alpo, but is tasty and works fine in stew or soup. I haven't tried it myself - maybe i'll get a bear this year and give it a whirl!
It looks like there are some good links here about pressure cooker safety. They can be dangerous, so be careful.
Thanks Aces, As long as one follows the proper guidelines everything should be ok. I' ve checked a few websites out and have a bunch of books on canning so I know I'm going to give it a whirl. Just wanted to get other peoples feedback.
I do alot of dehydrating and a little regular canning so I'll stretch out a little more.
Thanks all. ;)
Sounds like Aces is the man to know!
I've always have been a little scared because of the safety factor, but I'm sure once you are armed with the correct knowledge there's nothing to be afraid of.
Carolyn
Thanks for the links nepas.
I have done quite a bit of Tuna. I had a neighbor that went out deep sea fishing 12 or more times a year and he always had lots to donate to his neighbors. Smoked a bunch and canned the rest. Love canned tuna. Lasts a long time and is very versatile.
I have canned meat before in my boating days for the sailboat folks going on extended cruises like SF to Haw. Would not eat it myself!
My dad and I were fishing from the rocks at Valdez Alaska when I was teenager.
There was this couple there that had this whole canning set up right in the parking lot canning their own salmon.
We're so impressed by that!
Carolyn