Home canned beef with onion and garlic. Home canned venison with basil and oregano. Home canned pork and chicken! Home canned smoked salmon, too! Do I have your attention? You might want to get a napkin for this: I cannot be responsible for keyboard damage due to drooling. 😉
The first time I home canned meat was last year. I was canning up beef, chicken, and pork because…well honestly because I absolutely had to. I had hit a meat sale with both fists and came back with far more than our little chest freezer could handle since we had pretty much filled it with salmon fillets for the dogs (yes, we feed salmon to our dogs). As I was putting my vacuum sealer through its paces, I began to notice that I just didn’t have enough room for everything and knew that my mother in law didn’t either. What to do?! That’s right, can ‘em up!
I had only used the pressure canner for veggies up to this point. To say I was a little nervous would be accurate but I had gotten over the whole “exploding pressure canner” myth months before. I was more nervous of messing something up and making the meat inedible than I was about dodging hot metal. (Honestly, there are so many safeguards on pressure canners that it is actually work to get them to explode via pressure alone). I was determined though, because I am focused on getting rid of a majority of store bought boxed and canned goods. As I was taught when I was younger, you always go less on spices because it is easier to add more than try and take away some. This is the rule of thumb I fell back on when it came to adding spices to the jars and it paid off well. I will get to the fun experimenting later but for now, let’s start with some basic information about pressure canning meats.
According to the USDA, meats must be pressure canned (versus water bath canning) to ensure that no harmful bacteria can survive in the sealed jar. Many people – and I used to be one of them – believe that salt is an absolute requirement to be added to any pressure canned foods (veggies, meats, meat stock, etc) so it will stay preserved longer but that is simply not true. The salt is added only for flavoring. Pressure canning is not ‘hard’ to do so much as time consuming. For us, it is time very well spent not only for the money it saves but also for the superior food we end up eating. Canned meats must be lean with all excess fat cut off of it. The reason for this is so there is less fat that can go up the sides of the jar and ‘contaminate’ the sealing lid with the oils that will prevent a solid seal from forming. Getting all of the fat off of meat is not realistic but if there is excess on the outside or a thick line of marbled fat in the middle, it is best if you remove it. Nothing goes to waste in our house! The fat and meat bits are frozen and added to stews or boiled in plain water and given to the pups for a special treat. Most meat is canned at 11 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes on pints, longer for quarts. Before people go getting all bent out of shape about that statement, notice I said most. Some canners have different features and therefore different times listed. Other things to consider is that some, like wild game, may need some pre-canning processing. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s manual for the correct pressure and length of time to safely jar up tasty meats.
Home canned meat tastes better and you know how it was processed!
Now that the ‘legalese’ is out of the way, here is the fun part: spice combinations! Pressure canning allows for some creativity which helps to make the project fun and your results tasty. You can add in all sorts of amazing things to the jars or mix the spices with the meat in a bowl before packing your jars. I prefer to put my spices in the bottom of the jar so they will boil up throughout the rest of contents plus, a fresh leaf of basil hitting the bottom of the hot jars releases an amazing scent. Anyone who smells it, even down the stairs and outside by the cars, comments about how good it smells and wonders what kind of goodness is going on in the kitchen. In short, it makes you feel like some kind of food God(dess) with your spatula raised high, hair frizzing brilliantly in the steam from the pressure canner! Well, okay maybe that is just me. *ahem*
Here are some combinations I have done. Not a single one has turned out bad or over spiced. I really love adding the jarred meat to the Stew Starters I make for a super easy meal. The single best piece of advice I can possibly give you is to never, ever make the entire batch of meat spiced the same (unless you are giving some away or something of course). You may love garlic beef but if you make absolutely all of it taste the same…let’s just say I made this mistake and while I was grateful for food to eat, trying to make yourself eat something you have had constantly over a few months: you tend to lose your appetite!
The following ingredients are all fresh from the garden (except where noted as powder). The drop of liquid smoke was added to pint jars and 2 drops for quarts. It is important to have some plain canned meats as well for those times when you want something completely different.
Beef
- Basil and oregano
- Garlic, green onion, oregano
- Garlic, white onion, chives
- Ginger
- Peppered
- Chili powder, onion, garlic, oregano
- Garlic, onion, a drop of liquid smoke
- Plain
Pork
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Garlic and onion
- BBQ spice mix
- Peppered
- Plain
Chicken
- Basil and onion
- Rosemary and chives
- Garlic and onion
- Peppered
- Green/Red peppers and chili powder with a drop of liquid smoke
- Plain
Salmon
- Drop of liquid smoke
- Garlic and onion
- Brined and then lightly smoked
- Plain
I wish I could show people just how easy it really is to pressure can and process your own food. Yup, it takes time out of your day but here is the trade off:
- You know how your food was processed
- You have saved money because you did the work yourself (especially if you buy the meat and jars on sale!)
