With the season upon us, and the lucky TOOzers that have connected already, I figured this would be a great time to start a thread on canning meat. My way is very simple, and makes GREAT table fare. You can use it for hamburger helper, stew, deer and noodles, or straight out of the jars!!
Equipment: pressure cooker (meat cannot be canned by the water bath method)
Meat (deer, duck, goose, etc)
Salt
Beef bouillon cubes
Lids, rings, jars
Adequate time to babysit the canner!!!
First, cut all your meat into 1-2" cubes, and place inside clean jars. If you have ever canned anything before, then you know what you need to do. Lids need boiled, rims of the jars wiped off and cleaned, etc.
When filling your jars with meat, add 3 bouillon cubes to each jar, along with a little salt (or garlic salt), And last water up to the bottom of the mouth. After filling all the jars, make sure to wipe the rim of each jar off. Any salt or foreign substance can cause the jar to not seal. After the lids have been boiled, place them on the jars, and tighten your rings down. They don't need to be extremely right, as this will cause the jars to not seal also. I usually tighten them down good, then back them off slightly so I know they will seal.
Once all your jars are loaded and ready, load the pressure cooker up, making sure the jars do not touch the sides of the cooker (I was always told this can cause the jars to burst). Then put enough water into the cooker to bring the level to the necks of the jars. You should have about an inch or so of jar not immersed in water. Tighten the cooker lid, turn on your stove to medium-high, and grab a beer (or three). Here comes the babysitting!
Once you get your heat going, it will take awhile to get the pressure built up inside. Once your gauge starts moving, monitor your heat. Start turning it down once you get to 8-10 psi. Your working psi is going to be 12. You want to keep the cooker sitting at 12 the entire time, which means you will have to adjust your heat to keep this pressure. Once you can keep it at this pressure, it usually doesn't fluctuate much. Once you are at a steady 12 psi, start your timer for 1.25 hours (okay, maybe four beers).
After you have kept it at 12 psi for 75 minutes, turn your heat off, and allow the cooker to drop the pressure on its own. If you pull the valve with pressure still inside the canner, it will cause the jars to boil all the water (aka...all the good juices inside the jars) out, and you will have to start over. Once the l pressure is back to zero, release the clamps, and carefully take the jars out of the canner, placing them on top of a towel on a counter or table. DO NOT TOUCH THE TOPS OF THE LIDS WITH YOUR FINGERS!! It will cause the lids to pop, and they will have to be consumed ASAP. I cover the jars with another towel, and let them slow cool. I remove the rings after they are cooled down enough where you can handle them. Now you can check the lids for correct seals. If the lid "pops" up and down, it is not sealed, and the meat will spoil if not refrigerated.
That's it!! Again, this makes for a great meal, snack, or addition to any combination for dinner. I canned a whole deer last year, and plan on doing at least 2 this year......it's that good!!! Any questions just ask, and if you have a different recipe, post it up!!
Equipment: pressure cooker (meat cannot be canned by the water bath method)
Meat (deer, duck, goose, etc)
Salt
Beef bouillon cubes
Lids, rings, jars
Adequate time to babysit the canner!!!
First, cut all your meat into 1-2" cubes, and place inside clean jars. If you have ever canned anything before, then you know what you need to do. Lids need boiled, rims of the jars wiped off and cleaned, etc.
When filling your jars with meat, add 3 bouillon cubes to each jar, along with a little salt (or garlic salt), And last water up to the bottom of the mouth. After filling all the jars, make sure to wipe the rim of each jar off. Any salt or foreign substance can cause the jar to not seal. After the lids have been boiled, place them on the jars, and tighten your rings down. They don't need to be extremely right, as this will cause the jars to not seal also. I usually tighten them down good, then back them off slightly so I know they will seal.
Once all your jars are loaded and ready, load the pressure cooker up, making sure the jars do not touch the sides of the cooker (I was always told this can cause the jars to burst). Then put enough water into the cooker to bring the level to the necks of the jars. You should have about an inch or so of jar not immersed in water. Tighten the cooker lid, turn on your stove to medium-high, and grab a beer (or three). Here comes the babysitting!
Once you get your heat going, it will take awhile to get the pressure built up inside. Once your gauge starts moving, monitor your heat. Start turning it down once you get to 8-10 psi. Your working psi is going to be 12. You want to keep the cooker sitting at 12 the entire time, which means you will have to adjust your heat to keep this pressure. Once you can keep it at this pressure, it usually doesn't fluctuate much. Once you are at a steady 12 psi, start your timer for 1.25 hours (okay, maybe four beers).
After you have kept it at 12 psi for 75 minutes, turn your heat off, and allow the cooker to drop the pressure on its own. If you pull the valve with pressure still inside the canner, it will cause the jars to boil all the water (aka...all the good juices inside the jars) out, and you will have to start over. Once the l pressure is back to zero, release the clamps, and carefully take the jars out of the canner, placing them on top of a towel on a counter or table. DO NOT TOUCH THE TOPS OF THE LIDS WITH YOUR FINGERS!! It will cause the lids to pop, and they will have to be consumed ASAP. I cover the jars with another towel, and let them slow cool. I remove the rings after they are cooled down enough where you can handle them. Now you can check the lids for correct seals. If the lid "pops" up and down, it is not sealed, and the meat will spoil if not refrigerated.
That's it!! Again, this makes for a great meal, snack, or addition to any combination for dinner. I canned a whole deer last year, and plan on doing at least 2 this year......it's that good!!! Any questions just ask, and if you have a different recipe, post it up!!
