I was teaching at a bread event and mini-seminar recently when canning meat came up and was met with a few snickers and giggles from some of the cuties in the crowd. The laughter was apparently fueled by the idea that we would ever do something as nonsensicle as can our own meat. After all that would require domestic skill and . . . Well you know. . . Further evidence of how disconnected from our own kitchens we have become.
Keep in mind that we can not always rely on a stable food market to feed our families. To do so would be foolish. Therefore we must make preparations to rely on our own fatted pantries to keep our families happy and healthy in difficult times. All of us suffer from Old Mother Hubbard Syndrome in varying degrees and now is the time to cure that ailment once and for all!
If you plan on having meat in your family store then consider canning your own. It is considerably less expensive than store bought canned meat, you can have a wide variety of shelf stable meat that is moist, delicious, nutritious, and in the event of an evacuation you can take it with you, unlike the meat in your deep freeze.
PLEASE for the love of all that is holy; follow the directions given by the experts. The world’s leading experts are at the University of Georgia. They are responsible for educating thousands of county extension agents nation wide and writing the USDA Home Canning Guide. The Ball Blue Book, which is not actually blue and is meant to educate the home canner, is based on the expertise of these highly educated women. There are many meat canning ideas and techinques based on personal experience and how "Grandma did it" so to avoid problems just follow the guidelines given by those whose profession it is to study, test, and educate us.
You can find oodles of information at the following web address:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
You can also purchase the Ball Blue Book from your local market for about five dollars. It seems that I have to purchase a new one every year because mine is inevitably worn out in a frenzy of syrup and brine, splattering juice or grease or is simply read to death.
Some of my favorite canned meats include:
Ham, and how! My girlfriend Janine turned me onto this and it has changed my family food store. I purchase large bone-in uncooked hams and toss them into my fit-for-a-queen sized stock pot. I add three large onions halved, two bay leaves, three big cloves of garlic, a few pepper corns, three or four stalks of celery with leaves, and a handful of whole carrots. I cover the entire mass with water and allow it to simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender. Let me tell you what... The resulting broth is phenomonal and the meat is succulent. I then skim the fat from the broth, pack the meat into hot jars, cover with some of the divine broth to 1 inch head space, remove offending air bubbles, and process the pints for 1 hour 15 minutes, and the quarts for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course using this technique is cooking the meat twice, but I have had no complaints as far as the quality of meat is concerned, only ooos and aaahs. I use this meat for my cowboy beans, my split pea soup, and scalloped potatoes. I also process this meat in half pints to be used for a shelf stable meal of reconstituted scrambled eggs with ham, onions, and green pepper. That along with a few rehydrated hashbrowns and I have a meal fit for a king. It sure beats another bowl of cracked wheat cereal!
This beautiful illustration by Sam McCullen doesn't exactly make me want to grind this poor cow into tender beef but truth be told that is exactly what I do! I spend a little extra to go directly to my local butcher and have fresh super lean chuck ground big and thick like chili meat on steroids. I sear it on medium high heat keeping it chunky. Then I add some onions and garlic, diced tomatoes with their juice, and some spices for kick. The exact recipe found in the Ball Blue Book on page 63 is: 5lbs ground beef, 2 C. Chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, 6 C. canned tomatoes with juice, 1/2 C. chili powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp salt, hot red pepper finely chopped, and 1 tsp cumin seed. Sear the beef and drain excess fat. Then add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook for twenty minutes. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1 inch head space. Remove air bubbles and adjust caps. Process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes and quarts 1 hour and 30 minutes. This meat is excellent to dump into a pot of softened beans for instant chili or even to mix into a casserole.
Of course chicken in the food supply is a no brainer and is the easiest meat that I have done. It can be packed with very little effort because I pack it raw. I purchase my chicken in bulk at Costco. I pay about 1.89 per pound and it comes boned and skinless which saves me a lot of time. I simply trim the fat off and cut it into chunks while it is still partially frozen so it is super easy to cut. The jars should be clean and hot but do not need to be steralized. I run the chicken under water just to rid the chicken of any remaining ice crystals and pack the meat immediately into the jars. I add just a little high quality broth to my meat before adjusting the caps. Off the jars go into a waiting pressure canner in which the water is already simmering. I use this meat for casseroles, enchiladas, soups, Hawaiian Hay Stacks, and chicken salad.
*You will find in reading the recommended resources that there are multiple techniques to canning meat based on preference and need. Please consult reputable sources for exactness. Canning low acid foods can be dangerous and exactness is important.
*Respect the required head space. Low acid foods require a different head space than high acid foods. Respect the space!
*Do not skimp on processing time or pressure. These formulas are labratory tested to ensure safety and quality so don't skimp.
One of the greatest challenges to canning meat is purchasing the required equipment to get started. Once you have it, it will last a lifetime. You may want to consider starting a canning club. Gather together a handful of like minded friends and go in together on the equipment. There are six work days in the week; make a schedule and pass the equipment around.
Canning clubs should follow the Do Unto Others rules:
*Take excellent care of the equipment while it is in your posession.
*Unless your hair is on fire stick to your scheduled day.
*Go the extra mile.
*Offer childcare to the one who is canning like crazy!
*Don't allow one good hearted woman in the group
to take on the whole burden of serving the group.