- You have created shelf-stable food that does not require refrigeration (think winter storm power outages!)
- The food you eat is a superior product and seasoned to your personal preferences
- Sanity saver: For those days when you need an ‘instant’ meal, pop open a jar of canned meat and some mixed veggies in a saucepan. Heat and eat!
Do you pressure can your own meats? Give us a comment below and share some of your recipes and suggestions! As always, questions are welcome!
Thanks for the new ideas. In the past I have canned venison with great success.
You are very welcome! I look forward to canning some venison this year. Hopefully the hubby gets a few deer!
can i use just a plain pressure cooker and if so how do i know how long and what the pressure is at r there some common rules for those , i wanna do meat but cant afford a pressure canner right now , i have been water bathing everything else ,HELP ,patricia
Hi Patricia! Unfortunately, a pressure cooker is not the same as a pressure canner. There are some pressure cookers, however, that have a weighted gauge on it so are both a cooker and canner. Sometimes the wieghted gauge is called a knocker because of the clicking or ‘knocking’ sounds it makes when it reaches 15 pounds of pressure. I know of some people who use their pressure cooker as a canner for smaller jars but I would not recommend it. It just isn’t worth the risk of getting sick or wasting all of that food if it isn’t done right. Start small and work your way up! Try looking on Craig’s List for a used one. Maybe you could barter for it. Best of luck and thank you for the comment!
thank you i appreciate the info 🙂
I have canned chicken, hotdogs, bacon, and meatloaf! No kidding! I saw a video on youtube for meatloaf and now I think that’s just the dinktum! Love it! Now, the hotdogs resemble vienna sausages a little bit, but still, not bad! If you do bacon, I’d recommend the thicker slices, though. Our thin slices were too thin, but still made great crunchy sandwiches!
OK jarred meatloaf? If I could do that, my husband would be in heaven haha! We have done fish, chicken, beef, and pork. Venison is hopefully this year, I need to get that trip planned still. Thanks for the comment JEP, and for following along in my crazy little world!
do you can the bacon like any other meat? how does it get crunchy? does it do something like deep fry in the jar?
I haven’t canned bacon yet. I honestly don’t know how well it would do because all of the fat would (I think) keep the jars from sealing. Likely it can be done, I just haven’t checked it out much. 🙂
Canning bacon is odd….you take either brown paper (as in paper bag) or I believe it is butcher paper. Lay each bacon strip side by side along the center of the strip of paper. Then fold the top over, then the bottom up and over. Begin to roll the bacon up as tight as possible (for me, it is left to right). Slide this into a wide mouth jar, and process as for any meat. Once you open it, roll it out, and fry each strip as usual. Like I said, our thin bacon turns out too this this way, so try the thicker bacon if you try it! Look on youtube for canning bacon. It is amazing what folks share! Dehydrating, canning, etc.
Use parchment paper. The thin bacon falls apart and we use it in casseroles,beans,eggs and salads, what ever you think bacon crumbles would be used in/on…I cook it in a skillet before using….great on maple frosting….using thick bacon holds up better for pressure canning and will come out whole and cook up great for sliced bacon….
Wow bacon!
Can you recommend a pressure canner?
I sure can! My first pressure canner is the Presto 23 qt canner. If you look at the top of the site, you will see a page called “The Equipment I Use” for all the food preservation items I use but here is a link directly to the pressure canner (which looks like is on sale right now, too!). Thank you for the comment, question, and checking out my blog!
I want to can fully cooked meat. I will feel better about it being safe, and I think the cooking time and pressure would be less, correct?
Hello Doris!
The pressure does not have to do with whether the food is precooked or not. It has to do with elevation to make sure you are getting the proper pressure and heat built up to kill off all the potential bacteria. The cooking time would be less, yes however I urge caution; be sure to follow the instructions on your pressure canner from the manufacturer. If they give times for precooked food (most do), use that. I personally don’t bother with precooking for three important reasons:
1. It adds an unnecessary second step and time into the process.
2. At 11 pounds of sustained pressure for 90 minutes, there is not much that can live through that to make you sick. In fact, so long as you are doing it correctly without skipping steps, there is no reason whatsoever why there should be any risk of bacteria living through that process.
3. I am lazy in that I don’t want to add steps and busy with more projects to be done after the canning is done.
Ultimately, do your research and can your food in the way that makes you feel safe. If you precook the meat, understand that when you then pressure can it, the consistency will likely be mush when you open it to use it. You have broken it down twice: once when you cooked it then again when you pressure can it (which also cooks it). I hope this helps! Thank you for the question and following along on the blog!
I got a Mule Deer with my bow this year. We pulled backstrap out, barbequed it then canned the rest of the deer. It’s comforting to know what we’re eating and in light of the number of power outages we have each winter it’s nice to know our deer is safely stored. We’ve enjoyed deer burriito’s and deer chili so far and look forward to other tasty meals this winter!
