Re: *GOBBLEGOBBLE*

"Sgt. Sausage" wrote:
> 
> > >mmmmmmm     canned meat
> 
> > Better than frozen, and I'm using turkey stock as the canning liquid,
> > not straight water.  I might actually free up some freezer space
> > depending on how much stock I need for canning beyond the three
> > gallons I made today.
> 
> We do a *lot* of canning from my wife's garden. I help
> with it a lot (chopping, slicing, dicing -- and carrying what
> must be hundreds of jars a jear down to the basement
> store room) , but don't know much about the whole
> process.
> 
> We've never home canned meats of any kind. I don't
> know why. Never really thought about it. I guess it's
> sounding like a great idea if you can catch a sweet
> deal on some bulk meats.
> 
> Anyway, I've got some questions you might be able
> to answer:
> 
> (a) Is canning meats any different than fruits/veggies/
>     pickles etc (which is what we mostly stick to). If
>     so, what do you do differently?
> 
> (b) What's the expected shelf-life of, say, a jar of
>     turkey? We usually don't go longer than about
>     2 or 3 years on the shelf with the other stuff. Not
>     that we throw it out 'cause it's old, it just normally
>     gets eaten up before then. Can we get 2 or 3 (or
>     more) years out of canned turkey (beef, chicken,
>     whatever?)
> 
> (c) Any special preparation or secret ingredients
>     to increase either the shelf-life or the quality
>     of what comes out of the jars after a few years?
> 
> I'm going to do some research on this over the
> weekend. You've piqued my interest on this. Just
> asking if you've got any input from your personal
> experiences with this.
> 
> Thanks.

***It is necessary to pressure-can meats.***  They are low-acid.
You need a pressure canner.  They are generally expensive, but
a good investment if you'll use it.
A water-bath canner will not work for meats or other low-acid foods.
Death by botulism is a strong possibility if a pressure canner 
is not used.  Don't risk it.

I've canned lots of meats; they were never around longer 
than 2 years.  We eat them.

With chicken breast, I just stick the raw boneless skinless
breast is a pint jar with broth, & process.  Very easy.
I also do very lean hamburger & chopped onions.  Yum.

Sewmaster