Home Food Storage
Canning and using meat
Why can meat?
Laziness – My favorite. Invest a little time up front for a
whole lot of “easy” later.
Taste – It taste sooooo good.
Cost – buying meat on sale/in bulk usually results in much
lower cost.
Comfort – knowing that you have food on the shelf that will
feed your family is always a good feeling.
Obedience – “Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth,
with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for
our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to
‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity
come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they
care for others. ( https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage?lang=eng
)
How do you can pressure can meat?
There are four basic agents of
food spoilage—enzymes, mold, yeast, and bacteria. Canning interrupts the
natural spoilage cycle so food can be preserved safely. Molds, yeast, and
enzymes are destroyed at temperatures below 212°F, the temperature at which
water boils (except in mountainous regions). Therefore, boiling water
processing is sufficient to destroy those agents.
Bacteria, however, are not as
easily destroyed. The bacteria, Clostridium botulinum produces a spore that
makes a poisonous toxin which causes botulism. This spore is not destroyed at
212°F. In addition, the bacteria thrive on low acid foods in the absence of
air.
In pressure canning, some of
the water in the pressure canner is converted to steam, which creates pressure
within the canner. As pressure increases, temperature increases, 5 pounds
pressure—228°F, 10 pounds pressure—240°F, 15 pounds pressure—250°F. This
pressurized heat destroys the potentially harmful bacteria spores. As the jars
cool, a vacuum is formed, sealing the food within and preventing any new
microorganisms from entering and spoiling the food.
The
Steps – Raw Pack
Buy meat, cut it up, fill
jars, process jars, eat, rinse (actually wash) and repeat. Couldn’t be easier.
§
Check pressure
canner.
§
Prepare jars
& lids.
§
Remove excess
fat.
§
Add canning salt
to jars.
o ½ teaspoon
salt to each pint.
o 1 teaspoon
to each quart.
§
Canning salt is a
fine-grained salt and is iodine-free. It does not have the anti-caking additive
(Calcium silicate) used in regular table salt.
§
Fill jars with
raw meat pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. As a rule of thumb, a one quart jar
will hold approximately two pounds of raw meat. DO NOT ADD LIQUID. Adjust jar
lids/rings “finger tight”.
§
Place 3 quarts of
water, canning rack, and jars in canner. Always use canning rack. Jars may
break if set directly on bottom of canner. (When doing pints, jars can be
“stacked” with an additional canning rack between layers).
§
To prevent water
stains on jars, add 2 tablespoons white vinegar to water in canner. This is
especially needed with our “hard” Mesa
§
Using a
relatively high heat setting, heat the pressure canner until a steady flow of
steam can be seen, heard, or felt coming from the vent pipe.
§
The air vent and
or cover lock is a visual indicator of the presence of pressure.
§
Exhaust air from
the canner for 10 minutes by allowing steam to flow from the vent pipe. Reduce
heat, if necessary, to maintain a steady, moderate flow of steam.
§
Process at 10
pounds pressure. Processing time begins when the pressure gauge registers the
correct pressure.
o 75 minutes
for Pints
o 90 minutes
for Quarts
Adjust
heat to maintain correct pressure on the dial gauge. If pressure drops below
desired setting, it will be necessary to bring pressure to the correct setting
and begin processing countdown from the beginning for the full amount of time.
§
At the end of
processing time, turn burner to “off” and remove canner from heat source.
§
Let pressure drop
of its own accord. Do not attempt to speed the cooling of the canner, which can
cause jar breakage, liquid loss from the jars and other problems. Pressure is
completely reduced when the air vent/cover lock and overpressure plug have
dropped and no steam escapes when the pressure regulator is lifted. Do not use
the dial gauge as an indicator for when pressure is completely reduced.
§
When pressure has
been completely reduced, remove pressure regulator from vent pipe and let
canner cool for 10 minutes.
§
Remove jars from
canner. Set jars upright on board or cloth, away from draft to cool.