I just got a pressure canner this Summer. I am wanting to can meat, soups, and beans. I just haven’t done it yet.
Welcome to your new addiction: the sound of pinging jars! It is a lot of fun, gives you a real sense of accomplishment as well as a superior food product! Very exciting and would love to see some pictures if you care to share on the Facebook page! Thank you for the comment and following along. 🙂
I finally have my large pressure canner so I can begin this new adventure. I really appreciate your information and look forward to trying your recipes. I have canned turkey broth, but just froze the meat. Next time I plan to can it. Thank you again for all the helpful information on your amazing website. Karla V.
Karla, you just made my whole day. I am excited for you as your brain kicks into overdrive at all the incredible possibilities you have with a pressure canner! If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment on here or message on Facebook. You could even email me at akhomestead.dreamer@gmail.com. If I do not know the answer, I know people who do! I highly recommend http://www.simplycanning.com, too. That is where I personally go to learn new things or double check times and pressures, etc. Thank you so much for the comment!
~HD
As someone who has canned meat for years….keep a bottle of alcohol on hand. Cut a pile of paper towels into quarters. Wipe the rim of each jar with a FRESH saturated towel after packing it. Doing it this way, i only lose one or two jars out of thirty cases when i can albacore (notoriously fatty fish)
That would work very well for the salmon, too. I never thought about that trick. Thanks for sharing it Gypsy!
I have been canning veggies from my large garden for many years. I found an old pressure canner in a neighbors garage and insisted that I needed to rehome it. Replaced the old worn out gasket and the missing weight on top. Expanded my veggie canning operation to include pressure canning at that time,15 years ago. About two years ago I began to notice the increasing prices in meats. Bought some stew meat on sale and gave it a go. I was so impressed with the taste, I immedately purchased an “All American” double stack canner. I had been eyeballing/reading about this one for awhile, just could not justifiy the expense. Hubby tasted the meat and was like WOW. I don’t care what it cost, get a bigger canner. For about 3 months, I canned 3 or 4X’s a week. When I saw a sale on pork loin at Sam’s Club. I walked out with about 50 lbs of it. Then canned it all over the next few days. The next week corned beef, then stew meat, etc. I now have a well stocked pantry of my own canned goods.I have not tried fish yet. But, bartered a deal with a neighbor. He is going fishing next week for the entire week. I will can fish for him, he will split catch for my labor. When he fishes, He Fishes! 🙂
Buying the meat on sale is exactly what we do, too. It makes a HUGE difference. In fact, we only buy meat a couple times a year. Anything that nears the 1 year mark in a vacuum seal bag gets canned. It really extends the shelf life overall AND saves you serious money. Thank you for sharing your story! I hope your canning goes well on the fish. Just remember, if you smoke the fish first, you are partially cooking it. Therefore, canning it for the entire recommended time tends to make it very dark and overdone. I learned that one the hard way!
Check with your local butcher about buying a half or quarter of a beef. You end up paying much less – for us it’s under $3/pound – for EVERYTHING. From Top Sirloin to roasts, T-bones to hamburger. You can sure save a lot of money on beef that way! Same with pork, although with a pig you usually have to buy an entire half or even the whole pig.
And then when you get your meat from the butcher, you can request the fat too… super easy to render down to lard or tallow!! I do mine in the crockpot, run the liquid fat through a strainer, and put it in sterilized wide-mouth pint or quart jars. They will usually seal on their own volition if the fat is right out of the crockpot. Mine have lasted a few years that way! Great, healthy fats for cooking.
How I WISH we could do that here. I live on an island in Alaska and everything is shipped in. The money saved is so small that it’s worth the money saved to have someone else butcher it. Venison is another matter though. 😉
I have canned bacon in my presto canner. I saw the video where they used parchment paper to wrap the bacon before canning. I kept looking and reading and found a few web sites that just fooled the bacon up and canned it in a pint or half pint jar. Depends on on how much you will need to use it for. I use my bacon for breakfast and flavoring other dishes . I canned them for 90 minutes. This works great and eliminates the paper. You just take them out, roll them out and cook to get them crispy.
Glad it works for you. This is one of those areas where each person must make their own choice. Canning bacon is not deemed safe nor recommended by the USDA safe standards.
For years I grew up watching my mother can fruits and veggies. Now, I am diving in. I did a water bath with peppers last year and was very pleased with the outcome. My husband and I plan to add a pressure canner to the arsenal this year with our garden producing so much now. I was reading this article on the canned meat and wondered… how long does it last in a jar, canned?
Years but the texture starts to degrade after around 18 months. My personal timeline is at 2 years (if any jars make it to that point) they get eaten first.