§
When jars are cold,
test the seal (button on lid), remove bands, wash/wipe jars, label, date, and
store in a cool, dry place.
Helpful
Tips
§
Bubbles often
appear in the jar after it is removed from canner because food is still boiling
in jar. Ordinarily bubbles do not appear once the product has been allowed to
thoroughly cool.
§
Jar breakage
during processing is caused by: (1) Packing jar too solidly or overfilling; (2)
Weakened, cracked jars; (3) Jars touching bottom of canner; (4) Lids improperly
tightened; (5) Use of poor quality jars.
§
Liquid lost from
jars during processing is caused by: (1) Packing jar too solidly or
overfilling; (2) Insufficient exhaust period; (3) Variation or sudden lowering
of temperature in the canner. When processing food, pressure regulator should
not be taken off the vent pipe and cover should not be removed until air
vent/cover lock has dropped and pressure has been completely reduced; (4)
Failure to adjust jar lids according to manufacturer’s directions.
§
The loss of
liquid from jars during processing may be unattractive but it will not affect
the safety of the food as long as the jar was processed correctly and is
sealed.
§
It is better to
over process food than under process. Under processing may result in spoilage
and unsafe food.
§
Food spoilage or
jars not sealing is caused by: (1) Failure to follow exact timetables and
recipes; (2) Failure to wipe sealing edge of jar clean before placing lid on
jar; (3) Foods, seeds, or grease lodged between lid and jar; (4) Jars which are
nicked or cracked or have sharp sealing edges; (5) Failure to adjust jar lids
according to manufacturer’s directions; (6) Turning jars upside down while jars
are cooling and sealing.
§
The black deposit
sometimes found on the underside of a lid is caused by tannins in the food or
hydrogen sulfide which is liberated from the food by the heat of processing.
This does not indicate spoilage.
§
If a jar does not
seal, use the food at once, freeze or repack using different lids. Reprocess
for the full recommended processing time.
§
Two-piece vacuum
caps seal by the cooling of the contents of the jar, not through pressure of
the screw band on the lid. Therefore, although the screw band is firmly tight,
the jar is not sealed until cooled. During processing, the flexible metal lid
permits air to be exhausted from the jar.
§
Adjust two-piece
vacuum caps by screwing bands down evenly and firmly until a point of
resistance is met–fingertip tight. Do not use undue exertion.
§
It is not
necessary for the liquid on canned meats to congeal. The liquid will congeal
only when there is a large amount of gelatin from cartilage or connective
tissue present.
What do
you with the canned meat?
What do
you need to do pressure canning?
Canning Equipment & Supplies
There are numerous online and
local outlets to buy both equipment and supplies.
I find that on a day to day
basis that Wal-Mart generally has the best price on bottles and lids.
Occasionally Ace Hardware will either run a really good sale or have a good
coupon which will beat out the Wal-Mart price. You just have to keep your eyes
open for a deal. Once you have invested in your jars you seldom have to replace
them (unless you give them away or use them for drinking glasses).
§
Bottles/Jars –
Buy good quality Kerr or Mason jars. Jars can be used over and over.
§
Rings – these
come with the jars but can be purchased separately if they are lost or ruined.
§
Lids – are only
single use and are sold separately.
Equipment is also available
from numerous online and local stores. It ranges is price and quality. You can
buy the Cadillac or the economy sedan. Both will do the job but will vary of
course in price and durability. I knew exactly what I wanted/needed so I
purchased my equipment from Amazon. They had a great price for good equipment
and I let the UPS guy bring it to my door.
Helpful
Resources
Amazon – (http://www.amazon.com/ )
LDS Provident Living Web Site -
http://www.providentliving.org/self-reliance
Presto - http://www.gopresto.com/recipes/canning/index.php
Canning Class Info - http://www.inkrustandsawdust.blogspot.com/2012/10/pressure-canning-meat.html
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